INSTANT DELAY: REPLAY WON'T APPEAR THIS YEAR; POSSIBLY NEXT

          The NFL's eight-member Competition Committee voted 7-1
     against bringing instant replay back for this season's
     playoffs, according to Len Pasquarelli of the ATLANTA
     CONSTITUTION, who writes that Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones was
     the only member to vote in favor of replay during the
     conference call.  Despite the vote, NFL Competition
     Committee co-Chair & Bucs GM Rich McKay said that the group
     "favored" replay returning for the '99 season by a 6-2 vote. 
     NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue said that he will discuss
     the current state of officiating with retired officials and
     will review the way they're evaluated (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION,
     12/16).  In Boston, Will McDonough writes that Tagliabue and
     the NFL Competition Committee "agreed" that they should come
     up with a system that they can "highly endorse to all the
     teams" at the NFL meeting in Phoenix next March (BOSTON
     GLOBE, 12/16).  Tagliabue said after the call, "Basically we
     have extremely good officials.  In the postseason, we have
     the best people out there" (WASHINGTON POST, 12/16).