NFL team baffled by replay claim: ‘Who are these people?’

The NFL’s allegedly robust staff of replay officials is news to the league’s teams.

When the NFL’s rules analyst Walt Anderson, a former referee, was explaining the review process for the controversial Bills interception during his weekly Sunday appearance on NFL Network, he made a comment that raised eyebrows.

“They have an officiating staff of instant-replay officials. They have multiple people at the same time reviewing really every play,” Anderson said. “Every play really is reviewed, it’s just that they don’t end up stopping the game on all of these. But the replay officials in New York and in the stadium were looking at the plays, they looked at all the angles.”

A “high-level executive” from one team expressed surprise to Pro Football Talk about the replay staff.

“Explain this to me. Entire staff of replay officials? Who are these people? Why is the first time we are hearing about this entire staff of replay officials?” the executive said.

Bills receiver Brandin Cooks initially caught a pass from Josh Allen but had the ball snatched away by Broncos corner Ja’Quan McMillian. Referee Carl Cheffers told a pool reporter after the game that Cooks lost possession of the ball when he hit the ground, before completing the process of a catch.

But that was not explained well to the large television audience, nor since-fired Bills coach Sean McDermott, who railed against the call after the game and the fact that there did not seem to be a longer review process.

Anderson said that if replay officials can confirm the ruling on the field is correct, “They really want to move the game along and they don’t want to have unnecessary stoppages.”

He also said he thought CBS did a good job explaining the call to its audience, which drew pushback from NFL Network’s Steve Mariucci, the former 49ers and Lions head coach.

“I think Carl should’ve done that for everybody, not CBS,” Mariucci said. “I don’t want to hear from Tony Romo. I want to hear from Carl.”