Extra Points

Three weeks into the season the debate over the new instant replay system rages throughout the NFL. Does the replay clear up bad calls or does it only add to the confusion?

On Monday, there was plenty of confusion, especially in Miami, where Dolphins coach Don Shula was claiming that the Jets' Michael Harper had fumbled the kickoff return at the beginning of overtime the day before at Giants Stadium.

At the NFL offices in Manhattan, Joe Browne, the director of communications, was insisting that the instant replay system should not be faulted in this case. He said an official on the field blew the play dead, thinking that Harper's knee had touched the ground. Browne said that replay official Tony Veteri did not have the "indisputable visual evidence" needed to overrule the decision on the field.

Shula, a member of the NFL's competition committee, wasn't buying. "It was a fumble," he said. But he added that he has not soured on the replay system: "This will be a year of trial and error. Hopefully, all the bugs will be ironed out."

It was the second time in a week that the instant replay system was a source of confusion. On Sept. 15, IR wiped out an obvious Broncos TD in a game with Pittsburgh. Line judge Boyce Smith ruled two forward passes; the replays showed the play was legal, but replay official Paul Trepinski neglected to contact the field in time. In the end, the incident wasn't that crucial. Denver wound up winning 21-10.

Chargers wide receiver Charlie Joiner, in his 18th year in the NFL, is nearing a milestone: He needs just 39 yards to break Don Maynard's career receiving yardage record of 11,834. Joiner is already the league's alltime reception leader with 722 catches. "If you play a long time, you're bound to break records," says Joiner, in his unassuming style.

Well, then, which record means the most? "The longevity record," says Joiner, who will be 39 on Oct. 14. He is the oldest wide receiver ever to have played the game.

"I'm sure no one thought I'd play this long," Joiner says. "I never thought I'd play this long. Since I was 31 or 32, I've worked out hard in the off-season. That's the key to playing a long time, especially in a very physical sport."

How old does he feel? "Looking down the roster and seeing guys' ages listed at 22, 23 and 24 can be a shocker," he says. "I'll take some of the younger generation on the team out to dinner once in a while, just to keep abreast of everything they're doing."

When Joiner was with the Houston Oilers in his first year in the league in 1969, he actually played some defense and covered Maynard, the man whose record he will soon break. Says Joiner, "Don was very fast, tall and lanky. And he had the best quarterback in the game, Joe Namath. I was scared to death he might beat me."