NFL executive Troy Vincent said the NFL will consider expanding replay assist to help with certain penalties. Missed facemask penalties are at the top of the list.
“When we see it, because I see it like yourselves and the fans, I have an opportunity to see it from a different angle and see it from a slow-mo,” Vincent said Wednesday from the NFL owners meetings in Irving, Texas. “When you think about the position of where the officials are, things are happening so fast. Sometimes the facemask can be the same color as the gloves. There’s a lot happening. Concerning? Yes, because that’s a big miss. That’s a big foul. That’s why we would like to consider putting that or for the membership to consider putting that foul category that we can see, putting that [penalty flag] on the field to help. There is a frustration, and we believe that is one category we can potentially get right.”
Officials have missed some crucial facemask penalties this season in high-profile games. Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold was sacked by his facemask in the end zone to end a comeback effort against the Rams, and referee Tra Blake said after the game no official had a clear view of the foul.
On Monday night, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow’s facemask was yanked by Cowboys linebacker Marist Liuafu but went uncalled on a sack.
“That is one this year, the facemask seems like it was the obvious [one to allow replay assist],” Vincent said. “That keeps showing up [as a missed call]. A few years past maybe the roughing the passer, the low block [were the most missed penalties]. That appetite will have to come from the membership. I think the committee will discuss where we as a unit feel like we can assist.”
Hits on a defenseless player, tripping, the fair catch, an illegal bat, an illegal double team block, illegal formations on kickoffs and taunting are other areas the Competition Committee will review as potential recommendations for owners to vote on for expanding replay assist.
“I think because we’ve continued to really — you never use the word ‘perfect’ something — but because we’re continuing to be better and better at it, I think expanding it becomes an obvious situation that we ought to look at as a committee,” Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones, a member of the Competition Committee, said. “Should we expand into other calls in our game? . . . It’ll certainly be something we consider as a Competition Committee in the offseason.”
The league has never allowed replay to determine a penalty when one was not called on the field.
“The membership really has to decide what they want that standard to be,” Vincent said. “That is do you want some of those things that are subjective, objective, do you want to include those? That’s why you always hear us say ‘crawl, walk, jog.’ . . . This year, the facemask seemed like the obvious; that keeps showing up. A few years past it was maybe the roughing the passer, the low contact.
“That appetite will have to come from the membership. The committee will discuss where we as a unit feel like we can assist. What is that appetite? This year we started off just with hits to that head and neck area. I think we’ve been pretty good with that. Now you may expand to the facemask and you leave the lower extremity alone. That will have to come from the membership.”
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell wants replay assist to have more authority to correct obvious wrong calls or missed calls.
“We’re looking to expand that,” Goodell said. “We’re going to go to the committee with ways that we can do that. Fouls that may not be within their authority today, we hope they’ll be in their authority by next season.”
