The NFL has to go all-in on replays or face a fan revolt.
We thought the National Football League fixed the problem after last season by allowing teams to challenge pass interference calls or no calls. That has helped some but is being overshadowed by critical penalties that the current rules say cannot be overturned. And it looks like officials are now even getting psyched out.
In three words, make everything reviewable. The Detroit Lions likely lost their game to the Packers Monday night on a defensive personal foul that should never have been flagged. TV showed it from every angle and it was clearly a bad call; how can that NOT be challenged and reversed?
Lions defensive end Trey Flowers put his hand on the shoulder of a Packers offensive lineman and was flagged for an illegal hit to his facemask. But the Lions could not throw the red flag for a review and had to punt the ball away. Green Bay got a cheap win on a field goal as time expired.
Do we understand the difference between one call that can be challenged, like if it was pass interference or not, and another call that can’t be reversed and results in the NFL later saying, “Oops, we goofed”? Besides confusing, it makes no sense, and the league can’t be worried about too many challenges making the game too long.
It’s already too long, and teams review every play upstairs on their own. They won’t go crazy throwing red flags because if they are wrong, they lose a precious time out. So only for indisputable video evidence of a key blown call, will it be challenged.
Fans watching on ESPN have been outraged ever since with thousands of tweets and other posts on social media. Sooner or later, teams that are out of playoff contention will lose viewers and live attendance. That means a drop in TV ratings or in-stadium revenue, both of which come right out of the owners’ pockets.
Pass interference is far more of a judgment call than whether a defender grabbed or pushed up on a facemask. I don’t like it when there is no call and that can be challenged, but that’s how the Saints missed a trip to the Super Bowl last season. And it was obvious.
The NFL should make everything reviewable and teams can decide whether to challenge a play and risk losing a TO. It will only happen with the game on the line — like Monday night. Do it now, NFL.
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