Carolina Panthers interim head coach Chris Tabor can probably talk special teams in his sleep. But today, he needed the tape to talk about last night’s controversial call in the New England Patriots’ win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Tabor, who’s been a special teams coach in the NFL for 16 years and a coordinator for 13, was asked about the questionable false start charged to Steelers long snapper Christian Kuntz in Thursday night’s contest.
“He was a little abrupt,” he replied. “I’m not gonna lie—I watched it today on tape. I was already asleep, to be honest with ya.”
Well, here’s what Tabor saw when he was awake:
No way this was called false start.
Another game changing call.. Everyone thought it was offsides pic.twitter.com/RxDJlu4kMN
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) December 8, 2023
Had the New England defense been called offsides on the fourth-and-3, Pittsburgh would’ve been awarded five yards and a first down. That, of course, would’ve been quite useful as they were down three with five minutes left in the game.
But Tabor went on to explain that the zebras have a close eye on the pigskin.
“If it’s fourth-and-5 or less, they’re zeroing in a little bit more on the team with the ball, as opposed to the defense,” he added. “So, when he lifted his head up there, a little abrupt. I’ve seen worse. But that’s how things are kinda being officiated right now.
“Officials understand what’s goin’ on right now. I would say this about officials—in regards to game management and things, they’re very sharp about what’s going on within the game and understanding the tricks of the trade. They do a nice job in that area.”
