I agree 100% with New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick about permanent NFL replay cameras. Belichick has proposed to the league that every stadium be equipped with permanent replay cameras in exact locations as to properly capture key angles on out of bounds plays, especially around the end-zone. In this one area the NHL actually is ahead of the NFL.

The NHL positioned over-head cameras years ago to allow officials to review goals. Every NHL rink has them positioned in exactly the same place to give the same look regardless of where the game is played.

The NFL has relied on the positioning of Network cameras by the crew covering the games since the creation of the replay rule. That has always meant that the games played in smaller markets like Buffalo, with less of an audience,  has had less cameras positioned for replays.

The NFL owners claim the expense would be too great, really? The National Football League makes so much money that to claim the purchase of, let’s say ten, permanent high-definition cameras is preposterous!

For years I have complained that if your watching a Bills game that is not the nationally televised Sunday game, which is almost always, the availability of proper angles on replays has them playing at a disadvantage. The Networks send production trucks with less cameras and crew to cover the games between teams with smaller markets and less viewers. Less viewers means less revenue made on commercials so the Networks keep the expenses down.

Belichick is right on the money when he criticizes the owners for not doing the right thing and making all stadiums equal in coverage of the field to allow officials to review contested plays. The integrity of the game should not rely on the television networks to decide what games have thorough field coverage and which do not.

Watch a Sunday, Monday or Thursday night game and notice how many camera angles are available to officials as compared to a Bills/Chiefs or Browns game. There are at least four more camera angles available during those national games than the small market Sunday games.

I don’t agree on much with Bill Belichick, aka “Mister Sunshine”, but he’s right about NFL owners being cheap-skates when it comes to replay cameras.

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