NFL Review Rules

The NFL's review rules, also known as the instant replay rules, are designed to let a head coach challenge a referee's call on the field. They are deliberately balanced to make sure coaches don't abuse them while still allowing them to ask for another look when they feel a referee has made an erroneous call. Though not without controversy, the rules as they currently stand are widely deemed effective and have helped ensure that the game is played more fairly and with fewer errors. Most controversies surrounding the rules stem from faulty human decisions (and who comes up on the short end of the call) rather than the system itself.

  1. History

    • Instant replay rules were introduced into the NFL in 1986. The advance of television technology meant that an official could recheck a play extremely quickly, allowing him to review and possibly reverse a call. It could only be instigated by replay officials in the television booth, however. They were the only ones who could review or reverse a call, and there was no time limit to determining how long they could take. This prevented coaches from challenging a call that didn't go their way, and could also make for lengthy delays in game play.

    New Rules

    • A new series of rules were instituted in 1999, based on the old USFL rules governing instant replay. Instead of the replay official determining which plays could be reviewed, the coaches themselves could issue a challenge by throwing a red flag onto the field when they felt a play was wrongly called. The play could then be reviewed on instant replay and the ruling reversed if it was determined that the wrong call was made. In order to keep time delays to a minimum, the referee had a limit of 90 seconds with which to make the call.

    Checks and Balances

    • In order to prevent coaches from exploiting the rule--using the pause as a de facto timeout, for example--a series of checks and balances were put into place. Each coach could only make two challenges per half, and if he lost the challenge, his team would be charged one of its three timeouts. If the team no longer had a timeout available, the coach would not be able to issue a challenge. In addition, coaches could not make a challenge in the last 2 minutes of a half. Controversial calls during that period could be reviewed by the NFL replay assistant in the television booth. There would be no time limit to such reviews, and neither team would be charged a timeout if the call went against them.

    The Monitor

    • This process was aided by further advents in technology, most notably the sideline monitor. This was a shielded video screen which the on-field referee could look into in order to check the instant replay. That allows the referee himself to make the call rather than leaving it to the replay official in the booth. Furthermore, the replay official is now considered a member of the game's officiating crew, rather than a separate entity divorced from their structure and regulations.

    Reviewable Plays

    • Under the review system as it currently stands, a coach can only challenge certain types of plays. Specifically, he can challenge passing plays, goal-line plays (in which the possible scoring of a touchdown is at stake), end zone plays (again, in which a touchdown is usually hanging in the balance), sideline plays (in which the player's status in or out of bounds is in question), and "detectable infractions" such as the runner being ruled down by contact or 12 players from a single team being on the field. Field goal kicks that bounce off the goal post (either through the uprights or away) are subject to challenges as well.