(Question From a Fan) IW & Replay

[jTheUmp]

Originally Posted by Robert Goodman

So they should no longer play to the whistle (or until other evidence the ball is dead, whichever is sooner), but play until...uh...some time after "immediate action" is over? And officials didn't say to the rules committee that that would be a really, really bad idea?

I'm sure the officials did make the objection when this change was originally implemented. But as we all know, officials don't make the rules, we just have to enforce them.

Has this had the side effect of officials whistling quicker to compensate, so that there are more IW? Because the disincentive for an IW is not as great?

Exactly the opposite. If in doubt, rule a fumble/recovery/return and let replay come in and overrule and say the runner was down prior to the fumble anyway. (I heard a statistic somewhere that in something like 85% of the close fumble/down cases, the correct ruling is a fumble).

On the other hand, one of the maxims I've also heard from D-I guys is "don't officiate to replay"... so take what you will from that.