The Pittsburgh Steelers have been a hot mess since Week 1 and continued self-destruction in a pathetic October 9 routing by the Buffalo Bills.
As has been the case all season long, there’s no one person to blame. All aspects of the Steelers organization should shoulder criticism for how the team has played through five weeks.
One of the glaring areas that have struggled mightily is the wide receiver corps. Offensive coordinator Matt Canada is the worst going in the NFL right now, but his one job isn’t to catch the ball.
Of the six interceptions thrown by Pittsburgh this year (two by Mitch Trubisky), three were on targets to Diontae Johnson and one to Chase Claypool. We all know about the first pass of Kenny Pickett’s NFL career, thrown to Claypool, only to bounce off his hands and into the defender’s.
Claypool blamed himself and encouraged the rookie to keep throwing his way. But he’s only caught half the passes since that sideline conversation.
Fans and media have put Claypool on blast ever since. Unfortunately for him, any misstep will be magnified until he gets his act together and starts playing like his physical attributes say he can and proved he was capable during his rookie season.
Count NFL on CBS broadcaster Tony Romo among the media to magnify his play during a broadcast millions tuned into.
In the final quarter of the agonizing game, Pickett fired a nice pass over the middle to the open third-year receiver. But he ran the wrong route, allowing Bills cornerback Siran Neal to cut in front and break it up. Instead of cutting horizontally, he kept going vertically, as Romo explained.
“Now this is wide open if you just cut down this line,” said Romo. “If you keep going vertical, you allow the defender to get back into the play. I think Claypool needs to do more of that because he should. He’s got all of the physical attributes, but I just see him not being quarterback-friendly enough times where it hurts the play. That should’ve been an easy catch.”
Mike Tomlin, Steelers Mocked for (Non) Review
Overturning a call isn’t going to help the Pittsburgh Steelers. In this case, throwing the red challenge flag would’ve resulted in losing a time-out anyway.
But two veteran NFL analysts didn’t think so.
The NFL on CBS broadcast team of Jim Nantz and Tony Romo presided over the Steelers-Bills matchup.
Pittsburgh Steelers rookie wide receiver George Pickens could go down as one of the best to ever don the black and gold when all is said and done.
Pickens has made some spectacular highlight-reel catches, including one that wasn’t.
Should this have been ruled a catch? 🧐
Even with the game obscenely out of hand, (Kenny) Pickett to (George) Pickens wasn’t quitting. One rookie looked to another for a new set of downs, and Pickens nearly came through with some late-game heroics.
Pickett tossed a pass to Pickens on the sideline, but he only got one foot (and a hand) down.
“He got a hand, foot, everything,” Romo said after seeing the slow-motion replay. “I think it’s a catch.”
Nantz agreed as they willed Mike Tomlin to challenge the incomplete pass call: “Challenge it, Pittsburgh, challenge it,” Nantz repeated.
No flag was thrown, and the next play was snapped. “Take a catch away from him,” said Nantz. Romo voiced his disagreement with Tomlin’s choice with, “Hmmmmm.”
Then the two proceeded to mock the Steelers coaching staff.
Romo and Nantz now openly mocking steelers coaching staff for that (non) review
“Sometimes what happens is, the guys upstairs, they’re not all talking to each other the same way they did at the start of the game,” Romo said, laughing. “The headset, it’s offensive coordinator, the quarterback coach, the O-line coach, the tight end coach, wide receivers coach, the guy up in the booth, they’re all talking, What do we gotta do in this series? Okay, we gotta get this back…
“Now it’s 38-3…
“And it’s quiet,” interrupted Nantz.
… and the coordinator just calls the play.”
Only Tony Romo, who played in the NFL for a decade, and Jim Nantz, who’s covered it for four, were wrong.
As were a lot of folks watching the game, but there are reasons why we’re on the couch, and they’re in the booth: They’re experts.
Romo and Nantz were convincing, though, causing many to rehash what constitutes an NFL catch.
@PFF_Steelers Someone should have told Romo and Nantz that a hand DOESNT count. Really bad look that they don’t know the 2 feet/ 1 knee rule
According to the NFL rulebook, in addition to securing the ball (of course), the player must come down inbounds with both feet or one foot and another body part “other than his hands.”
For what it’s worth, Mike Tomlin is better off not throwing the challenge flag on anything the Steelers coaching staff deems worthy. They just don’t have luck on their side.
In Tomlin’s 15.5-year career, he’s challenged 86 plays, and only 36 have been overturned.
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Tony Romo Puts Steelers’ Chase Claypool on Blast During Broadcast