Way back in March, we posted about the NFL rules changes for the 2011 season. One of such changes is taking the replay challenge on scoring plays away from the coaches and making all scoring reviewable with the help of a replay assistant who would buzz the lead official if the play warrants a look.
Not everyone thinks this is a good thing. Mike Pereira, the guy we know as the Fox referee expert, who also was at one time the NFL VP of Officiating, believes this will lengthen games unnecessarily.
I am a little skeptical on that. College football already makes every play reviewable, and while the reviews on some scoring plays can get lengthy, it really is not much more than a mere nuisance, and that is only if it happens.
The new review rule has a few possibly unseen effects.
First of all, what will likely happen is that the officials will be much more likely to call a play a touchdown if it is even close. This is the way it really needs to be. Why? Well, that is because the replay assistant does not buzz down to the lead official to review a non-scoring play. In those cases, the coaches would still have to use one of their challenges.
The result of having a more liberal standard of calling a play a score will also result in a greater number of disallowed scores. That will be frustrating as a fan and could possibly affect the momentum of some teams in certain situations.
But overall, I like the idea. In the end, it should be about getting the call right, especially when it comes to points. This way, if a coach has used up challenges due to other plays, such as a catch/non-catch in the field of play or a possible turnover, the scoring play that is questionable can still be looked at.
What are the thoughts of the Redbird Nation on the topic?