The Command Centre Complication

In the hours and days since the end of the Riders/RedBlacks game Thursday, there has been a furry of opinions and thoughts on the command centre expressed online. I was initially going to resist adding my voice to the yelling masses but dammit if I don’t love a good rant. And if you can’t rely on the Prophet to lead you, what can you rely on? (Editor’s note: Relying on the Rider Prophet for literally anything is not recommended and undertaken at your own risk).

The Command Centre has been an issue for a while but the last 2 weeks have really brought it to a head. The CFL wants people talking about the product on the field, not the refs… and more and more it’s the latter that is dominating the conversation. That’s not a good thing. I do want to be clear here though, I am not talking about the physical refs on the field. They have a very difficult job and as much as we hate to admit it, they do a damn good job most of the time. The issue is the Command Centre.

For me, the issue boils down to two words: Uncertainty and Inconsistency.

Let’s start with Uncertainty.

My inner circle of friends may be degenerates and rarely labelled the smartest people out there but we know CFL football. The fundamental issue with the Command Centre is that not one of us can explain when the Command Centre can and cannot intervene. It’s a giant mystery and honestly could be based on shaking a magic 8 ball for all we know. Whether you like or dislike the current challenge rules, at least there are clear rules for what you can/can't challenge and when you can/can’t. As a fan I can understand that. The Command Centre seems to insert themselves at random and that is not good for anyone. 

Supposedly they exist to fix “clear and obvious” errors on the field. But clear and obvious is pretty subjective. Doesn’t help when one of your primary video review officials is Al Bradbury… a guy who over officiated games to the point that the CFL had to remove him from the field. Somehow he got a promotion out of that. Every minute infraction is clear and obvious to him. Is no yards reviewable? Offside? Illegal contact? Spot of the ball? Punch to the face? The answer is no one knows. Sometimes its yes and sometimes its no. I don’t believe in the conspiracy that the refs are out to get the Riders but I can tell you that the fact that the booth seems to intervene a whole lot when its against us and very little when its for us does not help that narrative. If there were clear guidelines on when and how the booth could intervene you could easily explain it. In the absence of that we are left to assume that Tom Valessi once again decided to say “F@*$ Them!”. 

That leads into the issue of Inconsistency. Just as it appears to be random when they intervene, the decisions coming out of the booth are just as random. I maintain that the PI call on Ottawa was correct (clear and obvious)… but I agree with those who point to far more egregious PI that the booth opted not to call. If all PIs were called evenly people would have a let less issue with the call on Thursday. Last week that fumble recovery seemed pretty clear and obvious but apparently it wasn't. I’ve seen no yards called on the field overturned by the booth. I’ve also seen blatant no yards, not addressed. After Thursday we know the booth feels they need to address roughing the passer. But yet other times they don’t and either force coaches to challenge or it just slides. The primary benefit of a centralized booth is supposed to be consistency of calls. It honestly seems like the booth in its current form has made things much worse. 

The end result of all this uncertainty and inconsistency is fan frustration, needlessly delayed games where no one (not even the play by play guys whose job it is to pump the league’s tires) can explain what’s going on a why. The simplest fix is to just go back to the basics, the booth should have the ability to review coach's challenges, turnovers and scoring plays. Nothing more. Also, when reviewing a scoring play or turnover they cannot look for penalties… unless a coach uses their challenge on it. Simple, clear guidelines that everyone can understand. 

Will this result in some on field officiating mistakes? Yes. But its not like the booth isn’t making mistakes now. I would much rather let the refs on the field call the game and live with their mistakes than be subjected to another mystery booth review.