Jump to content

Oh Brother, Knee Jerk reaction


Scott Dierking

Recommended Posts

From Sporting News:

The NFL might modify its rules about the use of instant replay to try to prevent errors such as the one that cost the Pittsburgh Steelers a touchdown on the final play of their 11-10 win Sunday vs. the San Diego Chargers, according to several reports.

Mike Pereira, the NFL's vice president of officiating, said in a televised interview Monday that the referee on the field should be allowed to check the replay booth a second time if necessary to get the call correct. Currently, a second consultation isn't allowed, and Pereira said a second consultation might have prevented Sunday's error.

The mistake by the officials did not affect the outcome of the game, but it did impact the point spread. The Steelers were a 4 1/2-point favorite and would have covered the spread if the touchdown had counted. RJ Bell of Pregame.com told the Washington Post that according to one estimate, approximately $66 million had been wagered worldwide on the Steelers, compared with about $34 million on the Chargers.

The officials disallowed a touchdown by Steelers safety Troy Polamalu after he picked up a loose ball following a lateral attempt by the Chargers. Referee Scott Green acknowledged it was a bad call after the game.

"Once you leave the sideline monitor, you can't go back," Pereira told ESPN on Monday. "The replay assistant can't buzz you back. I think that is the way we can look forward to try to implement a system to where it doesn't happen again because, you know, we were still in the administration of this review."

Pereira said the NFL's rules committee will address the matter and a change could come before the playoffs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...