NFL Has Botched Replay Review Rules

[links18]

Nobody knows what the rules are. The media keeps saying that all turnovers and scoring plays are "automatically reviewed." Reviewed by whom? Its totally unclear what is supposed to happen. The official in the booth looks at it and then decides if it needs further review by the ref on the field? How long does the booth official have to make this decision? Can the team with possession line up and run a play before he makes his call? Whatever the official in the booth is doing, it seems pretty clear that his standards for review are not as high as when the ref goes under the hood.

 

[Hoofbite]

Nobody knows what the rules are. The media keeps saying that all turnovers and scoring plays are "automatically reviewed." Reviewed by whom? Its totally unclear what is supposed to happen. The official in the booth looks at it and then decides if it needs further review by the ref on the field?

Of course that's how it works. Games would be so slow if they actually walked the guy to the booth to review calls that don't need to be reviewed.

How long does the booth official have to make this decision? Can the team with possession line up and run a play before he makes his call?

Generally not because the "automatic review" applies to changes of possession and scoring plays which means there's almost always a timeout after the play.

Whatever the official in the booth is doing, it seems pretty clear that his standards for review are not as high as when the ref goes under the hood.

And they shouldn't be because it would slow the game down to a ridiculous extent. The games already drag on with as much reviewing as they already do. The guy upstairs "confirms" or calls for a review.

 

[links18]

I get it. You like the way they do it. They should just let the coaches throw a flag and make the ref go under the hood. Dunbar's fumble was close enough that it should have been given a little more scutiny.