Editor's note: Tony Grossi covers the Cleveland Browns for ESPN 850 WKNR.

ATLANTA

Takeaways from Super Bowl interviews …

No satisfaction: For the first time, Commissioner Roger Goodell expressed regret about the giant officiating blunder in the NFC Championship game that the New Orleans Saints believe cost them from going to the Super Bowl.

But Goodell obviously won’t change the outcome or call for his own replay of the final minutes of the game. He also was vague about what actions he’d like taken to avoid another PR disaster in ensuing games.

Pressed at his annual Super Bowl press conference, Goodell said he and other league officials spoke to Saints coach Sean Payton and owner Gayle Benson, both of whom complained loudly and publicly. But Goodell said he “absolutely” did not consider overturning the outcome of the game won by the Los Angeles Rams, 26-23, in overtime.

The Rams rallied to tie and win after officials ignored obvious double fouls on cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman – pass interference and an illegal helmet-to-helmet hit.

“I was very open just as I was here,” Goodell said of his conversations with Payton and Benson, “that the play should be called. We’re going to make sure we do everything possible to address the issues going forward.”

Goodell said he has charged the league competition committee to “think outside the box” to try to expand the technology of replay to aid the officials. Goodell supported game officials, saying they do an “extraordinary” job and are “people of high integrity.”

Goodell said the committee and league owners have been against adding an eighth official – or using an official in the league office in New York during games -- to rule on judgment plays from the replay booth.

He said the complication of the play was that no flag was called, and the unintended consequence of having such plays reviewed is finding multiple fouls. It is presumed this would just add to confusion, more delays and more PR backlash.

Nevertheless, Goodell said the committee will study ways to prevent another officiating fiasco from happening.

The mistake in the NFC game merely intensified awareness of an increasing problem: Replay exposes obvious errors but the league’s archaically-written language of the rules strangle the ability to change botched rulings.

The Browns were victimized at least four times in games this year, but the games weren’t big enough for the league to notice.

You imagine Goodell and Al Riveron, VP of officiating, crossing their fingers Sunday as Super Bowl 53 comes down to crucial replay reviews.

Bedford’s own: In his ninth season, left guard Rodger Saffold is the longest-tenured Los Angeles Ram. The Bedford, OH-native struggled through six losing seasons when the franchise was in St. Louis and then another in Los Angeles before reaching the playoffs last year, and now the Super Bowl. In that time, Saffold started games at every offensive line position but center.

“I really have a true appreciation for those years in St. Louis,” Saffold said. “They helped me grow up. The humility involved in this game … changing positions, not having team success. The appreciation going into this game is at a whole other level that I wouldn’t have been able to know if I had gotten in my first year.”

Saffold, 30, said he is excited about the turnaround of the Browns and keeps tabs on his hometown team all the time.

“I was part of the Dawg Pound for years. Still am,” he said. “Sometimes even in a game I look up [at the NFL scoreboard] just to see what’s going on with my city.

“I’m extremely excited [about the Browns’ future]. Somewhere along the line they started to figure it out. I know that’s a truly young and talented team and I expect them to go far next year. You can see Baker Mayfield is doing an outstanding job. He’s starting to have those players around him, also rookies and second-year players, starting to evolve as well.”

Saffold can be a free agent after the Super Bowl. He said he used to think about playing in Cleveland but now will look for the right fit for him if the Rams don’t re-sign him. The Browns appear loaded at the interior line positions.

Hoyer returns: This is the third trip to the Super Bowl for Cleveland native and former Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer. Tom Brady’s backup said he’ll be ready to play if needed and is comfortable in his role at this stage of his career in his 11th NFL season.

He has another year left on his New England contract and hopes to return in 2019.

“I love my role here with the Patriots,” Hoyer said. “Whatever that leads to, I don’t know. The thing I’ve realized is you try not to look past where you’re at. I’ve made that mistake before. Right now, I’m just enjoying every moment of my third Super Bowl here.”

Hoyer was 9-6 as Browns starting quarterback in the 2013-14 seasons (another game he left in the first quarter with a knee injury in a game they won). Hoyer’s record as a starter with four other teams – Arizona, Houston, Chicago and San Francisco – is 6-15.

Does Hoyer think the Browns finally found their savior in Mayfield?

“Obviously he did a great job this year,” he said. “I didn’t have a chance to see much. One thing I’ll say about the Super Bowl, my third time, it’s very hard to make it here. I haven’t seen him play enough [to say if Mayfield can get it done].”

Incidentally, the Browns have both Super Bowl teams on their schedule in 2019.