Beginning this season, head coaches will no longer be the only ones allowed to initiate replay challenges, according to a change in the NFL rulebook.
Rule 15 (instant replay), Section 1 (initiating a replay review), Article 1 (coach challenges) now reads, “The Head Coach or head coach’s pregame challenge designee can initiate a challenge by throwing a red flag onto the field of play before the next legal snap or kick.” Previously, only the head coach could carry the red challenge flag and throw it on the field to stop the game for a challenge.
The rule change was not included among the changes the NFL announced earlier this offseason, but the league can make some tweaks to rules that don’t require a vote from the owners.
It’s important to note that the rule is an either/or situation; it does not add to the total number of individuals allowed to initiate a challenge per team. That number remains one, according to a league official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to comment on the matter. That means if the head coach designates a member of his sideline staff to initiate challenges, the head coach will not have the ability to throw the flag on the field. As has been the case, the coaching staff — on the sidelines and in the press box — can communicate through headsets, so the head coach could still be involved in the decision-making process and offer the final verdict, even if another individual throws the flag.
Designating a sideline staff member for this is optional, so it remains to be seen how many head coaches will choose to delegate the responsibility rather than retain it for themselves.
