polamalubeast
01-02-2015, 03:54 PM
PITTSBURGH -- At first glance it might have seemed a bit comical, if not amateurish. Every afternoon, a group of middle-aged men in striped referee shirts, adorned with blue "PIAA" patches on the shoulders, began showing up for work at Steelers practice in late September.
No one's laughing now.
Those referees, who's previous biggest football games may well have been a Penn Hills vs. Plum game, have served a very useful purpose for the Steelers.
"It helps," right guard David DeCastro said. "Just another set of eyes out there. It's always good."
It all goes back to Week 4 when the Steelers were penalized a staggering 13 times for 125 yards, five times for personal fouls, in a still-stunning 27-24 loss to hapless Tampa Bay. Through the Steelers' first four games, they had been flagged 44 times for 387 yards, leading an irate Mike Tomlin to label his team "an undisciplined group." Pre-snap, post-snap, the Steelers were guilty as charged.
"We are too highly penalized," Tomlin said. "Obviously we are not coaching it. We are allowing it to happen. We kicked our own butt today with penalties. We have to fix it. I have to fix it, and I will."
If nothing else, Tomlin's been a man of his word.
Since Tomlin brought in officials to work practices, the number of penalties the Steelers have taken has fallen off dramatically. Whether or not that's related to working with officials in practice is debatable but it's getting the desired effect. Over the final dozen games, nine of them wins, the Steelers were penalized just 59 more times for 447 yards. They closed out the 2014 regular season as the 13th-least penalized team in total penalties (103) and penalties per game (6.4) and 24th in yards penalized (834).
First four, last four
A look at the Steelers' first four games in penalties and yards penalized and their last four. The Steelers started the season 2-2 and finished it 4-0.
Week 1: vs. Cleveland -- 11 for 96
Week 2: at Baltimore -- 9 for 75
Week 3: at Carolina -- 11 for 91
Week 4: vs. Tampa Bay -- 13 for 125
---
Week 14: at Cincinnati -- 3 for 20
Week 15: at Atlanta -- 3 for 34
Week 16: vs. Kansas City -- 4 for 40
Week 17: vs. Cincinnati --1 for 10
read more
http://www.timesonline.com/sports/steelers/steelers-cut-down-penalties-with-help-of-practice-officials/article_d6794cb6-91fd-11e4-b7f1-f3110550d312.html
No one's laughing now.
Those referees, who's previous biggest football games may well have been a Penn Hills vs. Plum game, have served a very useful purpose for the Steelers.
"It helps," right guard David DeCastro said. "Just another set of eyes out there. It's always good."
It all goes back to Week 4 when the Steelers were penalized a staggering 13 times for 125 yards, five times for personal fouls, in a still-stunning 27-24 loss to hapless Tampa Bay. Through the Steelers' first four games, they had been flagged 44 times for 387 yards, leading an irate Mike Tomlin to label his team "an undisciplined group." Pre-snap, post-snap, the Steelers were guilty as charged.
"We are too highly penalized," Tomlin said. "Obviously we are not coaching it. We are allowing it to happen. We kicked our own butt today with penalties. We have to fix it. I have to fix it, and I will."
If nothing else, Tomlin's been a man of his word.
Since Tomlin brought in officials to work practices, the number of penalties the Steelers have taken has fallen off dramatically. Whether or not that's related to working with officials in practice is debatable but it's getting the desired effect. Over the final dozen games, nine of them wins, the Steelers were penalized just 59 more times for 447 yards. They closed out the 2014 regular season as the 13th-least penalized team in total penalties (103) and penalties per game (6.4) and 24th in yards penalized (834).
First four, last four
A look at the Steelers' first four games in penalties and yards penalized and their last four. The Steelers started the season 2-2 and finished it 4-0.
Week 1: vs. Cleveland -- 11 for 96
Week 2: at Baltimore -- 9 for 75
Week 3: at Carolina -- 11 for 91
Week 4: vs. Tampa Bay -- 13 for 125
---
Week 14: at Cincinnati -- 3 for 20
Week 15: at Atlanta -- 3 for 34
Week 16: vs. Kansas City -- 4 for 40
Week 17: vs. Cincinnati --1 for 10
read more
http://www.timesonline.com/sports/steelers/steelers-cut-down-penalties-with-help-of-practice-officials/article_d6794cb6-91fd-11e4-b7f1-f3110550d312.html