Who makes the call?

[DEHog]

I keep hearing everyone blame the booth official for Sunday's 2 pt. comversion call. Doesn't the booth just initiate the replay (inside of 2 min.) isn't it the ref on the field who still makes the call??

[joebagadonuts]

i found this in popular mechanics, of all places.

The New Booth

The new system is faster, but complex. It takes more equipment, and a lot more manpower.

Four staffers will run the new system from the press box: a communicator, a video operator, a replay assistant and a technician. They'll work with a computerized system and two monitors.

The first monitor plays the network feed and is manned by the technician. When a play begins he hits a button marked Make Play, which cues it as a freeze frame in a box in the upper left corner of the second, touchscreen monitor. After this, he lines each play up on the second monitor in case one of the coaches issues a challenge. When a replay is called, the technician presses a button marked Make Replay, sending the other angles from the telecast to the second monitor. It can hold up to six clips of a single play.

The replay assistant watches the monitor and tells the video operator which camera angles to send to the officials on the field. He may only call for, say, angles No. 3 and No. 6 to be transmitted. The video operator then simply taps the touchscreen monitor to transfer these clips. The process takes just seconds. And by the rules, it has to.

[redskins12287]

interesting