I agree it was a catch. The ref on fox said that since he was going down, he needed to control the ball when he fell. The ball moved when it hit the ground. The steps were more important to me. Just a stupid call and rule
don't think it would mattered even if they scored a TD. A-Rod and the Pack were on fire. they had more than enough time left to score and win, even just 1 TO remaining.
Well I think Dallas fans will take their chances with that happening than what actually happened considering they never got the ball back again.
Steps don't make it a catch until the receiver has the ball firmly in their hands and it is not moving. He didn't firmly have the ball until he and it hit the ground. It would have been fine if he landed on his back but he landed onto the ball and didn't have his hands firmly wrapped around it when he hit the ground. The only thing to watch is his hands around the ball when he hits the ground. You can't get your hands on the ball and smash your feet on the ground. The grasp of the ball comes first and you can't use the ground to secure the ball. Look at the angle below. His feet may be making contact with the ground but he does not have controlled possession of the ball until after it hits the ground. <iframe class="vine-embed" src="https://vine.co/v/ODZI5HU6gX6/embed/simple" width="600" height="600" frameborder="0"></iframe><script async src="//platform.vine.co/static/scripts/embed.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Side note, I'm afraid this win will push A Rod ahead of Watt for MVP. It's very bitter sweat, I hope not though.
Bigger question on all these controversy calls. Why are teams going deep when they only need a few yards? Chances are slim on it working out.
I don't think anybody can complain about a call that was actually replayed/reviewed and reversed. How many more methods can you have to make the "right" call? As far as the rule being "dumb"... its in place to clearly define what is a catch and what isn't. Before that rule there were several catches/non-catches that were left up to the referees discretion, without any criteria to go by. Some featured control in bounds, but losing the ball out-of-bounds. Some featured a catch but then as they come down they lose the ball and it was ruled a fumble (when really they never had possession long enough for it to be a catch). In a game with a ton of subjectiveness... I favor any rules that make clear definitions of what is or isn't something. I just wish they could develop something similar for pass interference, offensive holding and "roughing" the passer/punter.
Thanks for the gif Brando you just furthered my argument. Is a player down when his elbow hits ground and not his knee? Yes. The only parts of the body that can be down on the ground and the ball stay live are the hand and foot. If even a wrist of ankle is down, the ball is dead. So in actuallity he had the ball clearly controlled in one hand took a couple steps and was DOWN before the ball came out.
To complete a catch, you must maintain possession when you hit the ground. Its not as if he took off running for a few steps, fell and then lost it. He jumped for the ball, grabbed it, and as he's coming down (falling), he takes those steps (to ensure he's in-bounds), but loses control when he hits the ground. It was one continuous act.... jump/grasp/land/hit ground/ball-is-out/no-catch. Again, its not that complicated if you go by the rule established to make things not that complicated.
He's falling. It was part of him going down to the ground, and to complete the catch you have to maintain possession when you hit the ground. If he had full control of himself, he would have just walked into the end zone.
You can't just grab the ball and slam your elbow into the ground. You have to finish the catch regardless of what hits the ground. Catching a football is different than if you are running with the ball and you are downed by knee or elbow contact. Also, his knees don't hit the ground till after he looses it. The ball comes out at the same time as his forearm. That is not a catch. "When you're still going through the process of the catch, elbows or knees are irrelevant, he must complete that entire process with the football, maintain possession throughout," Head Official Gene Steratore.
Ok Nick answer how many steps? Thats all im saying, if thats the rule then how many steps? And the rule also states elbow down play is DEAD. Its just too much grey area there.
What do you mean? He clearly controlled the ball before hitting the ground and by that time his elbow has hit the ground rendering the play dead.
It doesn't matter... you're creating the grey area by looking at things that ultimately do not matter in this case. If he's falling, he's falling... and its part of the catch. If you're running full speed, jump, and then try to land (after being hit) and you lose your balance, chances are you're going to take a few steps before you hit the floor. If he wasn't falling, and happened to take a few strides and then tripped/fell and lost the ball, it would have been a catch... but he didn't do that. He was falling the entire time, no football move, arm hits ground, no catch.
You don't know the rules. You can have an issue with how a catch is defined in the rule book but that is the rule. After the game, a pool reporter spoke with head official Gene Steratore about the play. "Although the receiver is possessing the football, he must maintain possession of that football throughout the entire process of the catch," Steratore said. "In our judgement he maintained possession but continued to fall and never had another act common to the game. We deemed that by our judgement to be the full process of the catch, and at the time he lands and the ball hits the ground, it comes loose as it hits the ground, which would make that incomplete; although he re-possesses it, it does contact the ground when he reaches so the repossession is irrelevant because it was ruled an incomplete pass when we had the ball hit the ground."
He could have had his entire body touching the ground prior to the elbow... but you have to maintain possession once that elbow hits. That's the rule.
