I don’t know how many people are going to care about this. A lot of times after a loss, Pittsburgh Steelers fans just want to fire everybody and complain about everything except for penalties, which are “more excuses”. But anyway, the Steelers had a defensive pass interference non-call turned into a call that went against them upon review, and they weren’t happy about it.
Head of officiating Al Riveron spoke with reporters after the game about why he made the decision to put the flag down on a big play in the second half that gave the Seattle Seahawks a first down on 2nd and 20 for a 38-yard play that soon resulted in a touchdown that put them up by two possessions.
Russell Wilson fired up a pass down the field to Tyler Lockett with Terrell Edmunds and Kameron Kelly in the vicinity. Edmunds pulled on Lockett’s jersey while he was in the air as the pass ricocheted incomplete.
Pass interference, or nah? #Steelers pic.twitter.com/xpeHbPEzXQ
— Steelers Depot (@Steelersdepot) September 16, 2019
“We take a look at it and there were three or four TV angles that show us that there was clear and obvious visual evidence that the receiver was significantly hindered”, Ray Fittipaldo shares of the Riveron quote from a pool report.
Riveron (cont.) by the defender in his attempt to make a catch. “I didn’t say it was egregious. I said it was clear and obvious that he was significantly hindered. (more)
— Ray Fittipaldo (@rayfitt1) September 15, 2019
Riveron (cont.) “It is clear and obvious through visual evidence, which it was that he was significantly hindered, and that’s why we put a flag on the ground.” (end)
— Ray Fittipaldo (@rayfitt1) September 15, 2019
“I didn’t say it was egregious”, he added about the severity of the actual interference itself. “I said it was clear and obvious that [Lockett] was significantly hindered. It is clear and obvious through visual evidence, which it was that he was significantly hindered, and that’s why we put a flag on the ground”.
For the record, I agree that it was clear and obvious that there was a pass interference committed on the play. Edmunds absolutely pulled on Lockett’s jersey to the point that Lockett’s body shifted while he was in the air. That is textbook defensive pass interference.
Whether or not that interference amounted to the receiver being “significantly hindered” from making the catch, I believe is more open for discussion, but ultimately I think it probably qualifies under those parameters as well.
The concern is, as usual, the standard for which a ruling is made has not been entirely consistent so far through just two weeks of official results in the regular season. Then again, that isn’t necessarily to be considered out of the norm when first implementing a new rule. There will always be growing pains.
Full disclosure, I tend to have a lower threshold for penalties than most. If I see a penalty on a play, then I’m fine with it being called. If it actually happened, let it be penalized. Edmunds committed pass interference, without a doubt in my mind. He knows he has to play cleaner than not, to not even put himself in that kind of position.
