by Matt Snyder
It's been visited and revisited, but yes, the referee of the Steelers/Chargers game made a colossal error at the end of it. Thankfully, it did not affect the outcome of the game, but the NFL is looking to make changes to ensure a future outcome is not affected by an officiating error.
Mike Pereira, the NFL's vice president of officiating, said in a televised interview Monday that the referee on the field should be allowed to check the replay booth a second time if necessary to get the call correct. Currently, a second consultation isn't allowed, and Pereira said a second consultation might have prevented Sunday's error.
At first glance, this doesn't seem like a great idea. People are surely imagining an official getting onto the field and announcing the outcome of the review, only to be buzzed back to look at the replay again. That's not really what's going to happen, though.
Should a situation like Sunday's arise -- which won't be often -- where the official incorrectly interprets a play or rule, the replay booth would buzz him to come have a word with them. They would surely then have told Sunday's referee, Scott Green, that the touchdown by the Steelers should stand.
NFL Could Modify Replay Rules Midseason originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Tue, 18 Nov 2008 13:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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