Is it time to can the Instant Replay experiment?

Can you still call it an experiment? They've had it on and off in one form or another for almost 20 years I think. Its here to stay.

Can you still call it an experiment? They've had it on and off in one form or another for almost 20 years I think. Its here to stay.

I agree, it's not an experiment, it's here to stay.

I'm kind of a fan. I'm not going to lie. I've always loved it, always will. It's not going anywhere, and I'm glad we can "get it right".

go points Gtripp, it has def slowed the flow of the game down with what you mentioned of all the micro-analysis of every play but i think it is here to stay for better or worse, just needs to be sped up a bit . . . good thread and begininng analysis

Replay is here to stay and it's a good thing.. I'd rather the ref take the time to get the call right rather than scrap it and have games decided by a 67 year old in the cold and rain trying to watch 4 different things in a split second and guessing at what he thinks he saw.

Wasn't instant replay made permanent last offseason?

any fan who has been to a game knows that more time is spent waiting for tv to air beer and dick commercials than anything else. A little time to get the calls right, or at least try to, is worth it.

We need replay. Keep streamlining it, but it is a necessary evil. I mean every game almost the refs absolutely blow a call. Maybe they rely on it too much, but I'm tired of people whining about the three minutes it takes to get it right. Would you rather have the enduring anger and disappointment of knowing how bad the call was instead?

I posted this in another thread, but then I figured it deserved its own thread.

I really think they should get rid of instant replay. I don't like having too much communication between the booth and the guys calling the game. People may say, "well, instant replay helps them get it right." To that, I say, "so?" The referee is always right. Whatever he rules is what "occurred" on the play. A lot less funny business would go on if the guys on the field would just use their judgment and there was no time to review plays, we just went with what they saw.

I'm sorry, instant replay totally changes the game of football and I think that's definately a negative. "Getting it right" is usually an excuse for being able to get it wrong initially. I don't want second guessing. I want one call, from the officials, and that becomes history. Too many times, instant replay totally changes a game. Getting it right or not, one team still gets screwed, as well as the fans.

I'm with John Madden on this one. Every play in football is now about "was his knee down before the fumble?", "was his arm moving forward before it was hit?", "did he trap that one?" All thanks to instant replay. Guess what, who cares? If it looks like a fumble and smells like a fumble then it's a fumble. When the ground causes the fumble, the official knows right away and rules it down by contact, that never needs to be reviewed anyway. The location of a guy's knee has no bearing on the likeliness that he will cough up the ball. I hate cop outs.

I couldn't disagree more. Getting it right, meaning actually making the correct call based on what actually happened, is the most important thing. You're implying that what the refs say happened is what did happen. Pragmatically I agree. But just because the call went one way and the game continued from there doesn't mean the call was right.

I posted this in another thread, but then I figured it deserved its own thread.

I really think they should get rid of instant replay. I don't like having too much communication between the booth and the guys calling the game. People may say, "well, instant replay helps them get it right." To that, I say, "so?" The referee is always right. Whatever he rules is what "occurred" on the play. A lot less funny business would go on if the guys on the field would just use their judgment and there was no time to review plays, we just went with what they saw.

I'm sorry, instant replay totally changes the game of football and I think that's definately a negative. "Getting it right" is usually an excuse for being able to get it wrong initially. I don't want second guessing. I want one call, from the officials, and that becomes history. Too many times, instant replay totally changes a game. Getting it right or not, one team still gets screwed, as well as the fans.

I'm with John Madden on this one. Every play in football is now about "was his knee down before the fumble?", "was his arm moving forward before it was hit?", "did he trap that one?" All thanks to instant replay. Guess what, who cares? If it looks like a fumble and smells like a fumble then it's a fumble. When the ground causes the fumble, the official knows right away and rules it down by contact, that never needs to be reviewed anyway. The location of a guy's knee has no bearing on the likeliness that he will cough up the ball. I hate cop outs.

Replay isn't going anywhere. As much as it slows the game down it helps and that's all that matters. This is not baseball or basketball where you have 3-4 games a week. When it comes to football you have to get it right because of the importance of the games. If the NFL would follow college it would work alot smoother.

Let me give you an example. I remember the 90 season when we were playing Philly in a wild card game. Replay was kind of new back then. Earnest Byner got hit low and his upper body fell forward and his elbow hit first. The ball fell out of his arm. The ground clearly caused a fumble. The ref called it a fumble and The Eagles defender ran it back for a TD. Replay took a look at it and the call was reversed.

My point is if they had not gotten this call right we probably lose the game over a bad call. It's a playoff game and the ref missed the call. Too much is riding on it for the refs not get it right. I'll never ever forget that play and from then on I'm sold on replay.