NFL seeks to further clarify what constitutes a catch

The NFL has added new language in the rulebook regarding what merits a reception versus an incompletion.

If we’re to believe the latest additions to the NFL rulebook are real, the Dallas Cowboys and their fans everywhere must be experiencing some unpleasant combination of long-awaited vindication and wistful helplessness.

Because according to a new provision in the rules detailing what constitutes a completed catch, it would appear that Dez Bryant’s famous last-second lunge at the Lambeau goal line should have stayed a touchdown as originally called, and as a result the Cowboys should have beaten the Packers in the NFC Divisional Round a year and a half ago.

While the NFL surely would never admit they erred with that controversial referee call, this revision to the 2016 rule book makes it abundantly clear that Bryant did, in fact, catch the ball.

The rule now states that a player has caught a pass as long as he “maintains control of the ball… until he has the ball long enough to clearly become a runner.” And how does one determine when a player has 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.”

Hopefully at the very least this helps clear up some of the uncertainty and controversy that has plagued NFL referees, players, and fans for the last few seasons, specifically with regards to the debate over highlight-reel-quality catches being ruled incomplete at the most inopportune times.

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