The Win Column: Behind the replay

A LOVE LETTER TO LIVE REPLAY REVIEWS

Hey, let us see!

Love at first sight is real, because the moment I beheld the ACC’s live replay review system at the beginning of the season, hearts popped out of my eyes.

I’m not alone. People loved the official chatter and replay-rewind-replay-slow down mechanics so much, the Big 12 quickly put together a little “live review” setup of their own. (It’s basically a webcam, but we love the ingenuity.)

What’s really fascinating is where this new step into officiating theater began. That’s right, the XFL.

• The XFL (d. 2023) was a paid testing ground for NFL rule changes. That’s where we got the Dynamic Kickoff Rule, designed to improve return rates.
• With the encouragement of NFL and XFL rules analyst Dean Blandino, the XFL started doing the live-look review in 2023. It was a hit, and Blandino has said he hopes the NFL eventually adopts it. (That’s a long shot.)
• The ACC and ESPN have a media rights deal through the 2035-2036 season. ESPN was responsible for pulling off the XFL’s live replay reviews, so the two orgs were eager to make something work for a college football audience.

It also highlights the unofficial pipeline running back and forth between pro ball and college ball. NFL teams take note of CFB trends, which makes sense since the college players of today are the pro players of tomorrow.

Ten years ago, the shotgun formation was a common sight in the NFL, but not the norm. If you’ll recall, shotgun devotee Tim Tebow struggled to make that transition when he went pro. Now the shotgun is the base formation for some NFL offenses.

Over the years, gifted players like Lamar Jackson take what worked for them in college and change the game at the next level. College coaches that take NFL jobs bring their own style. It’s all connected, man.

I highly doubt it. You can’t democratize the process too much at that level without total anarchy. Imagine how insufferable people would be about it online.

While live replay review offers a fascinating look into the process, I offer two observations:

• One, everyone in the booth should take five seconds of silent contemplation to look at the play before jabbering over each other.
• Two, this new layer of transparency does not make a bad call any easier to swallow. If anything, it’s even more painful. All of that rewinding and rewatching, and you still botched it?!

BIJAN BY THE NUMBERS

Bijan Robinson planning some devious routes before Mondays' game.

I love the Buffalo Bills. People who willingly live up there are built different, and you have to respect a team that deliberately has an open-air stadium because they know it makes other teams miserable (and the Bills Mafia will be pile driving tables in Zubaz no matter how many feet of snow).

That being said, you come to the Benz, and we’ll politely show you out through the loser’s door. 24-14, ATL.

Of the many takeaways from the game, one stands out: Bijan good.

• 81-yard rush: His massive second quarter TD run was the longest rush so far this NFL season.
• 238 yards from scrimmage: A career best for the Texas alum, and his 11th straight game with 90 yards or more. That’s the longest active streak in the NFL.

A HS FOOTBALL BLOWOUT NOT SEEN SINCE LBJ ADMINISTRATION

Creekside coach Maurice Dixon's strategy: Make the other team do multiplication tables to tabulate their L.

Creekside High School gave Charles Drew High School the business last Friday, to the final tally of 91-0.

I don’t know how I feel about high schoolers running up the score like that, since I have a deep seated superstition that victors in blowout games are pulling too many points from the Imaginary Quantum Pool of Limited Points that May Run Dry at Any Moment, but dominance has been Creekside’s philosophy all season.

Winning? Child’s play. Blanking opponents with basketball numbers is where it’s at.

Also of note: These wins included an out-of-state Texas powerhouse and a 5A team (Creekside is 4A) so it’s not like they’re sandblasting cupcakes.

ASSORTED MLB PLAYOFF NOTES

If you’re not watching the MLB playoffs you’re missing some excellent baseball and early career playoff outings from young stars-in-the-making like LA’s Roki Sasaki and Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski.

As it stands:

🧢 The Los Angeles Dodgers lead the NLCS series over the 🍻 Milwaukee Brewers 2-0

• The LADs are sitting pretty heading into a three-game stretch at Dodger Stadium, thanks in part to a Game 1 gem by lefty Blake Snell. Freddie “Always a Brave to Us” Freeman dinged a nice dong in that game as well.
• Going down two, especially at home, is a tall order for the Crew, but if the season has taught us anything, it’s to never count them out.

• The Mariners have been ruthless against the Jays, notching a commanding 10-3 win in Game 2 and, like their NL counterparts, stealing the first two games away. They return to Seattle tonight with one of the rarest treasures in playoff baseball: A well-rested bullpen.
• I’m tantalized by the promise of some small market dominance and World Series firsts. Remember, the Mariners and Brewers have never won a championship. The Mariners have never been. The Jays last won a ring in 1993. The Dodgers are also a baseball team.

POP QUIZ

(Photo Illustration: Philip Robibero / AJC | Source: Daniel Varnado for the AJC, Stephen B. Morton for the AJC, Adam Van Brimmer for AJC, Unsplash)

Which of these are new Savannah Bananas sister teams, and which are ones I just made up?

Give it a think.