49ers/Seahawks

Video request: 8:50 in the 4th quarter.

[Raymond]

Really nothing to review, Bowman clearly had possession and was down by contact. It's the replay rule (and in-play awareness of the officials) that needs to be reviewed. A player has possession of a ball, the official don't recognize it, and then the play can't be reviewed because fumble recoveries are not reviewable.

I think a stipulation needs to be put in place to allow a play to be review to see if the play should have been blown dead at some point before final possession was awarded. It would have fixed this play, and it would have fixed the play in the Steeler/Packer game in the regular season.

[Ianr]

According to the Fox broadcast the NFL has said they will be changing that review rule during the off-season.

Too little, too late. The NFL has been one step behind for several years now. Starting with the penalty for challenging an automatically reviewed play. That cost the Lions a game a few years ago. Now this.

The NFL needs to decide which things are non-reviewable and allow reviews on everything else. Problem solved.

[bisonlj]

Originally Posted by AremRed

Too little, too late. The NFL has been one step behind for several years now. Starting with the penalty for challenging an automatically reviewed play. That cost the Lions a game a few years ago. Now this.

The NFL needs to decide which things are non-reviewable and allow reviews on everything else. Problem solved.

This is what they are doing. Like all rules it's evolutionary. Get over it. Most rules that exist were written because something happened that helped a rules committee to re-structure a rule.

[zm1283]

What I can't figure out is how one out of seven guys wasn't watching the ball while it was being ripped out of the receiver's hands.

And yes the replay rules are stupid too.

[ajmc]

Originally Posted by AremRed

Too little, too late. The NFL has been one step behind for several years now. Starting with the penalty for challenging an automatically reviewed play. That cost the Lions a game a few years ago. Now this. The NFL needs to decide which things are non-reviewable and allow reviews on everything else. Problem solved.

"Problem solved" and "Game Improved" are not always the same thing.

As technology continues to improve the potential for precision, not all the potential enhancements will benefit the game. Over the past 125+ years Football (at all it's levels) has become, far and away, the most popular sport in America, and is growing elsewhere. A considerable part of that success is derived from the dynamic excitement and drama of teams dealing with and responding to the periodic element of human mistakes, by players, coaches and at times officials.

Ultimately, various technologies will likely be able to reduce, if not eliminate, a majority of these unpredictable risks. That does not automatically translate to the game being "better", more "exciting", more "popular" or more "successful".

If absolute precision is your objective, go buy yourself an XBox, or whatever new technology will give YOU absolute control over all factors of the game, but leave the game, which includes all sorts of potential human failings, to struggle along for the next 125+ years of growing success.

When something clearly isn't broken, excessive "tinkering" can cause a lot more unexpected consequences than perceived improvements.

[bisonlj]

Originally Posted by ajmc

"Problem solved" and "Game Improved" are not always the same thing.

As technology continues to improve the potential for precision, not all the potential enhancements will benefit the game. Over the past 125+ years Football (at all it's levels) has become, far and away, the most popular sport in America, and is growing elsewhere. A considerable part of that success is derived from the dynamic excitement and drama of teams dealing with and responding to the periodic element of human mistakes, by players, coaches and at times officials.

Ultimately, various technologies will likely be able to reduce, if not eliminate, a majority of these unpredictable risks. That does not automatically translate to the game being "better", more "exciting", more "popular" or more "successful".

If absolute precision is your objective, go buy yourself an XBox, or whatever new technology will give YOU absolute control over all factors of the game, but leave the game, which includes all sorts of potential human failings, to struggle along for the next 125+ years of growing success.

When something clearly isn't broken, excessive "tinkering" can cause a lot more unexpected consequences than perceived improvements.

I agree with most of this. I'm a fan of replay in general, but to think it has to make everything perfect is not a good goal.

I think the primary reason so many fans get so passionate about these calls - gambling. It has been one of the key contributors to the success of the league, and I think it has fueled the screams for perfection. This includes fantasy leagues to an extent. It's one thing if your favorite team loses a game or a chance at a championship. It's another if a team loses a game which results in a lost bet. Or a call reverses a score that would have resulted in your player not earning points that would have helped you win a championship.