After further review, what’s the purpose of instant replay review in the NFL?  I ask this in light of the furor following the Ravens 23-20 overtime defeat at Pittsburgh.  In the first quarter, Derrick Mason caught a pass while falling out of bounds on the end zone sideline.  The pass was ruled incomplete and the Ravens did not challenge the call.  TV replays indicate that had the Ravens asked for a video review, Mason may have been awarded a touchdown.   Ravens’ coach John Harbaugh has since explained that his coaching staff did not see the replay in time to alert him to call for review (and from his view on the field, Harbaugh says Mason appeared to be out of bounds).So, I repeat my question:  what’s the purpose of instant replay review in the NFL?  Does it exist to ensure that the calls on the field are always correct?  Well, that’s clearly not the case.  The NFL instant replay review system is a game within the game.  Teams have two challenges per game (and they get an additional challenge if a review leads to overturning a call to that team’s favor).  A coach has to use great discretion when the heat-of-the-moment urge hits to challenge a close call.  There’s risk in being wrong and losing a time out.   If the NFL eliminated the guessing game aspect of the game within a game, we’d have the NCAA instant replay system.  How does that work?   At college games, in addition to coaches having the right to ask for video review, a dedicated review official scans every play as it happens (for the entire game) and can stop the game if there’s a call in question- to make sure that call was adjudicated correctly by the field officials.  As it is, the college system exists only in the final two minutes of regulation and overtime in the NFL- when every play is subject to booth review.  So, a first quarter controversial call is NOT as important as a play in the final two minutes or overtime?  We all know, that’s not true.  So, if you’re going to bother having instant replay review at your disposal, why not use it fully?  Why make it a guessing game?  And the NFL instant replay review system is also effected by home field advantage.  The home team will never show a replay on the stadium video board that may show the visiting team a reason to challenge a just-completed play.  Is that fair?  Why have the field tilted by the whim of the video board operator (and the speed of replay by the TV network) when a dedicated replay official could cut through the muck and bias and see to it that the calls are correct- all the time.So, in this case, it’s my opinion that college football has it right.  Now, if we could only get the NCAA to get it right when it comes to determining its champion.  (I know I’m asking for WAY too much now!)

Posted on Thursday, October 2nd, 2008 at 9:14 am.
Categories: Opinion.
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