The failure of Lions coach Jim Schwartz to know the rules on Thursday wiped out the replay review of Justin Forsett’s 81-yard I’ve-fallen-and-I-can-get-up touchdown run.
The odd dynamics of a bizarre rule have invited some next-level speculation by plenty of fans, which picked up some credibility today when Rich Eisen of NFL GameDay Morning raised the question of whether Texans coach Gary Kubiak could have likewise blocked the review of the play by throwing the red flag.
While it’s the logical extension of an illogical rule, the rule would never be interpreted that way.
As NBC officiating consultant Jim Daopoulos explained when he pointed out in the viewing room this strange quirk of the rules well before last Sunday, when it stung the Falcons and coach Mike Smith, the officials won’t allow use of the red flag by a coach who would benefit from the absence of a replay review.
Either way, the rule needs to go away.
