xwalker
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The AAF has a Sky Judge. They also broadcast discussions by the Refs.
I think a similar but more advanced concept would help the NFL and the Cowboys.
My concept of Sky Judge for the NFL is to have 3 people at the NFL review headquarters reviewing the game both in real time and then continuing to review replays between the end of a play and the next snap of the ball. The Sky Judge would not stop play unless it found a problem with the on-field refs penalty call or if Sky Cam determined a penalty should have been call that wasn't.
The Sky Judge concept can be a great improvement if implemented correctly.
There are many methods that could keep the Sky Judge from extending games.
1.
The current review process including challenges would be replaced with Sky Judge.
The current review process stops play even when the review agrees with the on-field call.
Sky Judge would not need to stop play in those situations. It would only stop play if it was over-turning the on-field call.
Sky Judge must call the stop of play before the next snap. Since Sky Judge is watching in real time it should easily be able to see at least 1 replay even if the offense does a quick snap. Even without the replay the 3 people that make up Sky Cam all saw the play in real time.
Sky Judge would only call additional penalties on things like holding if the penalty was a "major" penalty and only if it affected the play. A hold on the opposite side of the field from a run would not be called because it didn't really affect the play.
2.
Keep the on-field refs focused on penalties that affect the play during the play and leave the after the play issues to Sky Judge. For example leave late hits or defenseless receiver hits for Sky Cam to call. Let Sky Judge determine if a QB is in or out of the pocket when he throws a ball away.
3.
Have the on-field refs error on the side of conserving time. Example: Call any sideline catches that are not obvious in terms of in bounds or out of bounds as in bounds. If it's out of bounds then Sky Judge can call it out up until the next snap.
4.
Limit the on-field refs on Special Teams penalties. There are a large number of penalties called on returns but many are bogus. All of the bogus ones would go away saving the time required to call those and re-spot the ball, etc..
5.
Have wireless earbuds/mics for all on-field refs.
Have Sky Judge "in their ear" for constant communication.
Advanced Sky Judge concepts
An advanced Sky Cam concept would be to have Sky Judge make note of minor infractions and only call a penalty if the same player had another minor infraction. This allows dirty players to still be penalized but prevents stopping play because a player committed 1 minor infraction that didn't affect the play.
Example: A player shoves another player after the whistle. No need to call a penalty on a player that only had 1 of these types of infractions.
The players that committed the minor infractions once without being penalized can be fined by the league.
It's silly to waste time on relatively minor infractions that don't affect the play. Fines are a good penalty that does not stop play.
Other
There could be a Sky Judge spotter working with the on-field refs. The spotter would just review each spot as it happens and tell the on-field ref he needs to move it forward or backwards by some amount.
This works in conjunction with eliminating challenges.
Technology would allow the Sky Judge spotter to verify 1st downs without ever needing to measure with the chains.
Refs Union
The Refs would adamantly oppose the Sky Judge concept as I've defined it.
The reason it's being done in the AAF but not in the NFL is likely due to the politics of the NFL Refs Union.
The NFL might even have encouraged the AAF to implement Sky Judge.
The NFL can pay multiple remote reviewers for the cost of 1 on-field ref. The Sky Judge reviewers can work multiple games per week instead of 1 for the on-field refs.
If Sky Judge were implemented and refined it could eventually result in less on-field refs required for a game.
I think a similar but more advanced concept would help the NFL and the Cowboys.
My concept of Sky Judge for the NFL is to have 3 people at the NFL review headquarters reviewing the game both in real time and then continuing to review replays between the end of a play and the next snap of the ball. The Sky Judge would not stop play unless it found a problem with the on-field refs penalty call or if Sky Cam determined a penalty should have been call that wasn't.
The Sky Judge concept can be a great improvement if implemented correctly.
There are many methods that could keep the Sky Judge from extending games.
1.
The current review process including challenges would be replaced with Sky Judge.
The current review process stops play even when the review agrees with the on-field call.
Sky Judge would not need to stop play in those situations. It would only stop play if it was over-turning the on-field call.
Sky Judge must call the stop of play before the next snap. Since Sky Judge is watching in real time it should easily be able to see at least 1 replay even if the offense does a quick snap. Even without the replay the 3 people that make up Sky Cam all saw the play in real time.
Sky Judge would only call additional penalties on things like holding if the penalty was a "major" penalty and only if it affected the play. A hold on the opposite side of the field from a run would not be called because it didn't really affect the play.
2.
Keep the on-field refs focused on penalties that affect the play during the play and leave the after the play issues to Sky Judge. For example leave late hits or defenseless receiver hits for Sky Cam to call. Let Sky Judge determine if a QB is in or out of the pocket when he throws a ball away.
3.
Have the on-field refs error on the side of conserving time. Example: Call any sideline catches that are not obvious in terms of in bounds or out of bounds as in bounds. If it's out of bounds then Sky Judge can call it out up until the next snap.
4.
Limit the on-field refs on Special Teams penalties. There are a large number of penalties called on returns but many are bogus. All of the bogus ones would go away saving the time required to call those and re-spot the ball, etc..
5.
Have wireless earbuds/mics for all on-field refs.
Have Sky Judge "in their ear" for constant communication.
Advanced Sky Judge concepts
An advanced Sky Cam concept would be to have Sky Judge make note of minor infractions and only call a penalty if the same player had another minor infraction. This allows dirty players to still be penalized but prevents stopping play because a player committed 1 minor infraction that didn't affect the play.
Example: A player shoves another player after the whistle. No need to call a penalty on a player that only had 1 of these types of infractions.
The players that committed the minor infractions once without being penalized can be fined by the league.
It's silly to waste time on relatively minor infractions that don't affect the play. Fines are a good penalty that does not stop play.
Other
There could be a Sky Judge spotter working with the on-field refs. The spotter would just review each spot as it happens and tell the on-field ref he needs to move it forward or backwards by some amount.
This works in conjunction with eliminating challenges.
Technology would allow the Sky Judge spotter to verify 1st downs without ever needing to measure with the chains.
Refs Union
The Refs would adamantly oppose the Sky Judge concept as I've defined it.
The reason it's being done in the AAF but not in the NFL is likely due to the politics of the NFL Refs Union.
The NFL might even have encouraged the AAF to implement Sky Judge.
The NFL can pay multiple remote reviewers for the cost of 1 on-field ref. The Sky Judge reviewers can work multiple games per week instead of 1 for the on-field refs.
If Sky Judge were implemented and refined it could eventually result in less on-field refs required for a game.
