The NFL, in their infinite wisdom, has decided to make all touchdowns reviewable.
On the surface, the rule makes sense. A miscalled touchdown could swing a game, and in the NFL one game can be the difference between a bye in the first round of the playoffs and missing the playoffs altogether.
So it makes sense to want to get the calls right.
But reviewing every close touchdown is going to cause games to grind to a screeching halt. The time it takes to buzz the official, get him to the replay monitor, have him watch multiple replays, then report his decision is completely and utterly unacceptable.
The issue is not instant replay; it’s the process of instant replay.
Why does the official on the field have to review the play? Why not have an official sitting in a room with a bunch of huge TVs reviewing plays? If it needs to be overturned, buzz the official on the field and tell him to overturn it.
I’ll never understand why the guys who screwed up the call originally have to be the ones to overturn it. Is it a pride thing? Do we not want to show up on-field officials by having someone else review/overturn their calls?
There is no legitimate reason why we can’t have a replay official handle the reviews. It’d be faster, less disruptive, and you’d be more likely to have a close call looked at objectively if someone other than the guy who made the original call reviews it.
So, NFL, please feel free to review every close play. Get the call right. But let’s fix the process so we get the right call made as quickly as possible with as little disruption to the flow of the game as possible.
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