Mason McCormick said he didn't recognize Jared Verse when he threw him to the turf on an extra-point attempt Sunday in Pittsburgh.
"I really had no idea who it was," McCormick said, Chris Ward of Steelers Now reported.
In their earlier Week 4 encounter, Verse swung at McCormick after a missed Chris Boswell field goal in the second quarter. That play drew no flag.
The jump and the personal foul
The confrontation in Pittsburgh came on the extra point after Rico Dowdle's touchdown in the first quarter. Verse jumped in an attempt to block the kick, and McCormick threw him to the ground. McCormick received a personal foul in Cleveland's 27-6 loss.
Verse pulled McCormick's helmet off during the exchange.
McCormick said he felt somebody jump, then reacted to the instruction given to blockers to bring jumpers' hands down.
The flag was the right call. An instruction to get hands down offers no defense for throwing an airborne opponent to the ground.
Verse questioned McCormick's conduct
After the game, Verse described a lack of awareness about the type of opponent he was facing. He said he needed a better grasp of McCormick's playing style. He criticized McCormick's conduct on the extra-point attempt.
Verse said he could not respect what McCormick had done on the extra point. After the loss, he also stood by his earlier comments about Pittsburgh and its style of play.
Asked whether the play was dirty, Verse pointed to the officials' ruling and called it "uncalled for."
Image: AI-generated image.
Leave a Reply