When the NFL changed replay rules to make every scoring play reviewable, the obvious was concern than games would stretch too long.
According to Falcons president and NFL competition committee chairman Rich McKay, that’s exactly what happened.
McKay told ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas that games were only a second longer on average than in 2010.
“We were fearful going in about how we could pull it off,’’ McKay said of the replay booth review expansion. “I give the league a lot of credit for pulling it off the right way.’’
McKay also said a review of all of last year’s replays showed that there percentage showed that the right call was made close to 99 percent of the time.
“The biggest question over time is, are we ever going to move all decisions upstairs?’’ McKay said. “College football feels very comfortable with their decision upstairs. But I don’t see that in our near future.’’
This year, all turnovers will be subject to review. And fans will get to see more angles, as the league wants to enhance the in-stadium experience. So video boards will show the same angles officials see under the hood.
“They’ll see the exact same angles at the exact same time as he does,” McKay said.
That’s putting a lot of pressure on game officials they never had to endure, and the possibility of replacement officials making calls under such conditions makes an unenviable position even worse.