The NFL is notorious for making changes to its rules and procedures on a reactive basis, after a specific bad outcome illustrates the need for change.
Another area in which change is necessary was demonstrated on Saturday night, when the Ravens avoided a delay of game penalty that would have wiped out a significant gain on the game-winning drive.
Several readers who are much smarter than me (that ain’t sayin’ much — after all, I went to law school where Pacman went to college) have made a great suggestion.
Why not put a really loud buzzer on the play clock, like in basketball?
At a minimum, pay someone $250 a game to be responsible for blowing a really loud whistle the instant the clock gets to zero.
In a game that strives to be precise, the notion that NFL teams get a vague extra second or so after the play clock strikes zero leads to inconsistent results.
If the ball isn’t snapped by the instant the play clock shows zero, the action should be stopped and a penalty should be administered.
[UPDATE: Here’s the video, courtesy of Robert Littal of BlackSportsOnline.com.]
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