According to Tony Corrente, the penalty was called because the official saw Clay Matthews pick the quarterback off his feet. Leaving aside the question of whether that should be against the rules (personally, I don't think so, but that's beside the point), the video evidence showed conclusively that Matthews never did any such thing. If the league is going to stem the rising tide of fan disenchantment, they're going to have to implement some mechanism for overturning obviously erroneous judgment calls in a manner that doesn't cost teams for availing themselves of it. Your idea seems as good as any. It should be available for any penalty that results in change of possession or automatic first down. Ideally, it would be available for any fifteen-yard penalty or spot foul, but I think my suggestion would be a good first step.
Another idea I've toyed with is requiring a plurality or majority of officials to see an infraction and toss their flags for a penalty to be assessed. Just as the homeplate umpire can defer to the third-base umpire, I think football officials should have to concur in judgment too. If an infraction is so subtle that only one official sees it, it's probably not worth calling. I know that goes against the traditional notion of specialized officiating roles, but I'm comfortable with that. Punish the lawless but let the players play.
Originally Posted by: Nonstopdrivel