Mike Tomlin takes blame for gaffe of Steelers playing one man short in opener

The Pittsburgh Steelers played Monday’s season opener with one more player than they had in the past, but it was one fewer than the maximum allowed — and one fewer than their opponent.

The Steelers activated 47 players. The New York Giants made 48 available. Until the new NFL/NFLPA collective bargaining agreement reached this past winter, NFL teams were allotted 46 spots for game days. The new CBA, though, allows for 48 — provided eight are offensive linemen.

But despite putting eight offensive linemen in uniform, the Steelers took the field with 47.

Coach Mike Tomlin blamed himself.

“There was some indecision on my part about the rule,” Tomlin said during his weekly video conference Tuesday. “We didn’t get clarity on it until extremely late in the process. From an overall preparedness standpoint, we decided to put the helmets on the guys who were prepared to play and had an understanding that they were going to play. I take responsibility for that miscommunication and it’s a learning process for us.”

The combination of a new CBA plus additional procedural modifications made out of concerns related to the coronavirus pandemic have added an extra layer of confusion to the labyrinth of NFL rules in 2020. For example, for the first time, teams are permitted to elevate two players off the expanded practice squad rosters to use during games.

Monday, the Steelers declined the option to do that with any players.

“There’s a lot of memos coming out of (the league offices in) New York these days,” Tomlin said, “so it is tough to keep up with them.”

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