NFL Officials Announce Improved Replay System for 2012 Season

After several weeks studying new ways to make the football experience more exciting for fans at the stadiums, NFL officials have announced new changes in the league’s replay review system.

In a recent interview with ESPN, Falcons president and NFL competition committee chairman Rich McKay said the league will put in practice new ways to attract fans into the stadiums. One of the measures adopted by NFL officials is an improved replay system.

As most NFL fans know, the first replay system was first used in 1986 and pulled it out in 1992 after it proved to be highly inefficient. Back then, the replays slowed the game down way too much and simply couldn’t help referees to make the right calls. According to McKay, the right calls were being made only about 80% of the time.

The improved system currently used by the NFL was instituted in 1999.The system has already gone through a few changes, and according to NFL officials, a few more will be implemented this coming season.

Some of the changes prepared for the 2012/2013 Season include minor adjustments in the turnover reviews, which will be subject to review by the replay booth.

Last season was the first time that each and every scoring play was reviewed by the replay booth. The measure raised concerns about the extra time officials needed to review the plays. There was a concern all these new reviews would slow down the game; however, that was not the case. In 2011, the average game time took just one second longer than in 2010.

The second change announced by NFL officials will be much more exciting to fans in stadiums. All NFL stadium video boards will let fans see exactly what the replay official is looking at under the hood.

"They'll see the exact same angles at the exact same time as he does" McKay told ESPN.com last Wednesday.

This change is expected to be well received because most of the time, fans at the stadium don’t see the same reviews referees use to make their decisions at the field. Normally, each home team chooses what to show in their stadium replays. Some teams avoid any reviews on plays that could work against them, other times; plays with a favorable angle are shown insistently in an effort to influence the ultimate call.

"I think this is another example of the league listening to its fans about what they want from the in-game experience. I think throughout this edition of replay, the league, the teams and our broadcast partners have done a nice job of using the available technology to make the game better and make the experience better for the fans." added McKay.

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