The Replay's the Thing

As you have no doubt noticed, the NFL’s replay system can be confusing.  Not only has the system undergone some significant changes in the last couple of years, but coaches and officials can still foul up the procedures for requesting and conducting replays. 
 

 

Aside from these administrative issues, though, it can be hard just to keep track of the types of calls that can be reviewed at all.  So, to get you ready for another week of games, I thought I’d set out in one place two categories of plays and rulings:  those that can be reviewed, and those that can’t.

 

Since you won’t always have this page handy when you’re watching a game, I’ve tried to distill the items below into a few general rules, or what I call “Replayisms”:

1.    Pretty much any play that occurred in the end zone can be reviewed.

2.     If change in possession is riding on a call, it can be reviewed.

3.     Rulings involving the administration of the game cannot be reviewed.

4.     Whether a penalty should or shouldn’t have been called cannot be reviewed (there are very few exceptions to this, and they are listed below).

5.     Scoring plays and turnovers are, by rule, automatically reviewed by off-field officials, who may require the referee to review them.

 

 

PLAYS THAT CAN BE REVIEWED:

 

·  Scoring plays (off course, we know that these are all automatically reviewed), including whether a pass was caught and if the runner (i.e., the player with the ball) broke the plane of the goal line

·  Whether a pass was complete, incomplete or intercepted in the end zone, at the goal line or at a boundary line

·  Elements of a passing play:

o  Whether the pass was complete (or intercepted)

o  Whether the pass was caught in or out of bounds

o  Touching of a forward pass by an ineligible receiver

o  Touching of a forward pass by a defensive player

o  Forward pass or fumble by quarterback (see my post on the Tuck Rule)

 

o  Illegal forward pass beyond the line of scrimmage or after a change in possession

o  Whether a pass was a forward or backward pass

·  Whether the runner stayed in bounds, or the spot of the ball when the player went out of bounds

·  Recovery of a loose ball in or out of bounds

·  As you know, plays ruled turnovers are automatically reviewed and coaches aren’t allowed to challenge them.  However, a team that thought it had recovered a fumble can make a challenge when the officials ruled that the ball was dead when the runner lost it (meaning “no fumble”).  For example:

o The runner was ruled down by defensive contact.  When the officials say that the runner was “down by contact” when he lost the ball, the ball was dead when fumbled and the opposing team can’t recover it. 

o  The runner was ruled out of bounds when the turnover occurred

o  If a player fumbles after catching a pass, but the officials ruled that the pass was incomplete

o  The officials ruled that either the player or the loose ball was out of bounds

·  Forward progress, only with respect to a first down determination or at the goal line

·  Touching of a kick

·  Where the ball passed or touched any part of the goal post on field goals or extra point attempts, except when the call is that it passed between the outer edges of the uprights (click here for a recent example of this exception)

·  The number of players on the field at the snap

·  Whether there was an illegal forward handoff

·  When a loose ball strikes any object, such as a guide wire, video camera or video board

 

PLAYS THAT CANNOT BE REVIEWED:

·  Runner ruled down by contact when no fumble occurs (this impacts the spot of the ball for the next play)

·  Recovery of a loose ball that does not involve the end zone or a boundary line

·  Administrative rulings, such as:

o   Status of the game clock

o   Proper down

o   Penalty administration

·  Forward progress not related to the goal line or first down

·  Field goal or extra point attempts where the bar crosses above either upright

 

·  Inadvertent Whistles (this is a controversial and complicated issue that merited a post of its own)

 

I hope this helps you as we head into another weekend of NFL football.  And remember the standard for reversing a call:  the replays must provide the referee with “indisputable visual evidence” that the ruling on the field was made in error.

Rule Rehash: Timeouts and Challenges

Today I present a rule lesson that is a reprisal of the “Timeouts and Coaches’ Challenges” post that I ran last year to explain the rules for timeouts, strategies for using them and how the coach’s challenges work. I'm publishing it again because I've revised the second half to reflect the rule changes that have been made to the coach's challenges. Hopefully this will clear up any confusion that you may have from seeing these changes in action.

 
 

TIMEOUTS

 
 
Each team is given three timeouts during each half of the game (i.e., three to be used during the first two quarters and three for the second two quarters). With timeouts, you either use 'em or lose 'em; if you only use one timeout during the first half of the game, you still only get three to use in the second half, not five. As a rule, coaches would rather save their timeouts for the end of a half, especially toward the end of the game. They would rather not have to use a timeout at the beginning of the game because, for instance, players are confused and aren’t sure what the play is going to be. It’s embarrassing, and they’ll probably wish they had that timeout back as they approach halftime or in the final seconds of the game.

 
 

Why call a time out? Glad you asked. There are lots of reasons. Here a few--some that are obvious and some that are more interesting:

 

 

1. Avoiding a delay of game penalty: The offense has only 40 seconds after a play is over to snap the ball for the next play. These 40 seconds are counted down on the play clock, which is a timing mechanism separate from the game clock. If the play clock runs down to zero before the next play starts, the offense commits a delay of game foul and loses five yards. Most of the time teams get plays started without problem. However, things can go wrong (the wrong players are on the field, there are too many players on the field, the quarterback can’t hear the signals from the coach, etc.) and the offense has to call a timeout to avoid a delay of game penalty.

 

2. Preserving time: A team that is behind in the score close to halftime or the end of the game will call a timeout to stop the game clock. If that team is on offense, stopping the game clock gives the team more plays to run, and, therefore, more opportunities to score. If the team is on defense, stopping the game clock forces the team that is in the lead to make plays instead of trying to “run out the clock” by taking their sweet time between plays. This way, if the offense fails to make a first down, the team that’s behind will get the ball back and have a chance to score.

 

3. To avoid a procedural foul: There are other fouls beside delay of game that can be called on either the offense or defense before the next play starts. These generally fall under the category of “procedural” fouls. Examples include illegal substitutions, or offside, where a defensive player may still be on the offense’s side of the line of scrimmage when the ball is snapped. If a coach or player sees that his team might commit such an offense, he will call a timeout.

 

4. To ice the kicker: You’ll see this happen a lot, and its ethical status is the object of some debate. Say a team is behind by two or three points at the end of the game. There is one second left in the game and that team has brought out its place kicker to attempt a field goal to win or tie up the score. Even if that team has called a timeout before sending its kicker onto the field, the opposing coach can call a timeout a split second before the ball is snapped to the kicker. This is called "icing" the kicker, and is an attempt to psych out the kicker. The coach calling the timeout will actually place himself right next to the official on his sideline so he can ask for the timeout at the exact right moment. By the time that official has blown his whistle to stop the play, the kicker has probably already kicked the ball. Of course, it won’t matter if the kick was good. This tactic is seldom effective, though, and the kicker usually makes the field goal on the next play. There have been cases, though, where icing was successful:

 

COACH’S CHALLENGES

 

Now, to the coach’s challenges.  Each coach is given two “challenges” to use during the game when he believes that the officials on the field made the wrong ruling about a play. When a coach thinks the officials got it wrong, he throws a red flag onto the field where the referee will see it. The referee (who, as you know from a previous post, is the head official) will then come over to the coach, who will explain what, exactly, he is challenging.
 
 

Once the referee hears the coach’s complaint and determines that the challenge can be considered, he will then step over to a covered video monitor where he will watch replays of the play in question. Note I said that the referee has to determine that the challenge can be considered. The NFL’s rules explicitly prohibit challenges to certain rulings by the officials, such as a penalty or an instance when a penalty was not called but maybe should have been.
 
 

Once a ruling is challenged, the referee heads to a curtained booth on the sidelines that houses a television monitor.  It is there that the referee can review the play in question using all of the views of the play that were captured by the television crew on hand.  So, when you are watching the replays that are being dissected by the TV commentators, you are looking at the same shots that the referee is reviewing.
 
 

If the referee confirms the ruling that was made, the team that raised the challenge will lose one of its timeouts. Therefore, a team must still have at least one timeout remaining for the coach to make a challenge. The coach also needs to decide whether it is worth the risk of losing a timeout. If the ruling is reversed, however, the team does not lose a timeout. If a coach uses both of his allotted challenges, and is correct on both, he will earn a third challenge for that game. And so we come across another reason for calling a timeout—to buy time to decide whether it should challenge the last play.
 
 

In addition to the types of rulings that can be challenged, there are also limits on when coaches can use their challenges. They are not allowed to use their challenges in the last two minutes of the second and fourth quarters. Instead, officials in the press box will review a close play before the next play starts and page the referee to let him know that he needs to review that play. Thus, another reason to call a timeout; a coach may want to give those officials time to see the replays.
 
 

Furthermore, rule changes in 2011 and 2012 have taken review of turnovers and touchdowns out of the coaches’ hands.  Because of a change made in 2011, every touchdown is reviewed by the off-field replay officials. Once they review a touchdown, they send a page to the referee to tell him that the score is confirmed or that the referee must review it. Starting this season, the same procedure applies to turnovers—i.e., fumbles, interceptions and muffed kicks.
 
 

Since these plays are by rule reviewed by the officials, coaches are actually prohibited from throwing a challenge flag when there is a touchdown or turnover. In fact, if a coach does challenge such a play, his team is assessed a 15-yard penalty! This rule was actually a source of controversy in the Week 2 game between the Washington Redskins and the St. Louis Rams during the 2012 season.


About midway through the second quarter, the Rams were lined up for a play at the Redskins one-yard line. Running back Steven Jackson got the ball and plowed toward the goal line, when he appeared to fumble the ball, and the fumble was recovered by Ryan Kerrigan of the Redskins. Whether Steven Jackson was down on the ground when the ball came loose was a very close call, and from replays being shown by the network (and on the stadium’s jumbotron), it appeared that Jackson may have indeed been on the ground--which would have meant that the play was dead and there was no fumble.

 

When it didn’t appear that the officials were going to take another look at the play (or even that the replay officials in the booth were reviewing it), Rams head Jeff Fisher tossed out the red challenge flag. The fumble ruling was reviewed, reversed, and play continued.
 

 

 

However, Washington's head coach, Mike Shanahan (above) was incensed because the officials not only reviewed the play but also didn’t issue the prescribed 15-yard penalty. Unfortunately, this chain of events was just one bad moment in a series of bad moments for the crew of replacement officials during this game. Click here for the article by Tracee Hamilton of The Washington Post that provides a run-down of the other gaffes by the replacement officials in that contest.

  

Turnovers: Interceptions and Fumbles

If the word “turnover” only calls to mind fruity pastries, then this post is for you.  Today we explore the ways that a team accidentally loses possession of the ball.

A turnover is when the team with the ball loses possession of the ball to the other team.  There are two types of turnovers:  the interception and the fumble.  Notice that I didn’t say “when the offense loses possession of the ball to the defense.”  There are two reasons for this:  (1) possession can occur during a special teams play when the teams are the “receiving” and “kicking” teams; and (2) there can be multiple turnovers on the same play, so that the offense initially loses the ball but then a scene from Keystone Kops ensues and the defense loses it after gaining possession!  What fun!

INTERCEPTIONS

An interception occurs when a defensive player catches a pass that was meant to be caught by a player on the offense.  There is usually not much dispute over whether an interception has occurred, unless there is a question of whether the defensive player actually caught the ball.  However, there may be a question of whether the defensive player committed a pass interference penalty in the process of catching the ball.*  As you learned in my post on challenges, a judgment by the officials over whether a penalty such as pass interference occurred is not reviewable.

One quirk on interceptions:  if both the offensive and defensive player come down with their hands on the ball so that it looks like they both have possession, the offense keeps possession of the ball at the spot where the ball was caught.  In other words, to borrow a phrase from baseball, “the tie goes to the runner.”

FUMBLES

Once a play has begun, the player that holds the ball is called the runner.  The runner can be one of three people:  (1) the quarterback, until he hands off, or throws the ball to, another player, or if he is keeping it and running down the field himself; (2) the player, usually the running back, that the quarterback hands the ball to; or (3) the player, a wide receiver or tight end, to whom the quarterback throws the ball.

A fumble occurs when the runner drops the ball before he is tackled. **  Any player can try to get the ball by diving on it or picking it up.  A fumble is “lost” if a defensive player gains control of the ball, thus earning possession for his team.  A fumble is “recovered” if a player on offense, either the runner or another player, gains control of the ball, retaining possession for his team.

Sound simple, right?  It usually is.  However, a couple of rules make the issue more complicated.  Under the rules, a runner is tackled or “down” when one or both of his knees touches the ground and he had been touched by a defensive player (in the NFL, if a player stumbles on his own, he can get back up and keep running; this is not the case in college).  Fumbles are often challenged or reviewed when there is a question of whether the runner was down before the lost the football.  If he lost the football after one of his knees hits the ground, there is no fumble. 

Another rule you will hear often is that the ground cannot cause a fumble.  It’s hard to explain what this means; it’s one of those you’ll-know-it-when-you-see-it situations.  Generally, though, if a runner is being brought down, or has fallen, there is no fumble if he held onto the ball and it is only from hitting the ground that the ball came loose and out of the player’s grip.  This is also often the subject of review.

*The standards for a catch and pass interference are the same for both the offense and the defense, and will be explained in a later post.

**I should distinguish a “fumble” from a “muff.”  A muff occurs when a player unsuccessfully tries to get possession of a loose ball.  Therefore, the player hasn’t even had the ball yet.

Timeouts and Coaches' Challenges

Today’s lesson explains timeouts and strategies for using them, and the coach’s challenges.  You may have already seen the challenges in action during the preseason, and there are some changes to replay procedures that may affect how often you see challenges from here on out.

TIMEOUTS

Each team is given three timeouts during each half of the game (i.e., three to be used during the first two quarters and two for the second two quarters).  You either “use it or lose it”; if you only use one timeout during the first half of the game, you still only get three to use in the second half, not five.  As a rule, coaches would rather save their timeouts for the end of a half, especially toward the end of the game.  They would rather not have to use a timeout at the beginning of the game because, for example, the players are confused and aren’t sure what the play is going to be.  It’s embarrassing, and they’ll probably wish they had that timeout back as they approach halftime.

Why call a time out?  Glad you asked.  There are lots of reasons.  Here a few--some that are obvious and some that are more interesting:

1.      Avoiding a delay of game penalty:  The offense has only 40 seconds after a play is over to snap the ball for the next play.  These 40 seconds are counted down on the play clock, which is separate from the game clock.  If the play clock runs out (or “expires”) before the next play starts, the offense is penalized with a delay of game penalty and loses five yards.  Most of the time teams get the next play started without a problem.  However, things can go wrong (the wrong players are on the field, there are too many players on the field, the quarterback can’t hear the signals from the coach, etc.) and the offense has to call a timeout to avoid a delay of game penalty.

2.       Preserving time:  A team that is behind in the score close to halftime or the end of the game will call a timeout to stop the game clock.  If that team is on offense, stopping the game clock gives the team more plays to run, and opportunities to score.  If the team is on defense, stopping the game clock forces the team that is in the lead to make plays instead of trying to “run out the clock” by taking their sweet time between plays.  This way, if the offense fails to make a first down, the team that’s behind will get the ball back and have a chance to score.

3.       To avoid a procedural penalty:  There are other penalties beside the delay of game penalty that can be called on either the offense or defense before the next play starts.  These generally fall under the category of “procedural” penalties.  Examples include illegal substitutions, or offside, where a defensive player may still be on the offense’s side of the line of scrimmage when the ball is snapped.  If a coach or player sees that his team might be about to incur such a penalty, he will call a timeout.

4.       To ice the kicker:  You’ll see this happen a lot, and it is often the subject of debate as to its ethical status.  Say a team is behind by two or three points at the end of the game.  There is one second left in the game and that team has brought out its place kicker to attempt a field goal to win, or tie the score.  Even if that team has called a timeout before sending its kicker onto the field, the opposing coach can call a timeout a split second before the ball is snapped to the kicker.  This is called "icing" the kicker, and  is an attempt to psych out the kicker'  The coach calling the timeout will actually place himself right next to the official on his sideline so he can call the timeout into the guy’s ear at the exact right moment.  By the time that official has blown his whistle to stop the play, the kicker has probably already kicked the ball.  Of course, it won’t matter if the kick was good.  This tactic is seldom effective, though, and the kicker usually makes the field goal on the next play.  Unless, of course, it's a very long field goal attempt, like this instance where icing was successful:

COACH’S CHALLENGES

Each coach is given two challenges to use during the game when he believes that the officials on the field made the wrong ruling about a play.  The error could concern several things, including:  whether a touchdown was made; whether a player stepped out of bounds; or whether a fumble occurred. 

When a coach thinks the officials got it wrong, he throws a red flag onto the field where the referee will see it.  The referee (who, as you know from a previous post, is the head official) will then come over to the coach, who will explain what, exactly, he is challenging.  The coach needs to be clear about what his challenge is because the referee must confine his review of the play to that issue.

Once the referee hears the coach’s complaint and determines that the challenge can be considered, he will then step over to a covered video monitor where he will watch replays of the play in question.  Note I said that the referee has to determine that the challenge can be considered.  A coach cannot challenge certain rulings, such as a penalty or an instance when a penalty was not called but maybe should have been.

    If the referee confirms the ruling, the team that raised the challenge will lose one of its timeouts.  Therefore, a team must still have at least one timeout remaining for the coach to make a challenge.  The coach also needs to decide whether it is worth the risk of losing a timeout.  If the ruling is reversed, however, the team does not lose a timeout.  If a coach uses both of his allotted challenges, and is correct on both, he will earn a third challenge for that game.

And so we come across another reason for calling a timeout.  A team might call a timeout to buy time to decide whether it should challenge the last play.  Most teams now have an assistant in their booth in the press box who will look at the replays and determine whether the coach should challenge.  A timeout gives them time to make this decision. 

Coaches may not use their challenges in the last two minutes of the second and fourth quarters.  Instead, officials in the press box will review a close play before the next play starts and page the referee to let him know that he needs to review that play.  Thus, another reason to call a timeout; a coach may want to give those officials time to see the replays. 

2011 CHANGE TO REVIEWS

The NFL has changed its procedure for reviews.  Starting this season, every touchdown is being reviewed by the off-field replay officials.  Once they review a touchdown, they send a page to the referee to tell him that the score is confirmed or that the referee must review it.

Two thoughts on this change.  First, this is too conservative.  In my opinion, the League is moving too far in taking the human element out of the officiating.  Most judgments made by the field officials are based on events that take place in mere seconds, and often only fractions of a second.  That there may be mistakes in the course of a game is a fact of life and teams must be able to overcome this element of chance to be real contenders.

Second, this will impact how coaches decide to use their challenges.  For example, I would expect we'll see a dramatic decrease in the number of challenges used over touchdowns.  If a coach knows that a touchdown is already getting a second look, he is more likely to save his challenges for other situations.  Also, most coaches will probably accept the call from the reviewing officials once they send their message to the referee.  To me, this takes a considerable amount of the drama out of the game, which isn’t really a good thing.

But that’s just my humble opinion.  We’ll have to see how it goes, but with this and other rules changes this year (see the post on kickoffs), I’m already missing the old days.

The Referee and Umpire

Today, you get your first lesson on the different positions and responsibilities of the officials that police a football game.  First, though, note that I call them “officials,” not “referees.”  In football, the referee is actually the boss of the officiating crew.  Therefore, it would be incorrect (and bad form) to use that term to refer to any official that doesn’t fill that role.

Here’s the low-down on the referee and the umpire, two of the several officials that you will see on the field during a football game:

The Referee

As mentioned above, the referee is the boss of the crew.  While all of the other officials on the field will be wearing black hats, the referee can easily be identified by his white hat (thus, you may also hear the referee being called the “white hat”). 

1.   Position*:  The referee is positioned behind and to the side of the quarterback (roughly 10 yards behind the line of scrimmage).  He will typically stand on the side of the quarterback’s dominant hand; if the quarterback throws right-handed, the referee will stand to the right of the quarterback.

2.   Responsibilities:  As the head official, the referee has several jobs:

a.   Before the game starts, the referee conducts the coin toss to determine who receives the ball first.

b.   Throughout the game, the referee has responsibility for the administration of the game as a whole.  For example, he makes sure that the game and play clocks are functioning properly.  He will also be the official who will settle disputes between the other officials concerning the outcome of a play or a penalty, and will address coaches’ concerns (or complaints) as needed.  

c.    During play, the referee’s primary responsibility is to ensure the safety of the quarterback.  Therefore, he will focus on the quarterback during the play, watching for illegal hits against the quarterback.  For example, a late hit occurs when a defensive player tackles the quarterback after the quarterback has gotten rid of the football, and the defensive player had the opportunity to stop his own momentum before making the tackle (these calls are often controversial because it seems so difficult for a defender barreling toward the quarterback to “pull up” in time).  He may also call penalties for illegal holding and other blocking penalties.  If the runner progresses down the field, the referee will follow him, looking for the runner to step out of bounds, and for illegal blocks behind the runner, among other things.

d.   Before the play begins, the referee will also be watching for procedure penalties, such as the false start penalty, which I described in my previous post, and illegal motion.

e.   When the play is over, the referee may double-check the location of the ball and the new line of scrimmage with the other officials on the sidelines.  If a penalty is called, he meets with the official who saw the penalty and makes a final decision on whether to uphold the penalty.  If the penalty is upheld, he turns to the sideline where the press box is located and makes the hand signal for that penalty.  He will then verbally announce the penalty, the jersey number of the player that committed the penalty, and the resulting consequence, such as loss of yardage.

f.    If a call on the field is challenged or the officials in the press box call for an instant replay (click here for the post on challenges and instant replay), the referee is the one that reviews the video of the play and makes a final determination on the call.

The Umpire**

1.   Position:  The umpire used to be positioned behind the defensive linemen (so, about 5-7 yards behind the line of scrimmage).  Citing safety concerns, the NFL changed the position of the umpire in 2010.  Now, the umpire stands in the offense, adjacent to the running back, so about 12 yards behind the line of scrimmage.  However, the umpire will be in his old position in the middle of the defense in these situations: (1) the final two minutes of the first half; (2) the final five minutes of the game; and (3) when the offense is inside its opponent's 5-yard line.  There has also been talk of having umpires wear helmets, but this hasn't materialized yet.  Umpires do get run over quite often, but they can hand out the punishment, too:

2.   Responsibilities:

a.   The umpire watches the offensive linemen for holding or illegal blocks, and illegal contact by the defensive linemen attempting to ward off blocks.  During pass plays, he will advance toward the line of scrimmage to watch for offensive linemen moving illegally down-field.

b.   On short passes, he helps rule on whether the pass is incomplete or trapped by the receiver (i.e., the ball is caught at ground level by the receiver after the ball hits the ground).

c.   The umpire is also the fashion police on the field.  He makes sure that the players’ uniforms and equipment are in compliance with the rules.

Even though these are only two of the officials on the crew, it’s important that you understand their roles in the game first.  They are the officials that call probably the most-committed penalties (many people argue that you could probably call holding on every play).  They are also the most visible given their positions on the field, and therefore the most likely to be yelled at by the crowd, the coaches, and your friends at home when you’re watching the game on TV.

*Only the positions during regular plays are described.  Each official also has a specific position for special kinds of plays such as punts, kickoffs and extra point attempts. 

**As I mentioned in my inaugural post, in 2009 I spent the football season as an official for youth football.  Umpire is the position I worked most and is near and dear to my heart.