Officiating in Cold-Weather Game Frosts Noll

Pittsburgh Steeler Coach Chuck Noll said Monday that officials must have been affected by a minus 29-degree chill factor while criticizing them in his team’s 23-16 loss to the Houston Oilers Sunday.

Noll said he’ll file a report to the NFL office. He said that Haywood Jeffires was clearly out of bounds on his 37-yard catch that set up Lorenzo White’s game-winning touchdown run. He also maintained that the Oilers were given an extra timeout as they scored twice in the final 1:54 of the first half.

Noll wouldn’t fault cornerback Rod Woodson’s coverage of Jeffires along a snow-covered Oilers’ sideline, three plays before White’s touchdown.

The reception was upheld by instant replay official Cal Lepore, who made seven lengthy replay reviews without overturning any calls.

“The thing that ticks you off is having to stand there for five minutes with the chill factor what it was, waiting for a decision like that,” Noll said. “The instant replay is just another in the chain of mistakes. Jeffires had one foot in and he fell out of bounds.”