NFL coaches losing it on referees isn’t new. Most coaches yell, wave their arms, maybe toss their headset. But that wasn’t Bill Cowher’s way. The former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach wasn’t one to just shout from the sidelines. He always took control. And now, years later, the ex-Steelers boss is opening up about how far he used to go to make sure the refs knew who they were dealing with.

While chatting on The Dan Patrick Show, Cowher pulled no punches about how officiating still gets under his skin. “I get disappointed when I see irresponsible decisions.” Back in his coaching days though, that disappointment didn’t stop there. “I get upset when I was coaching.”

Then came the real story. When Dan Patrick asked if any referee ever admitted to messing up, Cowher didn’t hesitate. “No,” he said. And he never stayed quiet.

“I would stand beside them, and I would say, I know you can’t look up there, but trust me, you will be downgraded if you don’t change this call. So I try to lay out the circumstances and maybe the consequences of them not changing the call.”

And one of those moments became legendary back in 1995 at Three Rivers Stadium. The Steelers were facing the Minnesota Vikings, closing in on halftime. Minnesota lined up for a field goal, trying to add points before the break. Kicker Fuad Reveiz missed it. Everyone started heading for the tunnel. But then, a flag flew in. Refs called too many Steelers players were on the field.

As a result, the Vikings got another shot, and this time Reveiz drilled a 43-yarder. Suddenly, the Steelers trailed 13-6 at halftime. But guess what, that call was completely wrong. Pittsburgh only had eleven men out there. It was a blown call, and Bill Cowher wasn’t about to let it slide.

After the kick went through, Cowher stormed onto the field. Straight to referee Gordon McCarter.

“Here is the picture. You can look at in the locker room at halftime,” Cowher said he told McCarter as he stuffed the polaroid into his breast pocket. “You couldn’t do it here [on the field], but here, you count them yourself.”

So when he saw another questionable call in yesterday’s Steelers game, it was obvious why Cowher couldn’t hold back from calling it out.

Bill Cowher called out officials for the Steelers’ game mistake

The Green Bay Packers walked away with a 35-25 win over the Steelers in a fiery Sunday Night Football clash. But all the noise was about the referee’s decisions.

Referee Shawn Hochuli’s crew was in charge of the game. This officiating team already had a reputation for throwing more flags than almost anyone in the league. And Sunday was no different. But then suddenly things changed.

Midway through the third quarter, those flags suddenly vanished. The referees missed several clear calls. As a result, Bill Cowher opened up about it. “I think last night was a prime example. I think it was not a great weekend for the officiating,” the former Cowher said on The Dan Patrick Show. But he didn’t stop there.

“You got a quarterback who’s very good with cadence, gets in the jump offside, takes a shot down the field, and it’s not even called,” Cowher said, pointing to a critical moment.

“I thought that was a very pivotal point in the game because you always talk about the last two minutes and the last four, first four coming out. And that was a chance.”

So what really happened? On a 3rd-and-8, Aaron Rodgers appeared to draw several Packers defenders offside before firing deep to Roman Wilson. He thought he had a free play. But no flag came. Even after a quick huddle, the referees let it go.

Then, another blunder followed. A shovel pass to Jaylen Warren hit the turf, ruled a fumble, and recovered by Green Bay. The review saved the Steelers, but by then, the damage was done. The frustration of Cowher and the fans? Understandable.