An offensive lineman flinches on the game's final play. A line judge inadvertently blows his whistle. A timekeeper forgets to stop the game clock. A safety is penalized because an official thinks the safety grabbed the receiver's face mask.
These mistakes happen weekly in the NFL, not because of incompetence but because of the human condition. Officials are not perfect. They're human. But the league is finding itself under increasing pressure, both externally and inside its community, to extend the use of technology wherever possible to help.
That's why a Baltimore Ravens proposal to re-imagine instant replay has been under review for nearly two months inside the league office.