The Catch Rule

February 28, 2018 /

It’s only right that the first article written here breaks down some of the most controversial topics in all of sports. While The Catch Rule aims to provide a variety of unique sports articles, the following examination is the basis for the brand.

Often dubbed “The Calvin Johnson Rule”, The Catch Rule started gaining unwanted popularity during week one of the 2010 NFL season. With 24 seconds remaining in a match up with the Chicago Bears, Matthew Stafford threw a 25-yard fade to Johnson in the end zone. Johnson high-pointed the ball, caught it clean, and turned to the ground, fell to one knee, as the official closest to the play signaled a touchdown. As he rose to celebrate the potential game-winning touchdown catch, the momentum of his fall ended with his right hand hitting the ball on the ground, resulting in the ball rolling away.

The officials reviewed the play and determined that Megatron did not complete the catch when the ball made contact with the ground. This is how The Catch Rule was defined in the rule book in 2010:

Article 3. Completed or Intercepted Pass. A player who makes a catch may advance the ball. A forward pass is complete (by the offense) or intercepted (by the defense) if a player, who is inbounds:

(a) secures control of the ball in his hands or arms prior to the ball touching the ground; and (b) touches the ground inbounds with both feet or with any part of his body other than his hands.

…If the player loses the ball while simultaneously touching both feet or any part of his body other than his hands to the ground, or if there is any doubt that the acts were simultaneous, it is not a catch.

Based on this wording, Calvin Johnson caught the ball with both hands prior to the ball touching the ground, and touched the ground in-bounds with not only two feet, but fell to his hip and knee. By rule, this is a catch. Now consider Item 1 of Article 3.

Item 1: Player Going to the Ground. If a player goes to the ground in the act of catching a pass (with or without contact by an opponent), he must maintain control of the ball after he touches the ground, whether in the field of play or the end zone. If he loses control of the ball, and the ball touches the ground before he regains control, the pass is incomplete. If he regains control prior to the ball touching the ground, the pass is complete.

Again, two feet, hip, and knee. Next.

Finally, Item 3:

Item 3: End Zone Catches. If a player catches the ball while in the end zone, both feet must be completely on the ground before losing possession, or the pass is incomplete.

Verdict: Clearly a catch. However, Item 1 and Item 3 do conflict each other when talking about possession.

Fast forward to week 1 of the 2013 season. Calvin Johnson once again fell victim to the disputed “rule” bearing his name. Johnson caught the ball in the air, turned for the end zone while both of his feet hit the ground, and reached the ball across the goal line. Not only did Johnson secure the ball, touch the ground with two feet in-bounds, and cross the goal line, he landed with an elbow before the ball comes loose. The referees reviewed the play and overturned the touchdown. Look familiar?

http://www.detroitlions.com/media-center/videos/Johnsons-touchdown-overturned/65b1fa5e-82a1-44ef-b1d3-1e7e2f52455f

Verdict: Touchdown. This play isn’t as clear as the last one though. Item 1 and 3 conflict the referees’ decisions again.

2015 opened the Gates of Hell for the NFL rulebook Article 3. It started with Dez Bryant in the 2014 season’s NFC Divisional game.

On 4th and 2 from the 30 yard line, Tony Romo threw a jump ball to Dez near the end zone. Bryant jumped over the defender, caught the ball, and proceeded to take three steps to dive for the end zone. As he fell to the ground, Bryant goes to tuck the ball in his left hand, while bracing himself with his right elbow. He establishes three feet in, and secures the ball with an elbow on the ground. Unfortunately this was not enough to be ruled a touchdown.

Verdict: “Dez caught it.”

The NFL changed the catch in the off-season after this season. In an attempt to clarify when a receiver becomes a “runner,” they managed to make things more confusing. Here’s the rule change:

…(c). maintains control of the ball after (a) and (b) have been fulfilled, until he has the ball long enough to clearly become a runner. A player has the ball long enough to become a runner when, after his second foot is on the ground, he is capable of avoiding or warding off impending contact of an opponent, tucking the ball away, turning up field, or taking additional steps (see 3-2-7-Item 2).
Note: If a player has control of the ball, a slight movement of the ball will not be considered a loss of possession. He must lose control of the ball in order to rule that there has been a loss of possession.
If the player loses the ball while simultaneously touching both feet or any part of his body to the ground, it is not a catch.

They also added the term “runner” to a player going to the ground in the act of a catch:

Item 1. Player Going to the Ground. A player is considered to be going to the ground if he does not remain upright long enough to demonstrate that he is clearly a runner. If a player goes to the ground in the act of catching a pass (with or without contact by an opponent), he must maintain control of the ball until after his initial contact with the ground, whether in the field of play or the end zone. If he loses control of the ball, and the ball touches the ground before he regains control, the pass is incomplete. If he regains control prior to the ball touching the ground, the pass is complete.

An endless number of videos and head-scratching rulings can be found with a quick Google search. I’ll leave you with three videos from the 2017 NFL season.

The first is from the Patriots game winning touchdown from Tom Brady to Brandin Cooks. As the new rule states, because Cooks lost control of the ball when he contacted the ground, the play should have been ruled incomplete. The referees ruled this play a touchdown and the Patriots won the game.

Verdict: Incomplete. While Cooks did manage to get both feet in bounds, he never fully secured the ball in a way that could be deemed “control.”

This next play became one of the most polarizing plays of the 2017 NFL season.

On the second to last play of the game, the Steelers seemed to have pulled off a miracle in the Steel City. Ben Roethlisberger hit Jesse James on a 10-yard slant in the middle of the field. James catches the ball, falls to his knee and foot, and simultaneously reaches the ball out for the goal line. As he stretched the ball into the end zone, the ball came loose. The refs reviewed the call on the field and overturned the touchdown.

Verdict: The refs got this one right. That is, in terms of the rulebook they are supposed to uphold. James did not control the ball long enough to be considered a runner per the NFL’s definition.

The 2017 NFL Superbowl was massively entertaining. It was a game that appealed to all fans of the game. However, it did not escape the wrath of The Catch Rule.

Zach Ertz caught a touchdown pass to give the Philadelphia Eagles a 38-33 lead over the New England Patriots. On this play, Ertz catches a slant route, takes 3 steps and dives over a defender to cross the goal line. As Ertz reaches the ball for the end zone, the ball hits the ground and pops into the air. The officials reviewed the play extensively, and uphold the ruling on the field. Touchdown.

Verdict: Touchdown. Because Ertz caught the ball and took three steps towards the end zone, he established himself as a “runner” per the new Catch Rule. The ball was secured up until it made contact with the ground in the end zone, and because Ertz was deemed a runner, once the ball crossed the goal line the play was over.

 

In what has been eight years of agonizing replay and rulings by the officials, the NFL finally released a statement today saying that the NFL Competition Committee will overhaul The Catch Rule this off-season. This should not be a difficult concept for the Competition Committee. They reportedly have reached out to Hall of Fame wide receivers to assist in determining what a catch should be: when a receiver secures the ball and gets two feet, or its equivalent, in-bounds (any body part that is not the hands or helmet, and any act of demonstrating control of their body).

 

Note: The NFL owns all rights to the videos posted in this article. No copyright infringement is intended. The Catch Rule does not profit off of any NFL copyrights.