What is the Point of Instant Replay?

The Lions had many chances to win today. They missed an OT field goal, fumbled in OT in field goal range, and got sacked in the 4th quarter twice knocking them out of field goal range.

But they shouldn't have even needed it to begin with in their 34-31 OT loss today to the Texans. The loss knocks the Lions out of playoff contention, and it was largely impacted by a new rule that doesn't make sense.

When instant replay was first instituted into the NFL in 1999, everybody was excited. Calls that were missed on the field were finally able to be looked at a second time and be corrected.

However, it's becoming way too frequent where the instant replay system DOES NOT WORK!

For the NFL, the worst of these occurrences came on arguably the most-watched non-playoff game of the year: Detroit Lions Thanksgiving.

Houston running back Justin Forsett runs for about a six yard gain, gets tackled, but pops back up and runs 75 more yards for a touchdown. The refs did the right thing in not blowing the whistle. All scoring plays are automatically reviewed, meaning they would go to the monitor and see that his elbow and knee had hit the ground, so they would correct the call on the field. However, Lions coach Jim Schwartz threw the challenge flag, which is an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against the team. Further, because of the inappropriate flag throwing, the Lions cannot be the beneficiaries of any subsequent review. The result: an 81-yard touchdown run (Texans franchise record) that is a fraud.

So let's further break down not only this rule regarding the challenge flag on a non-reviewable play, but also the NFL instant replay system in general.

If a call is questioned by a coach, he can "challenge" the play by throwing a red flag on the field. A team can only challenge a play if they have a timeout remaining. A team receives two challenge attempts per game, and if they challenge a play successfully two times, they are given a third challenge attempt. If a team challenges a play and the call on the field "is confirmed" (meaning the replay confirms specifically what happened on the field) or "stands" (meaning no indisputable evidence was seen to overturn the call on the field), then the team is charged with a timeout and loses their challenge.


After the two-minute warning in the 2nd and 4th quarters, no more coaching challenges are permitted. All challenges are initiated by the replay booth. If a game goes into overtime, all challenges also come from "upstairs" in the booth.

New to the rule this year is the stipulation that all scoring plays and turnovers are automatically reviewed upstairs. Therefore, no challenge can occur by a coach, and play is not allowed to continue until the referees are signaled from upstairs that the call is correct.

What is reviewable? In general, anything that is a "judgment call" such as a pass interference / holding penalty or whether forward progress stops is NOT reviewable. Reviewable plays are as follows:

• Scoring plays
• Pass complete/incomplete/intercepted
• Runner/receiver out of bounds
• Recovery of a loose ball in or out of bounds
• Touching of a forward pass, either by an ineligible receiver or a defensive player
• Quarterback pass or fumble
• Illegal forward pass
• Forward or backward pass
• Runner ruled not down by contact
• Forward progress in regard to a first down
• Touching of a kick
• Other plays involving placement of the football
• Whether a legal number of players is on the field at the time of the snap

Now let's actually analyze the instant replay system in the NFL. Let's start with the discussion of what is a "reviewable" play. There are too many times where I hear fans say "I can see it, how is it not reviewable?" For example, once the whistle blows, the play ends and anything challenged post-whistle in the play sequence cannot be reviewed. Many fumbles that are inaccurately ruled as an incomplete pass on the field are most seen as an incomplete pass. Also, penalties for the most part are not reviewable. You cannot challenge whether that penalty call was truly a "block in the back" or whether the forcible contact was to the "head area" of a defenseless receiver.

My analysis: If I can see it on video, then I can review it. If I can go back and see that the block in question was really in the side and no where near the back, then review it. If I can see in replay that the WR ducked his head to the level of the defender who made the head-to-head contact, and not that the defender truly targeted the head, then review it! If I can see that the player has complete control of the ball and takes four steps before hitting the ground and losing the ball, then review it and don't say he didn't "maintain possession to the ground" ...you know what I'll save that rule for another day.

Let's look back even to the Seattle vs. Green Bay interception/touchdown with the replacement refs. A "judgement call" of "simultaneous possession" is made on the field. In replay, even people who have never watched football before said that "the guy in the yellow pants (Green Bay defender M.D. Jennings) caught the ball" on the play. Replay could not overturn the call on the field because the play was not reviewable.

In a nutshell: isn't the point of replay to get the call on the field correct?

Now let's talk about the automatic review of all scoring plays and turnovers. I love this rule because a coach doesn't have to worry about wasting a precious challenge (and possibly a time out). They don't let an extra point be snapped or the change of possession officially occur until the referee is signaled it is okay to do so.

The coach cannot throw the challenge flag on those plays. Fair enough. They deserve a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for it.

However, the rule also says that the team cannot benefit from illegally throwing the challenge flag. Let me ask you this...how is there any benefit in throwing the flag to begin with? It's one thing if a team tries to call a timeout when they don't have one so that they can stop play. It's another thing entirely when the play is going to be reviewed (as required) and play will not start until the review is completed (as required). So tell me how Detroit "benefits" from throwing the flag at all?

Yes, Schwartz should know the rule and not to throw the flag, but that still doesn't mean the rule itself isn't asinine. I don't blame Schwartz, I don't blame the refs on the field. Both did their jobs. I blame the NFL for instituting a terrible rule.

Again, isn't the main part of officiating is to get the call on the field correct? Regardless of anything else happening, the play on the field must be correctly officiated. Give the penalty, but mark it from the spot where the play TRULY ended. 

If anything, maybe the NFL should let that play (or all plays for that matter) be eligible for booth review at any time. The coaches should know that, but can make the challenge themselves if they so choose. They put their timeout/challenge at risk that way, but guarantee that the play is reviewed.

Hmm...sounds an awful lot like the college replay system doesn't it?

We use technology to correct the play on the field, but cannot correct calls that are obvious to the most untrained eye. That's what's wrong with sports.