Chains

[frankbmd]

Originally Posted by Bocabirdman

With little doubt, ball placement and first down yardage could be exact with the video angles available. The blue n' yellow lines could easily become official measuring guidelines. Of course a game would get longer and that is something the NFL is getting pushback about now. Imagine officials running to the replay for every questionable situation in addition to the existing "REPLAY " challenges in place now.

There seems to be two choices, which I alluded to in my sarcastic post on the officials thread. All the tech is taking the officials out of the game and slowing it down. All games are poorly ( really?) officiated because the officials do not have super slo mo eyes. The number of calls made from the booth or even from NYC is increasing every year and the game is getting slower.

I guess the point I'm making is that all the tech, replays, reviews, etc. marginalizes the officials on the field in the name of "Getting it right".
And then we argue the next day anyway about the Dez Bryant call and others and blame the officials for throwing the game to one team or the other. C'mon man.

I remember watching pro football in the late fifties, yes with Unitas, Gifford & Jim Brown playing. There was TV then and the game was played in a two hour slot on Sunday afternoon. The officials called the game as "they" saw it and there was rarely an argument from the players or they got penalized. More football, fewer commercials and it didn't take eight hours to watch back to back games.

The common link between today's game and the game of my childhood is the chains. Apart from having seats and four tires, the cars of today do not resemble the Edsel (Google it if you haven't seen one.).

Personally I don't really mind the chains, but after last night's four hour game, I don't know whether to buy a Chevy truck from the first quarter, a Ford Fusion from the second quarter or a Honda from the second half. Perhaps that Edsel wasn't so bad after all. Long live the chains.