By Bill Bradley, contributing editor
NFL vice president of officiating Dean Blandino said the review of a fumble by Arizona Cardinals running back Andre Ellington during their Monday night victory over the San Diego Chargers was an example of a rule passed during this past offseason.
The fumble was temporarily recovered by offensive lineman Bobby Massie, who was unable to secure the ball and allowed the Chargers to gain possession.
The original call on the field gave the ball to the Cardinals, but it would not have been reviewable last season. However, this year's rule change allowed a review for any question of possession in light of a play by a San Francisco 49ers linebacker last January.
"This is the Navarro Bowman play from the (NFC) Championship Game last year," Blandino told host Dan Hellie on Tuesday during his weekly in-season segment on "NFL Total Access." "This was not reviewable in 2013. It is reviewable this year.
"On the field, we ruled Arizona's football. San Diego challenged it. ... And then we went through the review process."
Blandino also discussed a play during the Carolina-Tampa Bay game, which featured Panthers quarterback Cam Newton joining his team's offensive huddle for a pep talk. However, Newton was in street clothes because he was deactivated prior to the game.
He said even though Newton's visit occurred during a time out, the referee didn't think a penalty was warranted.
"It is against the rules," Blandino said. "The referee felt that a warning was necessary, that he wasn't going to penalize Cam.
"(The referee) did go over to the sideline to talk to Cam and coach (Ron) Rivera to make sure that it didn't happen again. I spoke to coach Rivera during the week and I think we're all on the same page."
