How often do we get to practice these plays?
Easy for us to armchair these things. Yeah, if one of the covering officials judged that Edelman touched the ball, the appropriate mechanic at point would have been to use the "legal touching" signal (NCAA signal 11 - don't know what it is for NFL), then continue to officiate. Yes, when a KC player possessed the ball, the ball became dead, and the correct thing to have done would have been to sound a whistle and signal for the clock to stop, and signal KC possession. If the covering official had judged the ball had not been touched, then just continue to observe, and, when the KC player possessed the ball, sound a whistle and signal for the clock to stop, and signal NE possession.
But these things happen so, so fast. Even the best in the world have to pause and think, "What just happened?" Better to allow the play to continue, than sound an inadvertent whistle or give an inadvertent signal.
With replay, they got it right. And I think this is a good use of replay.
Put in the same position, would we have nailed it? Really?
Robert
PS My reaction, from my recliner, at the moment was more like, "Edeleman, you idiot!"