What is a catch in the NFL ?

Itssoeasy

I posted in the week 12 thread last night about not knowing what constitutes a catch in the NFL. I personally have given up trying to determine what a catch is unless it's clear cut. As was pointed out a Giants TD that wasn't against the Eagles might have been correct to the letter of the law but it looked a TD to me. A catch to me being honest is control and two feet down inbounds. This whole thing about completing the process doesn't help and phrases like "long enough" doesn't help either.

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:

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

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.

Item 2. Sideline Catches. If a player goes to the ground out-of-bounds (with or without contact by an opponent) in the process of making a catch at the sideline, he must maintain complete and continuous control of the ball until after his initial contact with the ground, or the pass is incomplete.

Item 3. End Zone Catches. The requirements for a catch in the end zone are the same as the requirements for a catch in the field of play.

Note: In the field of play, if a catch of a forward pass has been completed, after which contact by a defender causes the ball to become loose before the runner is down by contact, it is a fumble, and the ball remains alive. In the end zone, the same action is a touchdown, since the receiver completed the catch beyond the goal line prior to the loss of possession, and the ball is dead when the catch is completed.

Item 4. Ball Touches Ground. If the ball touches the ground after the player secures control of it, it is a catch, provided that the player continues to maintain control.

This is what is written down in the 2017 NFL rule book for reference.

So what do the people of the American forum think ? Am I being too worked up over the rule or does it need to be changed and if so how ?

eagle eye

It's pretty clear cut. If a player is standing up when he catches the ball and makes a football move then it's a catch. If the player is falling down when or just after he catches the ball then he has to hold possession of the ball all the way until he stops moving. If the ball touches the ground and it's moving even slightly in his hands then it is not a catch.

There is always room for improvement in rules. Personally I think that they should bring back the force out rule which allows a reception with only one foot landing inbounds if the player is forced out by contact.

TOss Sweep

For me the rule is clear the problem is there is no consistency enforcing the rule. So many catches that should have been rules incomplete and so many catches that should have been rules complete have fallen a foul of inconsistency.

EE its not just catches where the ground is involved take the Seferian Jenkins catch yesterday. That was a catch all day long but because the ball moves slightly even though wedged between his two monster hands its considered loss of control which is just nonsense. Now I am one for the rules but in certain situations the rule could go either way and this is the problem with some of these rules. A rule should only be black or white when written there should be no in between and this catch rule has an in between.

Lionbacker

TOss Sweep wrote: »

EE its not just catches where the ground is involved take the Seferian Jenkins catch yesterday. That was a catch all day long but because the ball moves slightly even though wedged between his two monster hands its considered loss of control which is just nonsense. Now I am one for the rules but in certain situations the rule could go either way and this is the problem with some of these rules. A rule should only be black or white when written there should be no in between and this catch rule has an in between.

I think the problem in that situation was that the ball moved while he was out of bounds. Had he still being in the field of play, I think the TD would of been okay.