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The decision was only reached after a spirited debate and concessions to appease skeptics. And easily detectable infractions on replay (too many men on the field).
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In the proposed 1985 system, a replay official would have monitored the game feed from an in-stadium booth and initiated all reviews, reversing a call only with “indisputable visual evidence.” “Some clubs may have voted against it at the time because it was adding something for the postseason that was not available during the regular season,” NFL spokesman Joe Browne said at the time. “Replay gives us a better chance to walk off the field error-free.” “But that was a little too quick for some people.” “ didn’t want a playoff game decided by a bad call, and so they tried to push it through right there,” Art Modell, Cleveland Browns owner, said after the vote. The motion failed narrowly, but the close decision made it clear the league’s leaders were once again warming up to the technology. The system performed so well that owners held an unprecedented vote to determine if the league would use instant replay in the upcoming playoffs - even though the system had never been used in the regular season. “That is, it’s possible to review instant replays and get the word to the referee on the field without a significant loss of time.” “The thing we learned in the preseason is that we can get the logistical things done,” NFL Director of Administration Joe Rhein said. The NFL tested a review system during eight preseason games in 1985 - producing promising results.Ĭleveland Browns owner Art Modell delivers a message during a 1982 news conference. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan) Less than a decade after McNally’s experiment, momentum for an instant replay system once again began to build. Unwilling to implement a costly and ineffective system, the league shelved instant replay until the mid-1980s. “Electronically, I don’t know if we are advanced enough yet.” “We still think we need a minimum of 12 cameras to get all the angles on every play,” then-assistant supervisor of officials Nick Skorich said after that first game.
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It was clear instant replay was years away from being implemented full time.
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The technology was too costly to install at every stadium, the system needed more cameras than broadcasters used for games at the time, and calls remained inconclusive after lengthy reviews. Two years later, the league first tested instant replay on a wider scale during seven nationally televised preseason games, starting with the 1978 Hall of Fame game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Miami Dolphins. It determined the system was not yet ready for regular-season games. (AP Photo/Rusty Kennedy) The NFL tested instant replay during the 1978 Hall of Fame game and six other preseason games that year. McNally knew then: Replay could help football. Simpson that could have been corrected with replay review. He saw a missed call on a play involving O.J. “We asked the camera technicians to give us different angles.” “If there was any question, we took a look at it,” McNally said after the experiment. Equipped with a stopwatch and video camera, he observed a "Monday Night Football" contest between the Dallas Cowboys and Buffalo Bills from a press box inside the stadium. The NFL first experimented with instant replay in 1976 when Art McNally, then the director of officiating, wanted to find out how long a video review would delay a game.
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