NFL VP of officiating: Catch rule 'is in a good place'
Don’t expect the NFL to overhaul rules that pertain to what is and is not a catch this offseason.
Dean Blandino, the NFL's vice president of officiating, said during Sunday’s Pro Bowl that league officials “think that the rule is in a good place right now.” The rule was tweaked some ahead of the current season – the wording “football move” was stricken – and, yet, controversy and confusion continued.
“I really feel it's just communicating the rule and educating and showing video examples of what is and what isn't a catch,” Blandino said on the NFL Network. “There's a subjective element to the rule so there's always going to be those plays where we debate that subjective element. That's just part of it.
"Maybe there's another tweak that maybe we can make in the rule to make it easier to understand. But I don't anticipate any major changes."
Here’s the wording of the catch rule currently:
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.
The elimination of the words “football move” was called the "Dez Bryant Rule," after a would-be TD reception by the Dallas Cowboys receiver was ruled incomplete in a divisional playoff game against the Green Bay Packers last postseason.
Paste BN Sports reported in December that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has tapped a new committee to look at what constitutes a catch. The committee includes former coaches, players and officials.