Who Fumbled This One? : Lions’ Rogers Says Instant-Replay Official Missed His Cue When He Failed to Challenge Referee’s Controversial Call

Darryl Rogers wondered what Norm Schacter was watching in the press box. He was convinced it wasn’t Sunday’s game between his Detroit Lions and the Rams.

“The big play in the game, I felt, was when the instant-replay guy is supposed to come into effect, and he didn’t even question the call,” Rogers said after a 14-10 loss.

Rogers referred to a play late in the third quarter when Ram quarterback Steve Bartkowski lost the ball after being hit by Lion safety William Graham. Detroit’s other safety, Demetrious Johnson, recovered.

Rogers thought it should have been ruled a fumble, giving the Lions possession at the Rams’ 40-yard line, trailing 14-0.

Referee Bob Frederic thought it was an incomplete pass, and Schacter, the instant-replay official in the press box, agreed.

“We hit Bartkowski and the ball flies out and we recover in great field position, and they don’t even check it,” Rogers said.

“I thought that’s what the whole dumb thing to have the instant replay was for: change of possession. Instant replay, that’s his job.”

Schacter said he did check the replay, and he checked it more than once.

“The quarterback’s hand was coming forward and the ball went forward,” Schacter said. “He (Frederic) called it right away and I took a look at it two or three times, and that was just the way I saw it.”

Rogers didn’t accept Schacter’s official explanation, saying it was wrong.

Instant replay as an officiating aid in the National Football League may be an idea whose time has come. And gone. The device has created more controversy than it has resolved.

“We wanted it checked,” Rogers said. “We told our guys to stand over the ball. Granted, the rule says you don’t have the right to ask. But all we’re doing is trying to point it out to let the umpire listen to see if the guy beeps him. We’re trying to delay so we can get the guy to look upstairs.”

The replay official is supposed to contact the umpire only if he needs time to review the play or if he disagrees with the call. Schacter said neither case applied. He had time to look at the play, he said, before the Rams’ punting team lined up.

“As soon as the thing happened I knew there was going to be a question,” Schacter said. “I looked at it on my monitor right away.

“In order to change a call like that it has to be so very obvious that there is no question. There wasn’t any question in my mind, anyway. I would have called it the same way on the field.”

In fact, he probably did, countless times. Schacter was an NFL referee for 22 years until retiring to be an observer 11 years ago and, now, a replay official.

Rogers said one of the field officials told him: “He (Schacter) has not beeped down, so apparently it stands.”

But Rogers still wasn’t convinced that Schacter looked at it because the game was not held up for a review, as so many others have been.

“I’m not against the call,” Rogers said. “I’m just saying the guy didn’t do his job.”

Or, perhaps, he did it too well.