Steelers to Bring in Refs Throughout Week to Rectify Penalty Issues
PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers are working with the NFL to bring in refs throughout the week to help the team address penalty concerns.
Through two weeks, the Steelers have committed 13 penalties, including six during their Week 2 win over the Denver Broncos. They're 14th in the league in penalties committed.
"We were too highly penalized in the game," head coach Mike Tomlin said. "It hurt our efforts on both sides of the ball. It hurt our efforts in terms of possessing the ball on offense ... Ball possession on drives, there's too much scarcity in that discussion to get major penalties and throw yourself behind the chains."
This week, they'll bring in league refs to fix the issue, according to head coach Mike Tomlin. During their home opener with the Broncos, one of the six penalties canceled out a 81-yard punt return for a touchdown by Diontae Johnson. Four of the other five were holding or pass interference.
"We're going through the logistical procedures today to secure some officiating for practice," Tomlin said. "We've been in communication with the league office to make sure we're adhering to all the protocols and doing whatever is necessary to make sure that we're in compliance and make sure everyone is safe. But the bottom line is we need to ratchet up our quality of play in that area."
The sixth yellow flag was pulled when Mike Hilton launched himself into Broncos quarterback Jeff Driskel after a pass. The roughing the pass call gave the Broncos a fresh set of downs. On the next play, Driskel found tight end, Noah Fant, for a touchdown.
"They were able to extend some drives due
Noah Strackbein is a Publisher with AllSteelers. Follow Noah on Twitter @NoahStrack, and AllSteelers @si_steelers.
