I came across a Canadian Press story on TSN.ca today with the title, “Gruden, Carroll would like replay reviews gone”.
Jon Gruden, who is returning to the sidelines after spending the past few years in the broadcast booth, was quoted as saying, “Let the naked eye make the call.” Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said, “I like the game to be played on the field.”
This is obviously wishful thinking by these two Super Bowl-winning coaches. HD and 4K put glaring officiating mistakes in front of the fans over and over again. Because of that, professional leagues in all sports have to lean on technology to get some calls right.
Having said that, we should be talking about calls that may affect the outcome of a game. Replays shouldn’t be used as a coaching strategy to try get an advantage on an opposing team.
Replay reviews will never go away, but good on Gruden and Carroll to remind us that replay review rules have flaws too.