REVIEW IT AGAIN, SAM...

BY DAN MILLER
(originally posted September 20, 2004)

What a great weekend. Perfect weather, and nothing much to complain about.

Well, there is the "instant replay issue".
The Titans game reinforced my belief that reviewing calls on the field via instant replay is a problem.

Too often, it stops the flow and momentum of the game. And seemingly, as often as not, the issue is still not resolved convincingly.

Perhaps the league should set up a "higher authority official".... sort of an Appeals Court Referee in the press box who could override the lowly game referee's ruling on the field.

Each game, both teams would be allowed one appeal to the Appeals Referee. That would stop play for another 15 or 20 minutes while the tape was checked in the press box. Think of the added revenue for the concession stands.

Then, if the ruling still wasn't to the liking of a coach...... there'd be one more option.

Every season, each team would have one or two appeals to an NFL Supreme Review Court.
In such a case, the game would be suspended, to be resumed at a later date in the season, after the NFL Supreme Review Court issued it's final ruling on the play in question.

Sure it might lengthen the season, but it would give injured players a chance to heal, and at least we might get these calls right.

In yesterday's Titans - Colts game, if such an appeal could've been made, I'm certain that when the game resumed later this winter, our Titans would have the ball on the one yard line, with twenty-odd seconds on the clock.

Yes, they'd still be behind by two touchdowns - but in the NFL you never know what can happen.

By the way, congratulations to UT and TSU on their "miracle" wins.
And though Vandy lost, it was an exciting, productive overtime game that gives me hope for the rest of the season.

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