Getty Image / Jane Gershovich
Many fans are fed up with replay reviews in the NFL, as they seem to be taking longer and happening more frequently than ever before. But, count Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll in as someone who doesn’t think there are enough replay reviews, especially in the last two minutes of regulation.
Here’s Pro Football Talk with more.
“As long as we’re subject to the replay mode, I think they should get things right,” Carroll said. “I would’ve told you for years and years, I would rather put it on the officials to call the game and let’s keep the game going. I liked it better when it was like that, but now that I’ve grown up and not kicking and screaming about it, I think we should use it. They’re trying to help as much as they can, more than ever. I think they just keep expanding their effect because we need to get it right. We need to do things right and not have to live with issues. If they think that they could do it, if they could handle it and have enough crew to handle all the games and see it, that’s a big statement for them to do every play. It would be in the best interest of getting things right. That’s really what we’d like to do.”
There have been some weird scenarios involving replay this year, though not all of those would fall under the expansion that Pete Carroll is calling for. One unique situation happened in the Los Angeles Rams-Pittsburgh Steelers game in week 6. A crucial 4th down play that was a situation where if the Steelers converted, they would be able to kneel the ball out, was spotted near the first-down marker. When the spot was measured, it was ruled a first down, even though replays showed that the ball-carrier was clearly short. Ultimately, since the Rams were out of timeouts, and the play was just before the two-minute warning, it couldn’t be reviewed. Instead of the Rams having the ball around midfield to tie the game, Pittsburgh kneeled it out for a crucial win.
For me, it seems like it’s more important to get the calls right all the time instead of worrying about how long the game takes. But, some of these replays should be streamlined, too. We don’t need to look at a play for 4 minutes when the first few replay angles clearly show how the play should be decided.
I do expect the NFL to expand replay this offseason. It’s possible they could allow the on-field official or a sky judge to initiate a replay at any time.