# NFL rule question - Dez Bryant catch/non-catch in play-offs **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [March 25, 2015, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-rule-question-dez-bryant-catch-non-catch-in-play-offs/715975 "2015-03-25T21:13:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-rule-question-dez-bryant-catch-non-catch-in-play-offs/715975/1 "2015-03-25T21:13:51Z")
If you are a football fan, you have probably seen the play, and have your opinion of whether it was a catch or not a catch. (I think it was a catch, and I LOATHE the Cowboys, just in case anyone is wondering) I don’t want to argue that… It was ruled an incomplete pass, and supposedly, that was the correct call/interpretation of the rules. OK. Here’s my question… If Dez Bryant, as he was heading down to the ground and reaching out with the ball, had crossed the goal line, that would have been a touchdown, correct? As I understand the rules, once the goal line “plane” is broken, the play is over and the points are scored. Even if he lost control of the ball when it hit the ground (as he did in the actual play), it isn’t a fumble, it’s a TD. Is my interpretation correct, or am I wrong with the idea that the Dez Bryant play would have been a TD if he broke the plane of the endzone on his way down? ---
**Author:** ![borschevsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/97f17d/32.png) [@borschevsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/borschevsky)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2015, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-rule-question-dez-bryant-catch-non-catch-in-play-offs/715975/2 "2015-03-25T21:46:44Z")
Nope, it would still be incomplete. The rule for making the catch is the same whether the ball is in the end zone or not. The other famous instance of this same ruling involved Calvin Johnson, and he was in the end zone on that play. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-rule-question-dez-bryant-catch-non-catch-in-play-offs/715975/3 "2015-03-26T03:25:39Z")
> [@borschevsky](#): > > Nope, it would still be incomplete. The rule for making the catch is the same whether the ball is in the end zone or not. The other famous instance of this same ruling involved Calvin Johnson, and he was in the end zone on that play. [Here’s the Calvin Johnson play for reference](http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/09000d5d81a77070/Controversial-call-on-Megatron-non-TD). ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-rule-question-dez-bryant-catch-non-catch-in-play-offs/715975/4 "2015-03-26T04:13:20Z")
> [@borschevsky](#): > > Nope, it would still be incomplete. The rule for making the catch is the same whether the ball is in the end zone or not. The other famous instance of this same ruling involved Calvin Johnson, and he was in the end zone on that play. Thank you. I was not sure about this, but at least the rule is consistent… > [@pulykamell](#): > > [Here’s the Calvin Johnson play for reference](http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/09000d5d81a77070/Controversial-call-on-Megatron-non-TD). Just an FYI to folks. This link directs you to the NFL website, which makes you sit through a 30 second commercial (FY, NFL!). The video, as it turns out, was not available for viewing for me. But the commercial sure was! Thank god for that. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2015, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-rule-question-dez-bryant-catch-non-catch-in-play-offs/715975/5 "2015-03-26T10:03:29Z")
> [@Stink Fish Pot](#): > > The video, as it turns out, was not available for viewing for me. But the commercial sure was! Thank god for that. That’s funny to me. The whole reason why a video would not be available in some regions is that there is no advertizing deal set up for your region. So the ad was no only useless for you, but also for them, as well. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2015, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-rule-question-dez-bryant-catch-non-catch-in-play-offs/715975/6 "2015-03-28T04:56:04Z")
> [@Stink Fish Pot](#): > > Just an FYI to folks. This link directs you to the NFL website, which makes you sit through a 30 second commercial (FY, NFL!). Huh. I don’t get a commercial. But that may be because I’m using AdBlock. [Here’s a Youtube video of it](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0Q4tKnfaIY), hopefully sans commercials. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2015, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-rule-question-dez-bryant-catch-non-catch-in-play-offs/715975/7 "2015-03-28T05:34:45Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Huh. I don’t get a commercial. But that may be because I’m using AdBlock. > > [Here’s a Youtube video of it](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0Q4tKnfaIY), hopefully sans commercials. Thanks for the link. Is there a way to run adblock on an iPad? Is there a plug-in for safari, or would I have to download a different browser? I thought I looked into this a while ago, and there wasn’t a version for iPad.