In Saturday's playoff game between Denver and New England, Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey intercepted Tom Brady in the end zone and ran back the full length of the field, only to be knocked out of bounds at the last minute by Patriots tight end Ben Watson. Bailey, channeling Leon Lett, wasn't expecting a hit, and the ball flew from his hand. It was ruled out at the one.
Bill Belichick tossed his red challenge flag on the field, then casually picked it up again and put it back in his sock. He was hoping the replay might show that the ball had gone through the end zone, in which case a touchback would have given the Patriots the ball. But Referee Jeff Triplette came back a minute later and upheld the ruling on the field.
I'm not arguing with the call. I thought it was out in the field of play as well. But I think the primary reason the call was upheld was that the video evidence consisted of two or three angles that were totally inconclusive. I think it's time the NFL incorporated some more sophisticated technology into their replay process. Given multiple camera angles, they could accurately construct a virtual three-dimensional model of the play and then pinpoint the position of the ball when it crossed the sideline, thereby providing the correct call with very high confidence. What are they waiting for?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment