Except for the fact that it was in the end zone and no “second act” is possible.
It’s a quirky rule, ala the Tuck Rule, but it was called correctly. This is an extreme example of it and I think Megatron could have easily maintained control had he made an effort to, but he didn’t because he was too eager to celebrate and hot dog the catch one handed. Still, the rule is a good one to prevent issues like that Shockey call from way back.
Well, yes. By calling it a “second act” it just means the “first act” or simply the “act” of the catch had been fully completed when his feet hit the turf.
It seemed to me he certainly did. He had it in his hands, his knees and body hit the ground, he continued possession until he attempted to get up again. It was pretty clearly a catch, followed by a non-anal compulsive not knowing the rule, trying to get up too fast to celebrate. Yes, he should have simply held onto the ball until he showered and took the goddamn ball out to the parking lot after the game, but it is an example of where the rules get in the way of football. There is enough of a distinction between what Shockey did and what CJ did, that the call was excessive.
But that is the state of officiating in the NFL. Such is life.
Thoughts:
Calvin Johnson got screwed.
the Pats look as dominant as ever.
The Eagles started the wrong QB, and even though he came up short, Michael Vick really exposed the Packers defense for the garbage that it is. A-Rodge wasn’t that great either, two picks and a bunch of sacks against a mediocre defense., and he was completely shut down in the 4th quarter. The anointing of Rodgers into the same class as Manning/Brad/Favre is ridiculous. He never delivers in a big spot.
The rules defining what a catch is don’t strike me as estoric, nor do I think a receiver needs to be “anal compulsive” to know them. The rule is straightforward, it is in place for a very good reason, and this was a good call. Don’t blame the rule, blame the hotdogging me-first mindset of wide receivers too eager to glorify themselves in celebration to finish the catch.
Sure, CJ is to blame. He should have made sure he held onto the ball until they pried it from his cold dead hands.
The fact remains that he had possession of the ball throughout the catch. He caught it, got two feet down, his body hit the endzone, remaining possession throughout. I could give two fucks what the “rule” is now, that is a catch, which differentiates it from the Shockey catch that changed the rule. The fact he tried to get up afterward and put the ball on the ground doing it shouldn’t negate the catch, but, since the ruling on the field will stand if there is any debate at all, it did. I think a vast majority of people would have considered it a tragedy if they had ruled it on the field to be a catch and then they overturned it. It shows the importance of getting the ruling on the field.
It was a baloney call, but in the NFL, there are numerous calls/non calls that are baloney in each and every game. I just hate when the baloney call happens in the last minute of the game. Such is life in the NFL.
I’ll defer to those who know the letter of the law better than i do regarding whether the umpires made the right call or not.
But i have one observation about that play:
If the umpires did enforce the rule correctly, it’s about the absolute worst rule in the history of sports. In no reasonable person’s universe was that not a touchdown. Period.
You can argue all you like about what constitutes premature celebration or whatever, and you can bitch and moan about primadonna wide receivers until the cows come home, but there’s no way you will ever convince me that the game of football is improved, either as a spectacle or as a fair contest, by that ruling.
Arguably down at this point because what follows is not part of the same process as the catch
Arguably down at this point because what follows is not part of the same process as the catch and could be seen as an effort to stand up after the catch.
The call on the field could go either way. I don’t blame the refs for this one.
Had the refs on the field ruled it a touchdown, do you think anybody outside of rabid Bears’ fans, would have raised a fuss over the call? I don’t. I think a vast majority of people, and players, and coaches, wouldn’t think twice if the refs called it a touchdown. Had the refs on the field ruled it a touchdown and it was upheld, there wouldn’t be an issue at all.
That tells me a lot. The rule can certainly be stretched far enough to absolve the refs on the field from any wrongdoing. That doesn’t make it right.
But, once again, bitching about officiating in the NFL isn’t worth it. Call stands. Such is life.
Let me put it this way: if the ball had come flying out of his hand when he hit the ground, would anybody have complained about the call?
No, he didn’t. That fact exists only in your fevered imagination.
He caught the ball, then fell to the ground. That both feet happened to touch the ground during this fall is completely irrelevant. While hitting the ground he let go of the ball. Clear as day, not a catch.
Note that his hand with the ball is the last thing to hit the ground during his fall. At that moment, the ball pops out, clearly during his fall. Easy call, no catch.
He didn’t drop it “afterwards.”
It looked like he was just leaving the ball on the ground after the play was over to me.
He surely thought he was. It’s just too bad for him that doing so has been an incompletion for his entire career.
And here I thought we were having a discussion about an interpretation of a rule. Had I known you would have to devolve it into accusations of “fevered imagination”, I wouldn’t have wasted my time with you.
Not only his feet hit, but his entire body landed with him maintaining possession throughout. While twisting his body after he caught it, landed, and secured possession, he put out his hand. Bad idea, certainly. But he had completed the catch.
However, I completely understand that it can be seen the other way. I am bemoaning the call on the field, which was, to me, an overtechnical application of a rule that need not have been made.
But, again, it’s an interpretation of a rule that I think both sides have a good argument about. Certainly no reason to resort to accusations of “fevered imagination” or “why are you being a complete dick about this Ellis?”. Those kinds of statements do nothing to forward the discussion.
Another year, and once again everyone will be shocked (shocked I tell you!) that Alex Smith is a terrible, terrible QB.
Yes, he was horrendous last year, the year before, the year before, and every other year he has played or will play.
I wonder if the people coming out with ridiculous expectations for the 49ers either have never seen him play, or legitimately forget after every time they see him play.
Holy shit, Redskins win. Ugly as sin, but I’ll take it.
I was reacting to your insult from post 123, which strongly implied that only someone who is “anal-compulsive” could see it my way. Cast the mote from thine own eye before bemoaning the lack of civility.
There’s a whole other thread on the completed pass rule. But I’ll say briefly here, bad rule, properly enforced. Don’t blame the refs…this time.
Born Skins fan here. I’ll take it too, but Mcnabb sucked, totally ineffective. Redskins defense won this game. Eagles killed their own team though. Giants are still questionable, Cowboys are always overrated. Skins only need a half decent season to get a playoff spot this year.
Seriously?!? You like the Texans chances now because the Raiders - the team that has lost 11 or more games for a record 7 consecutive seasons - somehow, wonder of wonders, lost to Tennessee? Of the 15 other teams in the AFC, I think you may have picked the single least worrisome team to be worried about.