Belichick Calls for Goalline Replay Cameras

[rjs246]

This is probably a good idea.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The replay is clear to the New England Patriots.

Carolina's Stephen Davis fumbled before reaching the goal line, but was credited with a touchdown. It gave the Panthers a 6-3 lead in Sunday's 27-17 win over New England, but the Patriots still might have led 3-0 had coach Bill Belichick decided to challenge the call.

Instead, he used the play Monday to renew his call for the NFL to put cameras at the ends of each goal line -- similar to those placed on lines in tennis matches -- to give replay officials an accurate view with which to judge challenges by coaches.

"It's been brought up many times, but the league refuses to do it," Belichick said. If implemented, "if you do challenge that play, then there's absolutely one look at it and that will tell you did the ball cross [the goal line] or didn't it cross it."

He wouldn't say if the NFL gave him a reason for not adding the cameras.

"I don't want to get involved in that," Belichick said. "Just talk to them. I'm sure they have an answer for everything."

Clubs vote on the instant replay format and "there has never been any consensus to use cameras for replay other than those of the televising network," AFC spokesman Steve Alic said in response to an e-mail.

The current system is in place through the 2008 season.

Belichick said he didn't have a good view of the play from the field and "I didn't think there was enough evidence to warrant the challenge."

He said he later viewed the coaches' tapes of the game and "I still don't think there is" but added, "I don't know whether it breaks the plane or not. It's pretty close."

His players disagreed Monday.

"Not even close," linebacker Monty Beisel said when asked if the ball had touched the plane of the goal line while Davis had possession.

"Obviously, he didn't score," linebacker Willie McGinest said, but "Bill makes the challenging decisions."

"No," defensive end Richard Seymour said. "He didn't get in."

Seymour had a good view of the play and complained to officials on the field. He said he was told by one of them that Davis fumbled and an offensive lineman recovered in the end zone.

But, Seymour said, "they gave the touchdown to Stephen Davis, so something ain't right."

It came with 1:13 left in the first quarter so the Patriots still had plenty of time left to win the game. But 12 penalties and poor play on special teams and in the running game hurt. Even if the play had been challenged and the call overturned, Belichick said the Panthers still would have a second down inside the 1-yard line.

"Make no mistake about it," Seymour said. "That wasn't the reason that we lost that football game."

Still, on Monday, Belichick spent a large part of his 20-minute meeting with reporters discussing it.

Head coaches can check replays on stadium scoreboards and get input from assistants watching replays in their booth.

"Sometimes, it just depends on the angle," Belichick said. "Whatever camera angles the network feeds have, that's what you have to go by.

"The only way you're going to get a good, true evaluation of that play is to put a camera parallel to the goal line."

[Diomedes]

Maybe we could put a camera in the football, too.  And in the goal posts.  And another on up Belichick's ass.

[rjs246]

Maybe.

[PhillyGirl]

And another on up Belichick's ass.

Otherwise known as the VIP room for football "experts".

[rjs246]

I'm all for giving the Refs every opportunity to make the correct call, espeically when we're talking about 6 points, as long as they don't take up an hour of my life making that correct call.

[MURP]

I thought they had goaline cameras before... some type of gimmick thing at the time.  Maybe they were in the pylons? Anybody remember that?

[PhillyGirl]

I remember it....can't remember when they used it though? Super Bowl one year?

[Zanshin]

They were in the pilons. That was three years ago, I think. 

[Wingspan]

oh boo hoo....the farging genius coach and wonderboy QB lost a game and they go whining about replay.

grow some balls. you lost, stop bitching, bitches.

[phattymatty]

Instant replay of any kind sucks.  I like when whiny fans get to blame the game on a bad call by the refs.

[methdeez]

I was watching this game with some Patriot fans, and we all wondered why Bell-I-Chick didn't challenge.
It was first half and a questionable call, but he didn't even try.
He is bitching about needing to improve the replay system, but he didn't even attempt to use the existing one!

[General_Failure]

We need to put little sensors in the ball and along the goal line to make the ball explode when it crosses the plane.

[rjs246]

We need to put little sensors in the ball and along the goal line to make taterskins fans explode when it crosses the plane.

Fixed.

[General_Failure]

There aren't enough taterskins fans to last an entire season. It's a good idea for next preseason though.

[rjs246]

All the better. We can slaughter them in short order.