The NFL’s 2024 inclusion of replay assist has been a lovely touch, but what good is it if on-field officials are unable to use it to make calls when it matters most?
That became evident when Sam Darnold’s face was wrenched sideways during a Week 8 Thursday Night Football game between the Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings. In addition to being the most obviously visible punishment ever, it was witnessed in real time by around 12 million people.
In a recent podcast interview, Fox Sports rules analyst Dean Blandino indicated that the league could be beginning to realize this.
On his NFL Spotlight podcast, Blandino said to Ari Meirov, “I think they’re going to consider.” “I believe that the competition committee has always taken the approach of dealing with objective facts. Without getting into the subjectivity of holding, we are simply substituting the official’s judgment with that of another individual, a replay official. Those kinds of calls lead to a great deal of subjectivity.
We witnessed the failure of their attempt to make pass interference reviewable. Getting into these subjective calls isn’t hard, in my opinion, but you must have a constant standard and adhere to it. However, I find something like a facemask to be straightforward and less subjective. You look at the play, which is a clear illustration. According to the footage, Byron Young, a defender for the Los Angeles Rams, did indeed seize the mask and turn his head.
Will there be plays where they might seize the mask and then release it immediately? It’s a light mask brush,” Blandino continued. Subjectivity and judgment are still going to be present. However, I do believe the league will consider that. That is undoubtedly a crucial play in the game because it leads to a safety. At the moment, it is a one-score game. Therefore, I do believe they will examine that and permit replay to help in those circumstances.
They now rough the passer, make contact with the head or neck, or strike at the sideline. For the off-season, I believe they will consider adding that. They will have a good conversation.
Replay help could develop, but as Blandino notes, the league must strike a difficult balance between objectivity and the subjectivity of some calls.
It’s not that easy, as previously mentioned, but the NFL cannot continue to ignore obvious missed calls like the one on Darnold. Given the available technology, the league ought to use replay aid to help referees make the correct call, particularly at pivotal situations that could end a game or possibly cause a player to get hurt.