Mike Tomlin and the foot of infamy

There have been conflicting reports regarding the nature of further punishment from the NFL, stemming from the fact that the league is still unclear on just what the scope of that punishment will be. As La Canfora notes in his report, the severity of any further punishment will be tied to the success of the Ravens this season and just what role Tomlin’s sideline gaffe will have in that outcome.

When Jones was forced to cut inside by Tomlin and therefore unable to score, the Ravens were potentially cheated out of four points on the scoreboard. If the playoff race goes down to tiebreakers and in the unlikely event goes to the eighth tiebreaker, which is conference points scored, then the Steelers would be facing more severe punishment if the Ravens then miss the playoffs because of those lost points.

Point differential is WAAAAAAY down the list of NFL wild card tiebreakers, however, likely making the whole thing moot. Emphasis ours:

Let’s break this down: unless the Ravens find themselves with the same record as another AFC team that they haven’t played, that has the exact same in-conference record, the exact same record against common opponents, victories over teams with the exact same combined winning percentage and a schedule against teams with the exact same combined winning percentage, then the play will make no difference in their playoff standing.

While Tomlin stated the interference was an accident, video surfaced earlier this week that showed the coach sidestepping to the edge of the field in what appeared to be an intentional act. The league determined that Tomlin violated Rule 13, Section 1, Article 4 of the NFL Rule Book, which prohibits a coach from stepping into the white sideline border that surrounds the playing field.

Tomlin released an apologetic statement shortly after the ruling was announced on Wednesday.

Mike Tomlin’s stoicism has served him well over the last seven years. It was his vulnerability on Tuesday, however, that stole the show.

Tomlin certainly warrants such criticism and any penalty that might come his way. The NFL has measures in place to ensure that everyone remains a safe distance from the playing field -- both among a team’s coaching staff as well as with the officials. The Ravens-Steelers game showcased a breakdown of all of those facets, and Tomlin has taken his licks because of it.

Tomlin took questions from reporters and didn’t appear to hold back, despite claiming that the NFL has yet to reprimand him or dish out any kind of verdict regarding the incident just yet. “I talked to the commissioner personally on Monday. I talked to Ray Anderson and Merton Hanks on Monday so I can be cooperative as I can be under the circumstances,” Tomlin said.

Tomlin was surprised that people found his actions to be intentional. “Shocking to me that my actions have been perceived in any way as intentional,” Tomlin said, “I have no desire to defend my character against things of that nature. I have become comfortable with the fact that in these positions, you get judged a certain way.”

It’s unclear what Tomlim knew when he was on the field of play. There’s no questioning that he did indeed leap out of the way, but it’s not as clear cut as Clark makes it appear. There is video of the Steelers coach staring at the video board at M&T Bank Stadium, making it unlikely he had no awareness of where he was.

The controversial play did not effect the outcome of the game, so the Baltimore Ravens are attempting to move forward. Head coach John Harbaugh is leaving the outcome in the league’s hands.

Tomlin has stated that he was watching the play on the jumbotron and got disoriented.

The Ravens would go on to win the pivotal AFC North game 22-20, but that hasn’t stopped the league from launching an investigation into the possibility that Tomlin intentionally interfered with the play. Reports have referred to a possible six-figure fine for the coach and loss of a draft pick for the organization.

Tomlin appeared to be watching the play on the jumbotron with his back to Jones, stepping out of the way just before contact was made.

La Canfora reports that the league is undertaking an “aggressive review” of the play, especially considering the game had such serious playoff implications and that the play came at such a crucial point in the game. The Steelers are facing financial penalties, as well as the potential loss of a draft pick, depending on the results of the NFL’s investigation.

In his postgame interview Jones said the play didn’t matter because the Ravens got the win, but was quick to mention he hasn’t been caught from behind in the past. There are a lot of reasons for the team to look past Tomlin’s foot and enjoy the victory, but Baltimore Beatdown believes the controversial play will live in infamy.

No love is lost on either side, and it will be fascinating when these teams meet in 2014. It’s just a shame the layover is that long.