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Mike Tomlin Still Not Pleased with Officiating vs. Eagles: ‘There’s Some Controversy Around It’
The Steelers were called for several questionable penalties in their loss to the Eagles and head coach Mike Tomlin is still not happy.
PITTSBURGH – Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was not shy in expressing his frustrations with officiating after the team’s 27-13 loss to the Eagles in Week 15. That didn’t seem to change less than 24 hours later, either.
On Monday, Tomlin revealed he was still not satisfied with the explanations he received from the refs on Sunday.
“I don’t want to get into specifics of what was said to me in game or how that was administered,” Tomlin said. “There’s some controversy around it. I acknowledge that.”
The Steelers were called for several questionable penalties in Philadelphia. Most notably, wide receiver Calvin Austin III and tight end Darnell Washington were penalized during a skirmish in the first quarter.
However, no Eagles were flagged, despite several videos surfacing of cornerback Darius Slay Jr. throwing a punch at Washington.
Following the game, official Alan Eck stood by the call, saying that no official on the field, nor replay assist in New York saw punches thrown by an Eagles defensive player, via the pool report.
“Because two Steelers were observed, number 80 and number 19, committing unsportsmanlike conduct after the play was over. That’s what it was. Two players after the fact, unsportsmanlike conduct,” Eck said. “Since we had flags down, it gave New York an opportunity to review the play as well. There was no video evidence of punches observed by the Philadelphia Eagles.”
While Tomlin obviously still disagrees with the call, he acknowledged he doesn’t have any more time to spend on it this week.
“I didn’t read the pool report because I saw it as it happened,” Tomlin said. “I hadn’t had a chance to talk with New York because I’ve been so focused on what’s going on with Baltimore in the present day.”
That wasn’t the only time the Eagles seemed to get away with committing a penalty, though.
Steelers tight end Connor Heyward also had his head slapped by Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter during a punt, but it was deemed as a post-play penalty instead.
Tomlin was not pleased with the explanation given by the refs then, either.
“I was not,” he said.
However, as Tomlin stated, the Steelers don’t have a lot of time to dissect why certain penalties were or were not called on Sunday with a rematch against the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday.
The game has major playoff implications. If the Steelers can defeat the Ravens for the fifth straight time, they’ll be deemed the winners of the AFC North and lock up at least one home postseason game.
That’s why Tomlin is doing his best to move on from Sunday’s humbling loss and shift his attention on how to help his team play better.
“I just tend to focus my energies on the things that we can control in those environments,” Tomlin said. “I know that when we play better these discussions are less significant, and so I just want to play better, coach better.”
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