The Steelers worked on their hurry-up offense in camp yesterday to see how a slight new rule change might affect their timing:
A new NFL rule will position the umpire behind the offensive backfield — moving him from his old spot behind or sometimes next to the inside linebackers — for safety reasons ….
“We worked the five-minute, hurry-up offense as if we were down two scores,” Tomlin said. “Just wanted to see logistically how the positioning of the umpire was going to affect the game in those situations.”
And?
“The reality is you’re going to lose some plays. The spotting of the ball isn’t going to be as quick as it would be [previously] on balls that are 10, 20 yards downfield in the middle of the field and you do not utilize a timeout.”
The Steelers will practice at 7:00 PM tonight.