The Jets made it clear on both Sunday and Monday that they thought Steelers safety Mike Mitchell was out of line when he tried to leap over the offensive line and disrupt a snap to Michael Vick when the Jets were in the victory formation at the end of last Sunday’s 20-13 victory.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has now weighed in on the play as well and his take wasn’t that different than the one expressed by the Jets. Tomlin said Tuesday that he thought the play was “not professional” and that a miscommunication on the sideline may have led Mitchell to think that he was doing what Tomlin wanted him to do in that situation.
“Mike is an emotional guy and he’s new to us, learning how we do business,” Tomlin said, via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “He came over and said something to me prior to that sequence on the sideline and, to be honest with you, I couldn’t hear what he said. I just kind of acknowledged him, and nodded. I guess he assumed I gave him those instructions. ... We don’t want to play football like that.”
That should probably put a cork in this story and the Steelers can avoid any potential future flareups by playing well enough that their opponents aren’t kneeling down at the end of games.
