The tripping that wasn’t tripping couldn’t be untripped by replay assist

A tripping call during the Week 9 Thursday Night Football game between the Miami Dolphins and the Baltimore Ravens fell under the red-hot glare as it appeared to be an incorrect call that wiped out a big play for the Dolphins.

Tripping is a player using his leg or foot to obstruct an opponent, including the runner.

On this play, the Dolphins Ollie Gordon was attempting to block a defender. He slipped and went to the ground. In his falling action, his legs went up into the air. The defender appeared to make light contact with Gordon, jumped over him and continued with the play.

We don’t know how the NFL will grade this call, but unfortunately, this looks to be an incorrect call, as Gordon’s leg or foot did not appear to obstruct the Ravens defender.

Why can’t replay assist pick the flag up?

Before referee Scott Novak announced the foul, we saw him and umpire Terry Killens (who we think threw the flag) on the radio with replay. Why didn’t replay tell them that it was no foul and pick the flag up?

Rule 15-9(j)(6) states that the replay official can assist with a picking up tripping flag if “there is clear and obvious video evidence that the player’s leg or foot did not contact the opponent.”

Replay assist can only rule if there was contact on the defender. Replay assist cannot judge whether or not it was a “good or bad” tripping foul. Only if there was contact. The replay official appeared to pass on making a correction that there was no “clear and obvious” evidence that there was no contact. It appears that replay cannot exclude the possibility of contact by the upper thigh with the runner, which makes it unassistable.

Because this provision was a compromise to the “sky judge” position from the spring pro leagues, replay assist can only weigh in on it, and tripping cannot be part of a coach’s challenge or a full booth review.

A crew conference might have helped.

The officials could have had a conference about this call. While the NFL doesn’t like big huddles over ever flag, this was an important call that wiped out a big gain for the Dolphins. Novak could have questioned the calling official a little more closely — What did you see? Did the defender fall down? Did the defender lose a step? — and a second thought might have led to picking up the flag. Sometimes a line of scrimmage official can help, but since this was a pass play, they are keying on receivers.

Unfortunately, this is a play where a no-call was the best call.