Zebra Blog

As done in previous weeks, there is a two-part “Official Review,” one for NFL Network and one for NFL.com. The topics were not nearly controversial this week for the league’s vice president of officiating, Mike Pereira:

• 49ers defensive back Shawntae Spencer signaled incomplete on a pass that he broke up in the game against the Vikings. However, since he was over the prone receiver, it was deemed a 15-yard taunting foul.
• Texans receiver Kevin Walter, running a tight end-zone route, collided with a Jaguars defender. It appeared inadvertent, but it drew an offensive-pass-interference call. Pereira gave his wavering support for the call on the field, but in the subtext, it is probably going to be scored against the covering official’s grade. In this case, the covering official was field judge Jim Howey.
• Other noncontroversial offensive-pass-interference calls from the Falcons–Patriots (which nullified a Falcons touchdown) and Steelers–Bengals.

The bulk of the conversation between Pereira and NFL Net talking head Rich Eisen focused on a call for plane-of-goal cameras in every stadium to supplement the broadcast cameras. This started when a Texans go-ahead-touchdown attempt was thwarted by a goal-line fumble. Replay was inconclusive as to when the player was down, so the field call stood. (Bonus: Pereira showed the videotape of the replay assistant’s efforts from the referee’s field monitor perspective.)

When we watched Super Bowl XLIII, there were fixed camera positions on the goal line, as was evident from the coast-to-coast interception return by James Harrison (video). Primetime games and playoff games (and, to a lesser extent, the key afternoon matchups) have more camera angles than other standard regular season games. It’s just a built-in flaw in the system, just as much as a network television director making a choice of replay angles is. Replay is not supposed to be the fix-all. (Eisen went on to suggest a camera mounted on the pylon.)

Technology is always explored for improving the mechanics, such as using laser-sighting or GPS technology for measuring first downs. The gain, though, must be a part of the equation. Do you place a camera on the pylon for a goal-line play that happens once in a few weeks? There are eight pylons on the field and do you add cameras to similarly patrol the sideline and end line? And it would not have solved this situation, because the play was not the breaking of the plane of the goal, but the knee that is a yard or so back.

Inconclusive video is a perfectly acceptable call, especially since the coach had the discretion to throw the challenge flag in this instance.

The rules on the third quarterback eligibility are rarely even considered, yet there were two different situations from Sunday where these rules were in play.

Dolphins second- and third-string quarterbacks Pat White and Chad Henne on the sideline during Week 1. (Credit: Chris J. Nelson)

When special-teams specialists became prevalent in the late 1980s, the 45-man roster was expanded to, at the time, 47 players with at least two declared inactive on a per-game basis. (It is now 53, with eight inactives.) Most teams placed their third-string quarterback as an inactive player until a high-profile Monday Night Football game in 1990. In that game, the Redskins had lost their first- and second-string quarterbacks, and their third quarterback was on the inactive list, unable to play. This lead to running back Brian Mitchell carrying the quarterback load for the remainder of the game.

In the 1990–91 offseason, the rule was amended to allow a third quarterback to be available on game day. Prior to the fourth quarter, the third quarterback could only enter the game but the other two quarterbacks could no longer participate for the rest of the game (either due to injury or coach’s decision). In the fourth quarter, the third quarterback could be used at any time, as long as the other two field generals were not on the field.

The Eagles had Kevin Kolb as the starting quarterback; Michael Vick, second; and Jeff Garcia, third. To avoid the restrictions on Garcia, coach Andy Reid placed Garcia on the active roster, allowing him to freely substitute through the game. This was at the expense of a special-teams position on the active roster. Garcia, however, did not enter until the fourth quarter, while Kolb and Vick alternated through the game.

The Dolphins made a risky decision in their game. When Chad Pennington went down in the third quarter, coach Tony Sparano opted to go with the second-year third quarterback Chad Henne, rather than their rookie sixth-rounder Pat White. This move immediately made Pennington and White ineligible for the remainder of the game, and had Henne been injured, the Dolphins would have to recruit a nonquarterback player from its active roster.

Please use the comment area of this post to point out the calls made in Week 3.