"Back in 2010, the NFL made a major screw-up when they started trying to determine what a catch was. We know it to this day as the Calvin Johnson rule. Here we are 15 years later and no one knows what is or isn't a catch. Because the ever-changing definition, which differs from game to game, makes even less sense than "a knee equals two feet" has for the last five decades."
"In the Buffalo at Denver AFC Divisional round game, Brandin Cooks caught a Josh Allen pass that would have set the Bills up for a possible game-winning field goal. He had possession of the ball as he hit the ground with the Broncos' defender landing on him. Catch and down by contact, right? Nope. The officials ruled that as the players rolled over, the Broncos' defender pulled the ball away from Cooks and ruled it an interception."
"A receiver will be found to have caught the ball the instant he has two hands on the ball and both of his feet, or any body part, makes contact with the ground. If he loses the ball after that, it is a fumble to be either recovered by the offense or the defense, or it goes out of bounds. If the ground cannot cause a fumble, then it should not be"
NFL catch rulings remain inconsistent and unclear years after the 2010 Calvin Johnson rule change. Definitions change from game to game, producing contradictory outcomes on identical plays. Examples include Brandin Cooks being ruled intercepted after contact and a ball pulled away while Davante Adams was ruled down by contact in a similar situation the next day. The current subjectivity produces confusion among players, coaches, fans, and officials. A clear, objective standard would eliminate variability. The proposed standard declares a catch complete when a receiver secures the ball and any two body parts contact the ground; any subsequent loss of possession should be treated as a fumble.
Read at Inside The Star
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