Pete Carroll would like to stuff the genie back into the bottle.
The Seattle Seahawks head coach wants to return to the days before instant replay, or at least lessen the amount replay is used.
Peter King, in his *Football Morning In America* column this week, polled 25 people asking one thing they'd like to change about football. Carroll suggested killing instant replay.
"Get rid of -- or at least decrease the use of -- instant replay," Carroll said. "I get all the reasons why we have instant replay, and technology has opened up a new world for us to get to this point. But I miss the human element of trusting the officials to make the calls in the moment and then the rest of us having to live with what they called. It was both fun and frustrating, but I really liked the game better when the officials were just as much a part of the game as the players."
It's not the first time Carroll has voiced this opinion, but it's always interesting to hear a coach yearn for the human element, especially considering they are among the most vocal when an official gets a call wrong on the field -- coaches pointing to replays on a massive stadium screen showing a missed call is a weekly occurrence. However, opinions like Carroll's are gaining momentum even as the NFL expands replay.
To underscore just how wide and varying the opinion on replay is, in King's same column, former NFL vice president of officiating and current FOX analyst Dean Blandino stumped for expanding replay further to allow coaches to challenge any call.
The NFL, considering tweaking the pass interference penalty challenge already, highlights the varying opinions on what should be reviewable and the machinations behind determining how challenges are made. The league might hope that putting all decisions in the hands of coaches could lessen the number of replays and make the decision process clearer.
With improved technology allowing viewers easier access to see intricacies of plays it's unlikely we'd ever go back to the days without replay. Carroll, however, can dream.
