NFL -Instant Replay Challenge
The NFL Instant Replay Challenge review has been proven to be far from being perfect time and again. Multiple gaps in this rule contribute to the problem of costing games to various teams. We have all seen it happen already a couple of times this season. The Monday night game between Redskins and Cowboys on September 27th stands exemplary to this fact. The NFL needs to take a deeper look at this rule and close the gaps.Following is the break down of the flaws and potential solutions to this rule:
Flaw 1: Too few challenges are allowed:
This is one of the main concerns of the coaches today. They are only allowed to have two challenges per game. We have seen this happen each week of this season, coaches have had legitimate chances to challenge a call, but they are too afraid of losing a time out or losing a bigger opportunity to challenge later in the game. The NFL added a new rule from this season onwards, which allows a third challenge if the first two challenges were won by the team. But this does not entirely solve the problem.
Solution:
For every challenge won, the team will get a new one. Also, extend the number of challenges to four. That’s two for each half of the game. Now, you lose a challenge you lose a time out. If you don’t have a time out left you can’t challenge. And the booth review still holds good for the last two minutes of each half. This seems to be a drastic change in the rule but it’s really not. Because, the number of timeouts allowed in each game remain same.
Flaw 2: Number of cameras on the field.
Today in NFL, the number of cameras on the field is dictated by the popularity of the game. A Monday night game on ABC or a Sunday night game on ESPN, usually has more number of cameras on the field than a Sunday afternoon game because of the popularity of the game. This is unfair, especially because the replays/reviews depend directly on the angle in which the camera catches the play.
Solution:
NFL needs to standardize the number of cameras used in a challenge in any given game. NFL needs to set a minimum number of cameras on the field rule. I say, any NFL game should at least have eight cameras. Now, you can have more than eight cameras on the field, but the umpires should be allowed to review the eight pre-determined cameras to show replays on the field.
Flaw 3: Pass interference un-reviewable
I think this is the biggest hole in this rule. This call could make or break a given game. We all saw what happened to Redskins on Monday Night.
Solution:
Fortunately, the remedy here is simple. Make the call challengeable. If the teams were allowed four challenges per game, we could afford to make this call challengeable and let the coaches take a shot at it. If it is going to cost the team, say 45 yards or a touch down, I say it’s worth taking another look at it. Of course, there is no chance of abusing this rule because the team is still going to lose a time out if they lose the challenge.
Now, there has always been a greater resistance to amending rules in NFL or any other sport for that matter. The very fact that we won’t use instant replay in Tennis, in spite of the multitude of errors made by the umpires and the abundance of technological instruments we have to minimize the human errors, exemplifies this very fact. However, if a sport were to adopt technology in making key game play decisions, we need to come up with a perfect or near perfect system or not use the technology at all. What we have in NFL today is what I would call a mediocre system when it comes to instant replay challenges and needs to be altered to achieve better results and fairness.