Reviews Need to Stop

Allow only 30 seconds after the whistle to throw the flag. The coach should make the decision, not some guys watching a dozen replays.

Also, get rid of the tacky-tack “illegal contact” calls, especially those where receivers cause the contact 6+ years from scrimmage by running into the defender.

Some highly relevant research on slow motion video as evidence: People look guiltier when their actions are viewed in slow motion.

Viewers who watch videos in slow motion—as opposed to regular speed—are more likely to feel that the people filmed act with a willful, deliberate, and premeditated intention, researchers report. The elongation of events, it turns out, gives viewers the impression that people in video clips have more time to think over and plan out what they are doing. The findings, published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggest that jurors who view slow motion footage of an alleged crime may assign more responsibility to the accused than they would have otherwise.
This goes right to the heart of reviewing penalties, because when you slow down a hit, it seems that you're making the person throwing the hit look more guilty. That's going to lead to penalties that wouldn't be called at full speed.

Seems pretty clear to me that for that kind of review, if it doesn’t look like a penalty at full speed, it shouldn’t be a penalty. Saying a guy should have pulled up in slow motion when in reality there was a millisecond between the ball leaving and contact happening is an absurd distortion of fact.

A few weeks ago (I think it was Hamilton at Montreal) there were two DPI penalties. Originally non-calls by the officials on at field level, because the DB arrived at the same time as the ball. After review, and slowing things down and watching it from three or four angles, and stopping the game for a couple of minutes the non-call was turned into DPI.

First, with new PI rules defenders are no longer allowed to defend their own space on the field and have to actively avoid contact with an elligible receiver more than five years from the LOS. despite wether or not if the receiver initiates that contact (ie Fred Stamps).

Now, video reviews and DPI rules are making it so a defender has to pretty much wait idly by until the catch is made and the ball carrier has started to move down field before attempting a tackle.

The delays, and the ‘Recievers are to good to be touched’ attitude are grinding the speed of and momentum out of the game and make penalties out of nothing.

Agree with everything you mentioned stop turning the CFL game into a CSI episode and get back to football.

[quote="Blindside"A few weeks ago (I think it was Hamilton at Montreal) there were two DPI penalties. Originally non-calls by the officials on at field level, because the DB arrived at the same time as the ball. After review, and slowing things down and watching it from three or four angles, and stopping the game for a couple of minutes the non-call was turned into DPI.
[/quote]
You might be thinking of the first Hamilton/Winnipeg (week 3) game when OShea tossed the challenge flag 2x early in the game and won both challenges although the DB probably made contact less than a second before the receiver caught the ball - at least in one of the plays. The DB was clearly trying to play the ball but as you said, slowing it down makes it look bad. Late in the game Austin tossed his challenge flag for the same kind of play and was also successful which made O'Shea's challenges a bit more palatable to Ticats and their fans. Probably none of the plays should have been deemed DPI.

There was a play in the Montreal game though that I'm pretty sure was called on the field when the receiver (Giguere I think) ran into a back-peddling Sears and Sears was called for DPI!! It certainly looked more like a case of OPI to me in that case. Certainly it didn't appear that Sears initiated the contact but the other way around.

In general I don't have problem with reviews but some coaches really need to learn to use them wisely - (You hear that Popp?). Most of the "smart" coaches don't toss a challenge flag out of desperation so maybe what is needed is some further educating of the coaches on what is challengeable and the wording that they need to use when making their request for a challenge.

It’s getting to the point where the officials shouldn’t call anything but whistle the play in and out and place the ball. Just let the command center call all the penalties. This is not a facetious comment.

Replay in this league is RIDICULOUS, and it’s actually making me enjoy the games significantly less. I HATE the challenge hankies. The coaches toss those things frivolously, to buy time or take a chance on the booth botching it (which they do fairly often), especially when it’s nearing the last 3 minutes and they might as well use it anyways. And whenever 2nd down doesn’t go someone’s way, out comes the hanky for illegal contact, because somebody bumps someone downfield on every damn play, whether it affects the play or not. Now the on field officials make these judgment calls with a certain consistency (each crew trains and works together) but now the booth upsets that consistency. If there’s contact at all, well technically yes that’s a penalty. Second down in particular has been a big joke this year.

I have always said, ever since replay was first instituted, the onus of the right call should NEVER be placed on the sidelines. Their job is not partial. The coaches are not interested in the right call, only a call that works for them. Officiating is supposed to be IMpartial. If the last 3 minutes of the game is important enough to be booth challenge only, then why not the first 57? the onus should be neutral.

Right now replay absolutely SUCKS! I would prefer no replay at all to what they have going on right now.

THIS!! I’ve been saying this for at least 12 years.

Reviews should be thought out from a fan's perspective, or entertainment value--not a CFL management perspective as it is now.

Challenges and penalties are killing the flow and entertainment value of the CFL. The changes were supposed to clean things up, but they've only made things worse. The PI calls are horrendous. On the final play of Edmonton's last drive on Saturday night in Ottawa, everyone around me held their breath instead of cheering an incomplete pass and turnover on downs, waiting to see if a flag would be thrown. Once the enjoyment from a fans perspective is affected, it becomes time to make a change, and fast.

It’s so hard to simply enjoy the game because of excessive stoppages. Any time there is a big gain, a nice return, a turn over, or a beautifully defended pass, instead of becoming excited you have to wait for the flags and reviews before you know if the play stands. That just kills the enjoyment.

At least the CFL has a command centre, the almighty NFL does not.