AJC > Sports > Blog > Archives > 2006 > September > 20 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USReplay rules can be improved
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
So we now know the instant replay system isn’t perfect. No one ever said it was. But from the fiasco that took place at the Oklahoma-Oregon game, there is a chance to learn. Here are some changes that could be made to improve the system.
1) Expand the standard officiating crew to include the replay official. Some leagues use retired officials and frankly that’s not fair to them. Except for the running around part, the job of the replay official is now under more pressure than the guys on the field.
2) It would cost some money, but the replay official probably needs to be neutral. If he represents either conference it opens up charges of favoritism-even if it’s subconscious. I don’t know if it’s practical, but I’m not sure it’s fair to be putting all of this on one man. I’m not real big on doing things by committee, but it might be wise to have more than one guy making the call.
3) Any game changing play in the final two minutes of the game is automatically reviewed. In basketball a winning shot at or near the final buzzer is automatically reviewed. Should be the same in football. And in the final two minutes ALL plays can be reviewed-even calls of pass interference.
4) In games with controversial calls the referee and the replay official must be publicly accountable immediately after the game. In many cases the referee will talk to a pool reporter representing the media and that’s fine. But the replay official must do so as well. If the teenage cornerback who got beat for a touchdown has to explain his actions, so do the officials.
5) The NCAA left it up to the conferences to pick their own replay equipment. That needs to change. Decide what the best technology is and mandate that everyone who plays Division I-A football use it. A replay official should never use the excuse that his equipment wasn’t good enough.
Comments
By GTGreg
September 20, 2006 07:12 PM | Link to this
Good ideas; I like the standard equipment one. I couldn’t believe it when the now infamous Pac-10 official said that his replay equipment didn’t have a pause button or slow-mo feature on it, luxuries that NFL replay officials can take advantage of. The Pac-10 and every other conference should be able to afford VCR’s.
By baxterdawg
September 20, 2006 10:38 PM | Link to this
when uga plays arizona state will there be pac-10 officials? if so we need to pull out.
By AFinPC
September 21, 2006 08:57 AM | Link to this
baxterdawg, this article isn’t about the dawgs so don’t try to make it.
By Geoff
September 21, 2006 09:09 AM | Link to this
I would say that an article in a Georgia newspaper which potentially ties into future games for the flagship university of the state would make comments posted about the Dawgs more than appropriate. The level of vindictiveness and spite against UGA never ceases to amaze me.
By Eric
September 21, 2006 09:15 AM | Link to this
Sounds like poor baxterdawg is worried. Officiating should be the least of his worries. He better concentrate on Florida and Auburn.
By hedduk
September 21, 2006 09:29 AM | Link to this
I don’t believe every play should be reviewed. In effect, you have one official calling the game. I like the NFL system where coaches have to decide if it’s worth a timeout to challenge.
By Geoff
September 21, 2006 09:41 AM | Link to this
That might be a good solution hedduk. Not only would it add another strategic element to the game, you also wouldn’t have to worry as much about taking away a team’s momentum on a potential game winning drive by taking the time to review every single play.
By Vick Bartkowski
September 21, 2006 09:59 AM | Link to this
Yeah this system is heinous. I complained about it when they voted to install it. It is so much harder to do in college because there are over 100 teams. When W. Kentucky plays William and Mary there will be less camera coverage than UGA and GT. Maybe 2 angles. You say well who cares about that game. Probably not a lot of people, but I also dont care when the Cardinals play the 49ers either and they get the same replay shake as everyone else. Second, It is going to slow the game down more that starting the clock when the ball is placed will speed the game up. Does anybody remember the early 90’s NFL games with 10 replays a game. Your offense is on a roll or your defense is pumped up and we stop for a call that the official is only 90percent sure he got right. All momentum is lost. Well what if he missed the call. Then install the NFL system present day. There is maybe 1 or 2 a game. As soon as coaches start losing timeouts they will be a lot less likely to throw the flag. The first NFL system/ present NFL system hybrid sucks. If it is true that the replay guy only had a shaky handheld 8mm view of the plays in the OK OR game and/or he was a PAC 10 official then heads need to roll. Bottom line, Until every game gets universal coverage with all the same camera angles it shouldn’t be used. ABC cameramen are better than JP Morgan are better than a student with a BetaCam from the Comm department at Buffalo. If anyone disagrees, Please respond. Go Jackets.
By lee smith
September 21, 2006 10:15 AM | Link to this
The truth is people like Barnhart did imply that instant replay would lead to perfection. It is all a outgrowth of this child-like idea we Americans have that technology can solve any problem. People like Barnhart are still seeking to turn college football into an exact science. But football officiating is so subjective that that will never happen, and it is a joke to even try. It is instructive that after the Ok-Org debacle the sports media jumped to defend the system while vilifying the officials. The system could not fail, it had to be the sorry men who were involved in the system.
Instant replay was supposed to put an end to all this, but now we have the pathetic situation where university presidents are writing idiotic letters, officials are getting death threats and coaches are threatening to cancel games.
By Vick Bartkowski
September 21, 2006 10:25 AM | Link to this
Good Job Lee I agree
By Vick Bartkowski
September 21, 2006 10:51 AM | Link to this
Heres another thought. How about trying to have an official lined up at the 10 yard marker so he can make the call. If he was there. He needs to go.
By Geoff
September 21, 2006 11:01 AM | Link to this
He may have been there but with all the bodies flying around, it’s possible that his view was obstructed. That’s probably the kind of thing replay was supposed to address in the first place.
By Vick Bartkowski
September 21, 2006 11:38 AM | Link to this
Then heres a second thought. Have a camera on the 10 yard marker. Genious. Wait referees don’t control the cameras as they souldn’t. The production team does. See my first blog about camera crews. ABC is far superior to comcast and it gets even worse with the smaller games. Think if UAB was close with GA and there is a questionable call and 2 first timers are running the camera for Comcast. OR OK was an ABC game and the angles were terrible. You could tell he didn’t go 10 yards but the angel still sucks. I work in production. Thats why I am harping on it.