Browns Coach Throws Wild Accusation At Steelers' Mason McCormick After Controversial Play

The Pittsburgh Steelers were able to grab their sixth win of the season in Week 8 as the team dismantled the Cleveland Browns in front of the home crowd at Acrisure Stadium. This was a highly anticipated game due to the weight that it carried within the AFC North. The winner was going to be in first place in the division, and that is where the Steelers are now as the team enjoys its bye week. There was also some added hype to this game due to comments from Browns defender Jared Verse, who had some disrespectful comments to say about the Steelers.

Verse had a lot to say throughout the week leading up to the game in Pittsburgh, but he wasn't really visible during the contest aside from when he was getting embarrassed. The offensive line dominated the Browns' defensive front, and Mason McCormick even took the pleasure of body slamming Verse when the defender tried to jump up to block a kick. This is a completely normal occurrence, and the field goal unit is often taught to "dump" defenders that try to do what Verse did last Sunday.

McCormick was called for unnecessary roughness on this play, but the play stood which meant the penalty occurred after the play, so the body slam was not the main subject of the yellow flag being thrown. Verse has spoken out about how he didn't like the play and has called it dirty repeatedly, and his Special Teams Coordinator Byron Storer spoke about it during his press conference on Thursday.

"We don't teach a guy to take his legs out and slam him to the ground. There's no way we would discuss that, that's not what we're about," Storer said. "We're going out there and battling each other each and every week, but we're not trying to hurt anybody. To me, it's a fine line there between preventing somebody from going to make a block and intentionally trying to hurt somebody in that situation, I think that we got to be careful there."

Storer was obviously upset about his player getting thrown to the ground, but he included some wild accusations in his statement while speaking to the media. He made a comment about intentionally trying to hurt players, which is something he accused McCormick of doing. He also criticized Pittsburgh's coaching staff of "dumping" a player that jumps on a field goal attempt.

This entire fiasco has been quite embarrassing for Cleveland and Verse. Several levels of the organization have complained about a football play, and Verse was completely shut down in his team's most important game of the season. He still has not recorded a sack on the year despite being involved in the organization's decision to trade away Myles Garrett. 

Steelers Are Watching Mason McCormick Bring Back Real Football

An argument could be made that selecting McCormick in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft has been the best move that General Manager Omar Khan has made throughout his tenure. It certainly is the best move based on value brought in from where a player was picked in the draft. McCormick was expected to sit during his rookie year, but he was thrust into the starting lineup. He has not left the starting lineup ever since.

He was extremely solid as a right guard, and he has handled the switch to left guard really well. He is playing at a high level and certainly seems like a player that the franchise needs to extend once he becomes eligible during the 2027 offseason. He has been an absolute mauler, and the way he handled Verse on Sunday shows that he has some old-school Steeler-football in him.

What do you think about the coach's comments on McCormick and the Steelers? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!

#SteelerNation