What did Tomlin do exactly?

[MikeO]

Word is for Miami's game a week from Sunday vs Pittsburgh that Steelers coach Mike Tomlin might be suspended for it for the stunt he pulled last night.  Not sure the game will mean much nor do I think a head coach missing a game will have a huge impact of what takes place on the field but Tomlin might be suspended for that game.

[Dolarltexas]

This is typical of the refs' treatment of the Steelers.  Anyone remember the 2010 game when the refs gave the Steelers the game when Roethlisberger fumbled into the end zone, but the refs decided to give the ball and the game to the Steelers? 

[MikeO]

This is typical of the refs' treatment of the Steelers.  Anyone remember the 2010 game when the refs gave the Steelers the game when Roethlisberger fumbled into the end zone, but the refs decided to give the ball and the game to the Steelers? 

That was the right call in that game. Stupid rule which makes no sense,  but the Refs called it correctly.

[Pappy13]

That was the right call in that game. Stupid rule which makes no sense,  but the Refs called it correctly.

Actually they didn't. They could have ruled that Roethlisberger fumbled BEFORE crossing the goal line (which he did) and awarded Miami the football and a touchback. What you mean to say is that once they ruled (incorrectly) that Roethlisberger had scored then it became the ONLY call they could make which of course was the wrong call, but nonetheless the only ruling they could make then. So no, they didn't get it right, I guess you could say they screwed up the call correctly, but that's not the same as getting it right.

In fact that's generally what happens to Miami lately it seems, they screw it up correctly. Just like the TD against New Orleans where the only thing Tedd Ginn ever did right for Miami was chase down a player from behind and knocked an interception loose which traveled through the endzone and should have been called a touchback but was instead ruled a TD. The instant replay was inconclusive so the call stood and then a day or 2 later there was a picture produced that showed the ball had clearly been fumbled prior to crossing the goal line. Since instant replay didn't show it they couldn't overturn it, but had they called it a fumble in the first place (which it was) then they would have HAD to award Miami the ball on the 20. That would have been the right call, technically they screwed it up correctly...again.

[Spider-Dan]

This is typical of the refs' treatment of the Steelers.

I believe the refs assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct on Tomlin during the game for that same play.

That was the right call in that game. Stupid rule which makes no sense,  but the Refs called it correctly.

Not really.  They could have determined (after reviewing and correctly identifying the fumble) that the Dolphins gained possession, which would have been reasonable given the fact that Misi stood up with the ball.  Or ideally, they could have called the fumble correctly in the first place.

[mecadonzilla]

If memory serves, I think the Roethlesberger fumble issue was further complicated by an early whistle blown, ending the play while the ball should have been still live.

[Pappy13]

If memory serves, I think the Roethlesberger fumble issue was further complicated by an early whistle blown, ending the play while the ball should have been still live.

Sort of. One of the refs signaled TD. Once he signaled TD, anything that happened after that point (the fumble) is moot so none of the officials bothered to figure out who recovered the football. On replay they determined that it wasn't a TD that clearly the fumble happened before crossing the goal line, but since the replay didn't clearly show who had recovered the football (even though the dolphins came out of the pile with the ball), they could not award it to the Dolphins and gave it to Pittsburgh on the 1 (the spot of the fumble). So technically Pittsburgh was not awarded a TD, but they got the ball back at the 1 which might as well as given them the TD. There was no whistle, but the TD signal effectively stops play as well. They could have still awarded Miami the ball on replay if it clearly showed on the replay Miami recovering the ball but there was a scrum for the ball and it wasn't clear who had recovered.

[MikeO]

Tomlin to get a 6 figure fine and the Steelers might lose a couple draft picks. NOW THAT'S A PUNISHMENT!!

[dolphins4life]

I was too full to follow the game clearly.  What happened?

[MikeO]

standing too close to the field to the point where he was almost on the field and forced a Ravens player returning a kick to adjust his route and probably/most likely saved Pitt a TD and cost the Ravens a TD.  He may have stuck his foot out and tried to trip the player too in the process of getting out of the way at the last minute.

Video is here
http://www.baltimoreravens.com/news/article-1/Mike-Tomlin-Interferes-With-Potential-Touchdown/c3f47606-c8d3-4dfd-9f0a-26a55a610d20

[Phishfan]

That guy was getting caught regardless. No excuses for Tomlin (who says he always watches the monitors during returns) but that return would have never gone all the way.

[Spider-Dan]

He was on the field.



Even if his foot wasn't in bounds, standing in the out-of-bounds area that close to the field is clear interference.  That play should have been awarded a TD under the "palpably unfair act" clause (like when Flacco talked about tackling The Ginn Family on the final kick of the Super Bowl).

If I were a coach, I would tell my players to simply run into any member of the opposing team that gets that close.  Had Jones touched Tomlin, it would have been a guaranteed TD call.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

He pulled a Sal Alosi.

[fyo]

Tomlin to get a 6 figure fine and the Steelers might lose a couple draft picks. NOW THAT'S A PUNISHMENT!!

The Sal Alosi incident resulted in a team fine of $100k as the only punishment. This was a case of clear, no-doubt-about-it CHEATING. No draft picks.

To punish the Steelers more than the Jets would be absurd. I think it's entirely possible that Tomlin will get hit with a personal fine, since the league certainly holds high-wage and high-profile employees to higher standards than a lowly assistant.

Spygate, as a comparison, resulted in the maximum allowable personal fine ($500k) and a team fine of $250k (I'm don't know what the limit is, or even if there is one). And the loss of a first-round pick, of course.

"Bountygate" resulted in a $500k team fine for the Saints and the loss of 2 second round picks. The year-long suspension of Sean Payton cost him $8 million, but no fine as such was issued.

Considering that a case can certainly be made that Tomlin's actions were accidental, any sanctions that involved the loss of draft picks seems extremely disproportionate. Tripgate is the clearest comparison and in that case, it was CLEARLY cheating and there was tape of similar prior incidents (with the illegal "wall", but without the trip).

[Spider-Dan]

I don't see how you can argue that Tomlin standing on the field of play in the way of the returner is an "accident" but the Alosi wall is "intentional".

Bottom line: Tomlin, the head coach, was standing on the field of play in the direct path of an opposing player.  There is no excuse for this, and this merits a substantial fine on its own.

I think it is proper and appropriate for Goodell to escalate from Alosi's punishment, because apparently teams think this kind of nonsense is still worth trying (and for what it's worth, Tomlin's interference successfully prevented a TD, if only through distraction).