I had a thought last night while I was trying to fall asleep... Much controversy has been made this year of the NFL's crackdown on helmet to helmet hits against defenseless players. The NFL has stepped up enforcement and punishment of these illegal hits in an effort to emphasize player safety. On Sunday night a Ravens defender lit up Steelers tight end Heath Miller leaving him woozy and laying on the field for a good 5 minutes or so.
Here's the problem: No flag was thrown. This was at a critical point in the game and whether or not you agree with these calls, it was a clear penalty to all those watching. The referees missed the call. Here's my idea:
Why not take the commercial break to look at the replays and determine if a personal foul (15 yd penalty - automatic first down) needs to be called. This is not unprecedented in sports. MLB has instituted replay on homerun calls. NBA refs can stop a game to look at the tape to determine if a shot was a 2 or a 3 pointer. The NFL already has a coaches challenge replay system, with official replays under 2 minutes. They should expand the official replay system to include personal foul penalties. 99 percent of the time when a personal foul of that nature is committed there will be a stoppage in play due a player injury. If that is the case the league should use that time to at least make sure they get the call right during the game. I know if a player gets a concussion a first down is not much of a consolation, but at least his team would benefit instantly from his having to suffer an illegal and painful hit. It is much better than the league fining players 25,000-75,000 dollars on Tuesday a day or two after the game has been decided. One of the main reasons the league hesitates to use instant replay more is because of the disruption in the rhythm of the game. What is more disruptive than a player lying unconscious on the field for 15 minutes?
This to me is a no brainer and if anyone at the league had an practical sense they would implement this immediately.
Well said.
ReplyDeleteThat hit on Heath Miller was brutal, I thought he was dead. Review would be good for personal fouls i suppose.I think they need to get rid of the, "defensive player caused the offensive player to move rule." In the Bengals vs. Saints game, the Saints lined up on a fourth and 1 Brees gave the hard count, guy jumped in the nuetral zone, Saints guy just stands up and they throw the flag on the defense. You can't ask the ref to judge what made him move. They should have to snap the ball to get the Nuetral Zone Infraction
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