ORLANDO - San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh supports the proposed rule change that would make possession of a loose ball reviewable.
Jim Harbaugh endorses ‘NaVorro Bowman rule’
Because of course he does.
“I think it’s a good one, yeah. I think that’ll get passed,” Harbaugh said Monday morning.
It's the least surprising news of the annual league meeting happening inside the massive central Florida resort/conference complex. The proposal has already earned a nickname, "the NaVorro Bowman rule." It stems from a play the 49ers and their fans won't soon forget.
Bowman looked like he forced a fumble and came up with the ball on a critical third down, trailing the Seahawks by three points in this year's NFC Championship Game. Bowman stripped Jermaine Kearse near the goal line, and appeared to have possession of the ball.
The refs missed that part, ruling that it was still Seattle’s ball. Harbaugh was not allowed to challenge the results.
A frustrated Harbaugh called it a “loophole” after the game. Making it that much worse was the fact that Bowman suffered a gruesome knee injury on the play.
The 49ers coach also endorsed a proposal that would allow referees to consult with NFL officials in New York during the review of a play, getting their input for making a call.
"The replay review will be initiated by the booth, depending on what happens on the field, or by the coach," competition committee member and St. Louis Rams head coach Jeff Fisher explained on a conference call last week. "The referee will go to the booth and talk to the observer, but during that process, our command center in New York headed by Dean Blandino will already be reviewing the play. At the end of the day, what's going to happen is we're going to make sure that every single review is correct and we feel like this will speed up the instant replay process and timing."
“I’m for that,” Harbaugh said. “It’ll be a collaboration. I like the fact that the discussion of the review starts immediately ... doesn’t wait for the referee to go under the hood. There’s teamwork involved, and I think that’s what everybody wants. I think it’ll speed it up.”
Harbaugh also predicted that proposal would get the approval of owners this week.
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