Matthew Stafford: We've got to be sure Skycam doesn't impact the outcome of a game

Sunday's NFL games had not one but two incidents of Skycam interference. In any week, one incident is one too many.

In the latest edition of SiriusXM's Let's Go! podcast, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford addressed the intersection between enhancing the at-home viewing experience and preserving the integrity of the on-field product.

"I understand being able to bring the fans the unbelievable angles that [TV] does," Stafford told Jim Gray. "And sometimes, even as a player, I'm like, 'Man, that's a cool shot of what just happened,' and you really appreciate that. But at the same time, we've got to find a way to make sure that those things aren't playing a role in the outcome of the game.

"I remember I was in college and I'm warming up for the Outback Bowl and I drop back to pass and I'm just throwing it and I blow the camera up. I mean, hit the lens, blew the camera up, and thought to myself, 'Man, I didn't even see it there, didn't even feel it there.' . . . If it's gonna be there and the ball's gonna hit it or whatever, we've gotta find a way to review that, overturn it, whatever it is. . . . It could be a wide-open touchdown and we're hitting a wire somewhere, and you can't just replay that and act like it wasn't gonna be points for one team or the other."

The rulebook requires a do-over for any play in which a live ball strikes the Skycam or the cables supporting it. On Sunday, when a batted pass thrown by Jets quarterback Justin Fields smacked into the Skycam, the Jets should have gotten another shot at scoring on third and goal from the Dallas seven. While everyone saw the ball strike the floating camera, the ultimate ruling of incomplete pass was incorrect. (And the Jets failed to use a challenge flag.)

Earlier in the day, a 51-yard field goal attempt by Vikings kicker Will Reichard in London seemed to strike one of the cables that move the Skycam. It was missed in real time, by everyone.

It's a simple pass-fail proposition. And it's a failure any time the ball hits part of the Skycam apparatus. It's a double failure when the do-over rule is improperly applied.

Here's a fair question. Do we really need it? How many times does it create a truly memorable video clip?

Then there's the availability of drones. Smaller device, no wires. And it presumably can be programmed to sense an approaching ball and zip away.

Here's hoping the notoriously reactive NFL treats Sunday's incidents as the impetus for taking a fresh look at the Skycam protocols. And here's hoping it happens before the 45-pound device falls and hits someone - as it nearly did during a 2007 NFL game.