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Saints' Benson Calls For Change; NFL May Review Replay Policy

Benson said she will aggressively pursue possible changes with the league office GETTY IMAGES

Saints Owner Gayle Benson said that she is "taking proactive steps to try to reach potential changes to the way penalties and rules are enforced" following the controversy surrounding Sunday's NFC Championship, according to Lorenzo Reyes of USA TODAY. Benson in a statement said she has been "in touch with the NFL" and will "aggressively pursue changes in NFL policies to ensure no team and fan base is ever put in a similar position again." Benson: "The NFL must always commit to providing the most basic of expectations -- fairness and integrity.” Benson said that it is "'undeniable' that a missed call 'unfairly deprived'" the Saints from reaching Super Bowl LIII (USATODAY.com, 1/21). In DC, Mark Maske notes the NFL and its competition committee "plan to give consideration in the offseason to making pass interference calls subject to instant replay review." The competition committee has been "staunchly opposed in the past to making judgment calls such as pass interference reviewable by replay." However, Sunday represented "one of the NFL’s worst officiating nightmares, with a Super Bowl berth being determined in part by a blatantly missed call." It is "not clear if NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will back prospective changes" (WASHINGTON POST, 1/22). ESPN.com's Mike Triplett noted making pass interference calls reviewable has "already been a big topic of discussion for the past several years" within the competition committee -- with coaches such as the Saints' Sean Payton and the Patriots' Bill Belichick "among many longtime advocates for expanded replay." Payton suggested Sunday night that he "hopes his team's misfortune might lead to a rule change" (ESPN.com, 1/21).

BAD LOOK FOR NFL: USA TODAY's Mike Jones writes there is a "dark cloud" hanging over the Rams-Patriots Super Bowl matchup. The NFL "had a chance to continue its year-long resurgence as two of the top four squads prepare to face off in Atlanta," but the latest controversy has "badly tainted the outlook." The "credibility of the NFL again is under attack." The competition committee "doesn’t need to completely overhaul its replay regulations," but adding the "ability to review clearly incorrect pass interference calls that potentially could change the outcome of games is a must" (USA TODAY, 1/22). In Miami, Greg Cote writes the NFL "must immediately make all calls reviewable, not just scoring plays or turnovers inside of two minutes." If the referees "can’t get it right, the safety net of technology must be utilized" (MIAMI HERALD, 1/22). In California, Mark Whicker writes there is an "expensive and time-consuming replay system in the NFL that would be fine if it got things right." Why that is "so difficult, and why it’s more important to get some things right than others, is the question" (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 1/22). In N.Y., Mike Vaccaro writes the missed call is "as black a black eye as the NFL has ever had." There is "no excuse for the dark clouds that hover over the NFL right now" (N.Y. POST, 1/22). NBC's Stephanie Gosk said the "league is rattled" ("Today," NBC, 1/22). ESPN's Michael Wilbon said the NFL "can't get it right." Wilbon: "If you can't get this right, what the hell are we doing trusting your product?" ("PTI," ESPN, 1/21). The RINGER's Kevin Clark wrote Sunday’s controversy is an "opportunity to help the league get where it needs to be" (THERINGER.com, 1/21).

TWO SIDES TO THE STORY: In Baltimore, Mike Preston writes coaches "should be allowed to challenge any penalty, not just certain ones" (BALTIMORE SUN, 1/22). In Rochester, Leo Roth writes coaches should be allowed to "add certain penalties to their challenge list, like pass interference or roughing the passer" (ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT & CHRONICLE, 1/22). However, in Pittsburgh, Mark Madden wrote revisiting judgment calls is a "tangled web" (TRIBLIVE.com, 1/21). In Houston, Brian Smith wrote, "I'm not crazy about slowing down an already slowed-down game by reviewing false starts, offensive holding, etc. But when a Super Bowl berth is at stake and seasons/careers/legacies are on the line?" (CHRON.com, 1/21). ESPN's Clinton Yates said games are "already slow and stilted enough." If the league adds more reviews, it is "not going to be as watchable" ("Around The Horn," ESPN, 1/21). Fox' Dean Blandino said, "The decision the league has to make is if they are willing to live with that mistake or fix it and potentially have other things like slowing down the game and looking at some calls that aren't so obvious" ("Get Up," ESPN, 1/21). FS1's Cris Carter said the NFL "can't just disregard" what happened, but added, "I don't think they're going to be able to change the rule" ("First Things First," FS1, 1/22).

TAINTED OUTCOME: In N.Y., Ken Belson writes Sunday’s NFC and AFC Championship games "left some fans feeling that asterisks should be affixed to the final scores, a sentiment that may tarnish some of the positive signs for the NFL this season" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/22). The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Andrew Beaton writes the "consternation surrounding" the missed call in Rams-Saints "tainted a game that otherwise was an instant classic" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 1/22). In Jacksonville, Gene Frenette writes it was the "most inexcusable officiating gaffe in NFL history" (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 1/22). In DC, Jerry Brewer writes after "two incredible games, it’s unfortunate that a mistake will dominate the conversation" (WASHINGTON POST, 1/22). ABC's T.J. Holmes said the integrity of the Super Bowl "is in question" ("GMA," ABC, 1/22). In Baltimore, Peter Schmuck wrote for the NFL, it is "too late to prevent their biggest event from being tarnished by the stupidity of their long-standing short-sightedness" (BALTIMORESUN.com, 1/21). In DC, Deron Snyder writes there is "simply no removing the human element, not from players, not from coaches and not from officials" (WASHINGTON TIMES, 1/22).

THE QUIET GAME: In N.Y., Draper & Belson in a front-page piece note the NFL "declined to issue a statement about what will undoubtedly become one of the most notorious non-calls in the league’s history." NFL VP/Communications Brian McCarthy "also declined to comment when asked about the play." The head official for the game, Bill Vinovich, "told a pool reporter after the game that he had not seen the play." While the "relative silence may seem odd in the age of very public apologies and mea culpas, the NFL actually has no consistent strategy for dealing with high-profile officiating errors, a reflection of what is often an idiosyncratic approach to crisis management." Sometimes Goodell "chooses to say plenty; other times he says nothing at all" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/22). PFT's Mike Florio said, "There needs to be a greater amount of proaction from the league office, and if any moment is going to spark it, it's going to be what happened Sunday" ("PFT," NBCSN, 1/22). ESPN's Dan Orlovsky said the NFL "needs to get younger" and "need to get these referees to be full-time and on salary." The officials should have "offseason training, both in the physical and mental aspects" ("Get Up," ESPN, 1/22).

THE FIX IS IN? In St. Louis, Jeff Gordon wrote with the United States "racing toward legalized gambling, the impact of such egregious officiating mistakes will multiply." The NFL "will either have to expand replay to fix obvious blunders or subject officials to intense legal scrutiny." There could be questions of whether referees or "anybody they were associated with" had money on the game (STLTODAY.com, 1/21).

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