Steratore takes a look at Game 1 officiating

During his weekly interview on WDVE radio, CBS NFL rules analyst Gene Steratore (Uniontown, Pa./ Washington, Pa.) addressed some of the many controversial calls that occurred during the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 18-10 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

• In the second quarter, George Pickens was called for an offensive pass interference penalty that wiped out a 36-yard gain. Steratore didn’t think the play rose to the level of necessitating a flag.

“I think it’s a missed call,” Steratore said. “I think those are ‘play-ons.’ Great football play. Great catch.”

Steratore believes that the proximity between the official and the play itself may have made Pickens’ minor use of his hand look like a blatant shove of Atlanta corner A.J. Terrell.

“When they start getting close to you, distance is your friend. Things slow down a little bit when you have space,” Steratore explained. “But when they are flying at you from that distance, the space between you and the player starts to shorten. When it does, the speed increases even more, which is even more scary. So does the physical activity. As you get close to something like that, you are seeing a little more in detail and you may react. You may think it is a little more egregious than you would if you were 7 or 8 yards away from that play.”

The Steelers had to punt two plays later, and the Falcons took the ensuing possession into the end zone for their only touchdown of the game.

• Later in the second quarter, T.J. Watt was robbed of a strip sack because he was called for offsides on a play that he appeared to time perfectly.

Because Watt got such a great jump, in real-time you can understand why an official might have presumed that he was offside. So, Steratore was asked if this is a play that should be allowed to be reviewed in the future.

“Those are hard to look at because where do they end? Where does that stop? Let’s go back and see if the left tackle wasn’t really on the line of scrimmage,” Steratore questioned.

Given how often those plays are being whistled against offensive tackles this year, theoretically, that could lead to a ton of reviews.

What Steratore said officials can do, though, is to be acutely aware of personnel heading into a game so they can be anticipate tendencies such as Watt’s quick get-off from the line of scrimmage.

“Part of his bag of what he does is that he is that tuned in that he is moving right with the ball,” Steratore said. “These are the plays that you put in your playlist when you are talking to your crew on Saturday before that game starts. … This is what we can be challenged with as an officiating crew. ‘Let’s be sure that we are really screwed in because he is going to time this (snap) today.’”

• Finally, for those who are still upset at the officials missing an obvious facemask when Jessie Bates III ripped Najee Harris’ helmet off of his head, Steratore added some colorful context to a similar story that he can remember from his officiating days.

It involved his brother, Tony, as rookie official and former Pitt Panther Tony Siragusa during a Ravens- Browns game.

“He threw a (facemask) flag on Siragusa. And he was like, ‘What are you doing, rookie?’ My brother said, ‘Look at your right hand,’” Steratore laughed.

Siragusa was still holding a Browns helmet.

“‘Your helmet doesn’t match your uniform. I don’t know what to tell you,’” Steratore said of his brother’s response. “Take a look. It’s a Cleveland helmet. You are in a Baltimore uniform.’ Goose dropped that thing pretty quick.”