NFL Clubs Seem Poised to Kill Instant Replay

Instant-replay officiating, which has clung to life in the NFL for four seasons, is on death row with two weeks remaining before the league’s annual meeting.

The controversial system virtually has no chance to survive in its present form, and Commissioner Paul Tagliabue has a big job of coalition-building ahead if he wishes to save it through modifications.

A Cincinnati Post poll on voting sentiments throughout the league indicates that seven teams are strongly inclined to brand the experiment a failure and bury it during meetings the week of March 12 at Orlando, Fla.

Eight “nays “ will be sufficient to kill the replay, and there are plenty of candidates to supply that eighth vote.

Five teams--Buffalo, Minnesota, New Orleans, Pittsburgh and the New York Jets--appear to be leaning against replay. Three others--New England, Philadelphia and Detroit--have indicated no predisposition.

Because replay never has been approved as a permanent rule--instead gaining only trial status on a year-by-year basis--it must be voted in again rather than voted out. Seventy-five percent approval (21 of 28 teams) is needed to keep the system.

“My feeling,” Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has said, “is that the chances of instant replay being around for the 1990 season are very low.”

Dallas is a newcomer to the list of teams strongly against the replay. Former Dallas General Manager Tex Schramm, eased out of the Cowboy picture after Jones bought the team, was replay’s foremost proponent.

Joining Dallas in the “opposed” camp are Cincinnati, the New York Giants, Phoenix, Tampa Bay, Chicago and Kansas City.

Giants General Manager George Young vowed at the 1989 league meeting to oppose replay “into the next century,” and Bengals management is with Young step-for-step in the race to appear as replay’s singular arch-enemy.

“We believe instant replay creates as many or more problems than it solves,” said Mike Brown, the Bengals assistant general manager. “The percentage of plays reversed from plays reviewed has remained very small (65 reversals from 492 reviews last season), and a significant percentage of the reversals have been incorrect.

“We think the repeated delays the replay causes are a disservice to fans, particularly the fans in the stands, and we think the money spent on instant replay should be redirected toward improving the performance of the officials on the field.”

Phoenix and Tampa Bay also are historically against the replay. They joined the Bengals and Giants last year in voting disapproval, and they will vote “no” next month.

But six other teams that were ready to vote no last year changed their votes at the 11th hour. They went along with a suggestion from Kansas City owner Lamar Hunt that replay be approved for another year as a “going-away present” to Commissioner Pete Rozelle, a staunch replay proponent.

Some league sources say the opposition from Chicago, Kansas City and Dallas could erode in the face of compromise attempts by Tagliabue. But even the Jets, a team ranked only in the “leaning against” category, will not succumb easily to arm-twisting.

“We are not happy with the instant replay in its present form,” said Jets General Manager Dick Steinberg. “Unless we can be shown some modifications that we feel will have a significant effect, we will vote against it.”