NBC producer explains replay
The Philadelphia Inquirer Blog - Eagles
NBC producer explains replay
Jeff McLane, Inquirer Staff Writer
Fred Gaudelli thought the same thing that many at home thought when Kelvin Hayden intercepted a Michael Vick pass in the third quarter of Sunday night's Eagles-Falcons game.
"As soon as I saw that play the first thing I thought was, 'Did he catch that ball?'" Gaudelli said.
Unlike viewers at home, however, Gaudelli had a birds' eye view of the play that many thought coach Andy Reid should have challenged in the Eagles' 35-31 loss at Atlanta. He's the producer of "Sunday Night Football" for NBC.
Because the networks that broadcast NFL games are responsible for providing replays to teams, Gaudelli did what he's done for years: He ran back a series of replays as quickly as possible for the Eagles in the visiting coaches booth at the Georgia Dome -- and for viewers at home.
"You're just getting up replays so the coaches would have something to see," Gaudelli said.
Based on the play occurring in the middle of the field, Gaudelli said he knew there would be two or three angles to view the replay. For Sunday Night Football, NBC has 20 cameras surrounding the field, more than any other network broadcast for a regular-season game.
The first two replays shown directly behind the Eagles offense were inconclusive. The third replay shown came from a camera perched at the opposite end of the field, and toward the end the ball could be seen coming out of Hayden's arms. But NBC cut away.
"As we got to the third replay I noticed [Falcons quarterback] Matt Ryan had broken the huddle," on the ensuing possession, Gaudelli said. "I would have let it run longer."
Forty seconds elapsed in between the end of play involving the interception under question and the start of the next play. Based on the replays, Reid and his coaches had very little information in very little time to make a decision on whether to challenge.
The Falcons needed only two plays to score a touchdown and expand their lead to 21-10. When NBC went to commerical Gaudelli said that he decided to look at the pick from another angle -- the 45-degree one shot from behind the Eagles offense.
"And I said, 'Hey, he did not catch it,'" Gaudelli said.
He alerted broadcasters Al Michaels and Chris Collinsworth and that replay was shown following the commercial break, although it was a case of too little, too late.
"Our job is about getting it right," Gaudelli said. "Personally, I was disappointed."
Gaudelli sent an apology to Reid via an e-mail to an Eagles spokesman.
“Well there was no replay for us to look at, and I actually had the people from the broadcast apologize, send me an email and apologize on that, but listen, that’s hindsight now," Reid said.
There is no mention in the official NFL rulebook as to why coaches are reliant on network broadcasts for replays. League spokesman Greg Aiello, in an e-mail, wrote, coaches "have in their booth the same network TV feed as everyone else."
"They have no other choice, unless the NFL wanted to put in their own camera system," Gaudelli said. "The only thing they have to rely on is the TV broadcasts."
A 9 Billion dollar industry should without a doubt have a minimum amount of unifom camera angles available...The current system is still not complete...i.e. the Falcons almost succeeded trying to line up quickly after a bogus reception by Julio Jones...Just spend a minute on every turnover...get it right.— bearsfriend- Let the commercial breaks happen when the refs are viewing the added replays, rather than change of possessions like punt and kick returns.— bearsfriend
- The replay isn't why the Eagles lost, but this is the whole problem with replay to begin with. Who's to say an engineer in the booth isn't a Giants or Redskins or Cowboys fan? S/he can delay the replay just long enough to make sure a call doesn't get overturned. If you're going to have replay, they should investigate having an independent camera system at all 30 fields and the Super Bowl site. Is it that expensive to install?— andrewfrombrooklyn
- You think they don't have 5 guys looking at the DVR replay? Reid bungled that one. At least he isn't trying to pass the buck.— chief_jaysons
- cheated but reid should have challenged anyway...the coaches and the d blew this one.— psualum
- I think if it's determined that a replay shows a blown call and it's too late to challenge it on the field, the team should be rewarded another challenge, that if used, can't result in a lost timeout.— ej610
- You wouldn't need separate cameras. Just give access to the teams all 20 feeds on separate screens, each TIVO'd. Then the team can rewind and look at the feeds.— MasterOFunk
- the replays NBC showed didn't even show the interception. they just kept showing mike vick getting hit. useless.— NovaWildcats36
- give the coaches more challenges. use those for the commerical breaks.
after all...the game gets stopped just for the sake of commercials anyway. at least change the rules so there is no loss of time outs for losing a challenge. Or do as they do for TD's. Every play that results in a change of posession gets reviewed. That's when most commercial breaks are used anyway.— bleedgreen - You cannot have the NBC people send the replays in. The NFL has to take over this task.— BigMike100
- Thanks for the apology but that doesn't put the triscuit crackers in our stomachs. The fact that teams have to rely on the broadcast is a joke. It is not THE reason the Eagles lost, but it is certainly ONE of the reasons they lost. I still blame the defense most of all though.— Penfold18
