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Playoff coaches threw many red flags this season

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2015 replay statistics

After a precipitous drop in replay challenges last year, coaches were able to improve their reversal rate in 2015. The success of the red flag cratered at 39.4% last year, after being over 50% the year before — the difference between those two seasons being the use of centralized replay in New York, a system where the officiating department technically only confers with the referee, but ultimately decides the replay outcome.

Although coaches have not moved the reversal rate above 50% on average, about half of the coaches were 50% or better. Playoff teams are scattered across the table, when many playoff teams did poorly two years ago. Panthers coach Ron Rivera improved his replay record, even though he still treats his challenge flag like a hand grenade, leading all coaches with 14 challenges. Pete Carroll and Bruce Arians also have double-digit challenges, with each of them making the playoffs this year.

   Coach       Reversals Challenges Success %
1 Dan Campbell † ­ ¹ MIA 3 3 1.000
   Ken Whisenhunt † TEN 2 2 1.000
3 Mike McCarthy * GB 5 6 .833
4 Rex Ryan    BUF 6 9 .667
   Marvin Lewis * CIN 6 9 .667
6 Ron Rivera * CAR 9 14 .643
7 Jim Caldwell    DET 4 7 .571
   Lovie Smith † TB 4 7 .571
9 Bill O’Brien * HOU 5 9 .556
10 Jeff Fisher    STL 4 8 .500
   Andy Reid * KC 3 6 .500
   Sean Peyton    NO 3 6 .500
   Dan Quinn  ¹ ATL 2 4 .500
   Jay Gruden * WAS 2 4 .500
   Bill Belichick * NE 1 2 .500
   Mike Mularkey    TEN 1 2 .500
17 Jason Garrett    DAL 3 7 .429
18 Pete Carroll * SEA 4 10 .400
   Gary Kubiak * DEN 2 5 .400
   Gus Bradley    JAX 2 5 .400
   Jack Del Rio    OAK 2 5 .400
   Mike Tomlin * PIT 2 5 .400
— Replay Booth    NFL 84 214 .393
23 John Harbaugh    BAL 3 8 .375
   Mike Pettine † CLE 3 8 .375
25 Mike Zimmer * MIN 2 6 .333
26 Bruce Arians * AZ 3 10 .300
27 Jim Tomsula † ¹ SF 2 8 .250
   John Fox    CHI 1 4 .250
   Tom Coughlin † NYG 1 4 .250
   Chip Kelly †‡ PHI 1 4 .250
31 Todd Bowles  ¹ NYJ 1 5 .200
32 Joe Philbin † MIA 0 1 .000
33 Mike McCoy    SD 0 2 .000
34 Chuck Pagano    IND 0 6 .000
— Coaches’ total       92 201 .458

(2014 final replay statistics)
Totals including the replay official: 176/406, .433
*Playoff team.
†Coach is no longer with team.
‡Pat Shurmer did not officially challenge a call in one game as interim coach for PHI.
 ¹First year as NFL head coach, not including interim assignments.
Source: NFL game statistics, regular season only.

Ben Austro is the editor and founder of Football Zebras and the author of So You Think You Know Football?: The Armchair Ref's Guide to the Official Rules (on sale now)

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