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Every scoring play to be reviewed.

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NFL games are about to get longer and more replay-filled

 

By MJD

 

Hey, here's something I hate. An increased number of booth reviews in the 2011 season is going to lead to longer games, says the NFL's former vice president of officiating.

 

A new rule goes into effect this year stating that every scoring play that happens in the course of an NFL game will be automatically reviewed by the replay official. Here's an explanation of that process from Mike Pereira at FOXSports.com:

 

If an official rules a score (touchdown, field goal, safety or extra point) during a game, the replay official will automatically review the play. If there is any question as to whether the ruling is correct, they will buzz down to the referee and ask him to come to the monitor to review the play. If the replay official confirms the ruling is correct, they will buzz the referee indicating he is clear to let the scoring team attempt the extra point, or kick off if the scoring play was a field goal, safety or extra-point attempt. A coach will not be allowed to challenge the ruling of a score. The intent is to save the coach from having to challenge the ruling of a score and, thus, increase his chances of not running out of challenges or timeouts.

 

Overkill.

 

It's not necessarily that I'm anti-replay; if the right call can be made, then it should be. But in the quest to "get it right," it seems like the flow of the game is often completely discarded, and I'd argue that that's way more important to the NFL's viewing experience. And now we're building more stoppages into the game, right after its most exciting plays?

 

Unnecessary stoppages brutalize a game's watchability. It's like these "reality" shows, where they pound in unending pauses in an effort to manufacture artificial drama, but end up just being irritating as all hell. I don't know how anyone can stand that.

 

We should be looking at ways to shorten games, not make them longer. If a 1 p.m. game isn't going to end until 5, I want it to be because it went into overtime and gave us free football. It seems like we're getting to the point now that a game won't end on time (before the 4/4:15 games start) unless it happens to be contested by two teams that favor a ball-control offense.

 

And think about this, too: You know that super-annoying thing that networks do when, after a score, there's a commercial break, they come back for the kickoff, and then have another commercial break, and it seems like there's about a half hour between plays from scrimmage?

 

Throw a replay break into that, too. You'll see the same Coors Light commercial six times before anyone takes another snap.

 

 

Kinda strange, won't be sure whether I like this or not until I see how much of a difference it makes.

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I don't think this kills the flow of the game. After a team scores, the drive is over. You reset, go to commercial and kickoff. Obvious score is obvious score. They aren't necessarily going to sit there for 5 minutes and replay EVERY score but it's good to know that now, the most important call in a game will ALWAYS be reviewed, even if I don't have a challenge.

 

I think it's a great change.

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I think it's unnecessary. Is it really so difficult to tell if a play needs to be reviewed that we have to review every scoring play?

 

I also am unhappy that it would make games longer. I already hate the length of commercials and time in between drives.

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KiLa is probably right, the time that it takes for them to go from a TD score to FG/conversion then to kickoff is already kinda long, there is plenty of time to spend a minute or two reviewing the play after a score. The only time it would take much longer is if the original ruling of a score is questionable, which I have no problem with. I'd rather have a couple more minutes of commercials than for a bad call to go through.

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The period between scoring and the next kickoff is already too long. If it's late in a game and the score is a possible momentum shifter, the review will just take away from the other team's shock. Football should flow like Manning runs his offense-quickly. Instead of changing the review rule for scoring, the NFL should look at it's coaches challenge policy. A coach should be given 2 challenges as they are now but shouldn't lose one if their challenge ends up being correct. Challenges are valuable, yes, but games can change if there is a bad challenge and then a bad call later down the stretch. No coach is going to use their next challenge-they'll save it until late in the game when they need it. You should get 2 challenges and should not get penalized for getting a correct call-keep them until you make two bad calls.

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What if a player just runs into the end zone untouched, is that reviewed too?

 

I agree with iffy calls being reviewed without the use of coaches challenge, but I hope all those obvious scores aren't going to be reviewed.

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I agree, obvious calls being reviewed is a little pointless. It's possible the articles author doesn't have all the facts straight and they'll just review the scores that have a chance of being mis-called. If they truly do have to review everything I would hope they don't have to spend more than 20 secs~1min for most plays that are obviously easy calls. The way it seems now just sounds way to black and white, it doesn't need to be either all scoring plays reviewed or no plays reviewed. Sometimes the judgement call is obvious and shouldn't require taking time from the game.

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What if a player just runs into the end zone untouched, is that reviewed too?

 

I agree with iffy calls being reviewed without the use of coaches challenge, but I hope all those obvious scores aren't going to be reviewed.

I highly doubt those types of plays will be reviewed. That's not the point of this new change. The rule says that the booth will buzz down to the refs when they feel a scoring play needs to be looked at again.

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I think it's unnecessary. Is it really so difficult to tell if a play needs to be reviewed that we have to review every scoring play?

 

I also am unhappy that it would make games longer. I already hate the length of commercials and time in between drives.

To throw a positive spin on that (if it really does extend the game); what about during the Super Bowl? That'd mean there's more commercials, equaling more laughs.

 

But I'm all for these reviews. It's not like they're going to hold up the game with this unless something is really in question.. which then, it should be reviewed anyways. It should take just as long to review the play as it will for the scoring players to get off the field and the kickoff team walk on. No biggie.

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To throw a positive spin on that (if it really does extend the game); what about during the Super Bowl? That'd mean there's more commercials, equaling more laughs.

 

Unless it's like this past year, there weren't any good commercials..or maybe I was just too nervous focusing on the game lol.

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Having to do an instant replay each and every time their is a touchdown is going to seriously slow the games down....

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I think this is nice in situations where the ruling on the field is questionable and it's close going either way. However, reviewing obvious plays would be a waste of time so hopefully they'll use this new rule sparingly for only plays of true confusion so there's more accuracy in those instances.

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After thinking about it a 2nd time I can think of a few games, more specifically at the Superbowl, when having this new rule would of changed the end results of that game. Some of the calls these Refs have made were so totally and completely wrong that it has started to make me think that the refs were incompetent or they were deliberately making BS calls to make sure a certain lost but thats just me....

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Again, not EVERY play will be reviewed for 15-20 minutes. Only questionable calls.

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Again, not EVERY play will be reviewed for 15-20 minutes. Only questionable calls.

Thank you!

 

Read the article guys... It says that the assistant referee will only buzz the head referee on the field if it is a close and questionable call. For 80% of touchdowns, it will merely be a 30 second break tops. There's already that much time between the touchdown and extra point anyways.

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Basically it sounds to me like a very good idea. How many times have you watched your favorite team lose because the other team was awarded a score off a bad call and your side had no challenges left to get it reviewed? This way there is never that worry. If there's a question about a scoring play you can always get it reviewed no matter what, which takes ALOT of pressure off coaches.

 

They don't have to wonder if they should have held on to that last challenge flag anymore. While I like the idea of challenges, I don't like the idea ofgames ending in a bogus win because one side was out of flags. Scoring plays are the most crucial plays of the game and there should never have to be aquestion about whether one side screwed the other for a victory. the more clear and descisive the victory the better fans and players will feel about it.

 

As has been said, I doubt they'll stop and review a scoring play that's obviously a score. They'll only call for a full review on questionable calls. So I don't see this slowing up play very much if at all.

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my bet is we will barely notice a change.

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