Instant Replay on Personal Fouls

[52Ravens20]

I would like the NFL to institute instant replay on the personal fouls that are not judgment calls (hits to the head of quarterbacks and defenseless receivers).

Every week these difficult calls are being incorrectly made and significantly impacting games (not the Ed Reed hit which I believe was the correct call).

I think this would be an easy fix that will still promote safety while at the same time preserving the integrity of the game.

[afan]

The refs are being cowards. Letting the crowd and the booth dictate the circumstances. The Ravens were lucky Pollard was not hit with a pf at the end of the game. These refs need to see what is legit and stop guessing.

[DkBlue]

They are calling them in real time. Ryan Clark's hit was shown to be to the ribs but it was flagged. He was not fined.

[RAVEN FAN]

we might as well play flag football maybe that jerk who is in charge would be happy

[Saticon3]

I agree. Too many times a hit looks really bad to the head, etc, in real time, when in replay you see it was actually shoulder to shoulder or similar circumstances.

[52Ravens20]

The Bernard Pollard call is the perfect example of why these plays should be reviewed. Not even close to being a blow to the head. This play put San Diego in field goal range and put them up two scores.

[HAIL2BNG]

They can't get plays right when they review where a player was down. What makes you think they will get these right?

[Ravens2006]

They really don't have enough cameras in these stadiums to provide solid video evidence more often. It might sound ridiculous, but you really need at least 8 different angles on the ball / ball carrier, plus stationary cameras on the goal lines / side lines, and three that follow the "line of gain" marker from one series to the next (one from each sideline and one overhead). You're probably talking 15 to 20 total cameras to give something approaching full coverage. It's costly in terms of equipment and personnel, but I think there's more than enough money available and the stakes are big enough that teams / the league shouldn't even hesitate when considering how to do it.

Which is also why the replay shouldn't be handled on the field at all. Those guys don't have the time or skill to manage all that while huddled inside a stupid booth getting yelled at. Professionals who are tasked with ONLY video review, know what they're looking for, and can call up the imagery in a few seconds... sheltered from both the crowd and the burden of correcting their colleagues / friends... need to be the ones handling this. Like Rice's catch and run, you'd need to be able to use the feed that shows clearly when his knee is down, freeze ALL the feeds at that point, and then scan the other camera angles to see which one(s) give you the best idea of where the ball was. Nothing we saw on TV could do that beyond a shadow of a doubt.

[Steveg85321]

...the replay shouldn't be handled on the field at all. Those guys don't have the time or skill to manage all that while huddled inside a stupid booth getting yelled at. Professionals who are tasked with ONLY video review, know what they're looking for, and can call up the imagery in a few seconds... sheltered from both the crowd and the burden of correcting their colleagues / friends... need to be the ones handling this.

Thank you for a common sense solution; cannot imagine why this isn't done already. It would be quicker and more accurate. More important, it would relieve field officials from having to live under the pressure of BS calls they are forced to make due to non-football considerations. I refer to the lawsuits ongoing against the NFL for downplaying the dangers of the sport in order to hype the product and increase the value of the brand. It worked; we love watching these incredible yet insane athletes totally reckless about their bodies doing unbelievable feats of strength, agility and aggression. But it has taken a toll on the humans who live on after their careers. Like most corporations for whom PR and dollars are paramount, the NFL has over-reacted by making crazy, arbitrary enforcement. In the hit in question, it didn't look on replay as if the helmets were even involved. Somebody needs to try to make that right, not just knee-jerk buckle to league pressure.