Time to Look Again at Instant Replay

Stephen McIlhon
MC 4356F
October 6, 2008
WC 800



Time to Look Again at Instant Replay



We are all human. Maybe you’ve heard the expression before, referring of course to an acceptance of our imperfection and propensity to make mistakes. Nice to have that “human” thing to fall back on, isn’t it?

What excuse can we then have, however, when we are presented with all the necessary information to come to the correct decision, yet still come to the incorrect one? This continues to be the case, time and time again, with the use of instant replay in both college and professional football. The referees are still not getting it right – and admittedly so.

Two weeks ago, in the culmination of a highly combative, back and forth contest between the San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos, NFL senior referee Ed Hochuli gave the ball back to the Broncos after Denver quarterback Jay Cutler’s apparent fumble inside the Charger’s ten-yard line.

With less than two minutes on the clock, and his team trailing by seven points, Cutler attempted a pass, but forgot the ball. The pigskin slipped through the Vanderbilt product’s right hand and fell lonely to the ground. The call on the field was an incomplete pass, and although San Diego linebacker Tim Dobbins came up with the ball, NFL rules state that once the whistle has blown, and the play is declared dead by the referee, it is not reviewable.

Replay showed a fumble, but the call on the field was unchangeable. Cutler made good on the extra opportunity and held onto the ball for his next throw – connecting to receiver Eddie Royal in the back of the endzone to tie the game. Denver would go for the two-point conversion and Royal would again come up with the ball, this time sealing San Diego’s fate. The Chargers had one stolen from them, no thanks to the instant replay system designed to protect exactly that from happening.

What is the point of having a system if it can’t be used to produce its desired result? Here’s an idea: change the rule. Give these referees a little more discretion and if they blow the whistle incorrectly, let them use this evidence that you, the league, has provided them, and allow them to correct their human error.

After the game, Hochuli described, ”Affecting the outcome of a game … a devastating feeling. I failed miserably.” Hochuli did fail, according to the league commissioner, and was punished by the NFL in doing so. But who gets to punish the NFL for not putting their employees in a position to effectively use the tools given to them?

Three days prior to the aforementioned professional game, in a collegiate contest between Wisconsin and Fresno State, more admitted ineptitude. With the Badgers leading 13-7 late into the third quarter, Bulldog quarterback Tom Brandster threw a complete pass to receiver Devon Wylie. At least it appeared complete to you, me, and anyone else with the video evidence to decide for themselves.

Wylie turned up field, had the ball knocked out by Wisconsin safety Shane Carter and it was recovered by his teammate, linebacker DeAndre Levy. Fresno State coach Pat Hill challenged the call and replay officials overturned the ruling on the field, giving the ball back to the Bulldogs and another chance at victory. Western Athletic conference commissioner Karl Benson later said that the overturned ruling was the incorrect call by that referee crew’s replay official.

Luckily, Wisconsin came away unscathed and held on to a 13-10 victory. What is the problem here? How are we getting altered games when the evidence is presented to us in high-definition? How is a call more obvious a day later than it is on the field during a game?

“Our goal is to take advantage of advanced technology to create the most efficient replay system possible (White, 1999)," said former NFL Commissioner, and acting commissioner when replay was introduced, Paul Tagliabue. We all want the system to be efficient. Football games are long, and we all have lives to get back to once they conclude. But more important than coming to a quick decision, in this football fan’s opinion, is coming to the right decision.

Instant replay has been around a long time. This is not anything new to these officials. It was first adopted by the NFL in 1986; with its current, revised system put into effect in 1999. College football at the Division I level, adopted its current system before the 2005 season.

The system was designed to prevent bad calls from changing the outcome of a game. Instead, the system itself is doing so. With the amount of money and technology that goes into keeping instant replay a fixture on the sidelines, you would expect near perfection.

That hasn’t happened, however. But it needs to. Let’s perfect the system. Give these officials a chance to get it right. Educate them on how to better use it and don’t hinder them with unchangeable rules and stipulations.

We are all human. True. We don’t always, however, have the chance to stare the facts in the face before reaching a decision. How many times out of ten would we come to the correct one if we did?











Resources:
Bryant-Jon Anteola. (2008). Big Ten Network. WAC admits error against Wisconsin; Fresno State fumble should have stood. Retrieved October 5, 2008, from http://www.bigtennetwork.com/sports/football/story.asp?list_id=11&story_id=3127553.

Associated Press. (2008). Cutler finds Royal for late TD, two-point play to edge Chargers. Retrieved October 5, 2008, from http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/recap?gameId=280914007.

Lonnie White. (1999). NFL gives it a second look, and Tagliabue says new computerized system is huge improvement over version used in the late ’80s. Retrieved October 5, 2008, from http://articles.latimes.com/1999/sep/12/sports/sp-9470.