Twitter: Eight years ago today, "Dez Caught It"

[fivetwos]

Funny how people think Rodgers doesn’t win the game on the ensuing drive.

Four minutes left. Needed a FG. Lol come on.

It was 4th and 1. Why was Romo throwing such a low percentage ball anyway?

Even if we DO win that only gets us into the NFCCG. People act as if that cost us a championship.

The truly pathetic part is we haven’t had enough success since to shut up over it.

 

[Flamma]

Marcus Rock says it was not a catch due to proper interpretation of the rule at the time

I laugh at that; you look at all the other catches in other games rule OK and they were often MUCH MORE QUESTIONABLE than this

The officials blew the call; and the League admitted it years later

The problem was the interpretation of the rule. The devil is in the details. The rule was meant to cover catches where a WR catches the ball and is going to the ground in one motion. But, where do you draw the line?

If I offered you 50 bucks to jump in the lake, you walk over and stand in 2 inches of water at the lake's edge and jump. do I owe you 50 bucks? Apparently many refs and some fans believe I do. That wasn't what I meant.

The rule was removed for a reason. That reason is because the refs were interpreting it incorrectly. Or better yet, not for its intended purpose.

 

[MarcusRock]

This Tweet reaction is the crux of the argument on this play. When the going to the ground portion of the rule applied back then, the number of steps someone took when going to the ground did not matter. It could have been 4 or 5 even. You just had to hold onto the ball, period if it touched the ground. The 3rd step was added under the rule change years later. Fans not knowing the rules is the vast majority of the "outrage" on this play (and many others over the years). If you don't know the rules you really can't even argue the rule properly. Doesn't stop the blind from trying though, hence the "we wuz robbed" failsafe excuse for not knowing the facts.

 

[Yobwocs]

Yup, Rodgers was gonna at worst tie the game, at best win the game with 4:30 left to play which is too much time to leave someone who got a 1st down on the opponents 35 yard line with 2 minutes left on the very next possession.

You just knew he was gonna win it anyways.

 

[Teague31]

I’d be much happier if I had stuck with my promise that day to never watch the nfl again.

 

[DFWJC]

MVP caliber actually but you just knew they were going to give it to Rodgers.

I cannot explain why but my fandom changed forever that day. I was never the nervous wreck, depressed, joyous, rabid fan I was my entire life after that game. Maybe I just finally matured, maybe it's Jerry, the league, or maybe something else I'm not aware of but it's just not the same.

Described me exactly

 

[DFWJC]

He did the right thing the refs are morons thinking reaching for the pylon isn't a football move.

Or taking two steps with ball in hand before that

 

[JonesBoys]

Maybe the Cowboy's are just cursed. They more than likely play at Seattle in the NFC championship game the next week. They also beat them earlier in the year and matched up well with them so who knows. Of course a freak play like this and we will never know. This was the closest they have been in 27 years.

 

[slick325]

I think Dez caught the ball and the call on thr field should not have been overturned.

However, there was no way that 2014 defense would have stopped Rodgers and the Packers on the ensuing drive. They had an opportunity to get the back and failed.

 

[ScipioCowboy]

The NFL rulebook is so incredibly subjective, virtually any interpretation is feasible. It’s no small wonder why people think it’s rigged. In truth, it’s not rigged. The rulebook is just a mess.

 

[MarcusRock]

The problem was the interpretation of the rule. The devil is in the details. The rule was meant to cover catches where a WR catches the ball and is going to the ground in one motion. But, where do you draw the line?

If I offered you 50 bucks to jump in the lake, you walk over and stand in 2 inches of water at the lake's edge and jump. do I owe you 50 bucks? Apparently many refs and some fans believe I do. That wasn't what I meant.

The rule was removed for a reason. That reason is because the refs were interpreting it incorrectly. Or better yet, not for its intended purpose.

The rule is not removed. Going to the ground is still in the rulebook. The only thing they changed is that the going to the ground segment of the rule no longer overrules the upright catch rules as Pereira explains in the video below (mentioning Dez by name) when that was still in effect. Now, a catch can essentially be performed on the way to the ground and it's not an either/or determination. If you don't perform the 3-part process of the catch rule, either while going to the ground or while upright, then going to the ground and its "you must hold onto the ball" requirement takes effect. It's still there but not as overarching as it used to be.

 

[WillieBeamen]

Funny how people think Rodgers doesn’t win the game on the ensuing drive.

Four minutes left. Needed a FG. Lol come on.

It was 4th and 1. Why was Romo throwing such a low percentage ball anyway?

Even if we DO win that only gets us into the NFCCG. People act as if that cost us a championship.

The truly pathetic part is we haven’t had enough success since to shut up over it.

Rodgers is a front runner. Look at the Lions game from Sunday Night. Did he drive the team down the field for the GW TD??

 

[MarcusRock]

Rodgers is a front runner. Look at the Lions game from Sunday Night. Did he drive the team down the field for the GW TD??

Rodgers was MVP in 2014. You think he's still MVP-caliber today? Again from that game, he drove them into FG range trying to kill the clock and we couldn't stop him. Not the same comparison from 8 years ago.

 

[links18]

8 years ago? Shoot, soon I will be dead.

 

[nate dizzle]

In the words of Miracle Max " Why don't you give me a nice paper cut and pour lemon juice on it!"

 

[PA Cowboy Fan]

We were robbed.

 

[cowboys5xsbs]

This Tweet reaction is the crux of the argument on this play. When the going to the ground portion of the rule applied back then, the number of steps someone took when going to the ground did not matter. It could have been 4 or 5 even. You just had to hold onto the ball, period if it touched the ground. The 3rd step was added under the rule change years later. Fans not knowing the rules is the vast majority of the "outrage" on this play (and many others over the years). If you don't know the rules you really can't even argue the rule properly. Doesn't stop the blind from trying though, hence the "we wuz robbed" failsafe excuse for not knowing the facts.

He still made a football move so the whole 3rd foot doesn't matter

 

[fivetwos]

Rodgers is a front runner. Look at the Lions game from Sunday Night. Did he drive the team down the field for the GW TD??

Our defense didn’t stop them after the turnover on downs.

It’s ridiculous to think we would have in another scenario. They were spent.

That game was lost on the Murray play. Should have been TD for us, ends up a fumble that goes to them. Julius Peppers. Great players make great plays at the biggest of times.

THATS the play that hurts. That and the garbage game plan not taking advantage of a gimpy Rodgers, but that was genius Garretts plan….just do what we do, try to beat it. They all did.

 

[Flamma]

The rule is not removed. Going to the ground is still in the rulebook. The only thing they changed is that the going to the ground segment of the rule no longer overrules the upright catch rules as Pereira explains in the video below (mentioning Dez by name) when that was still in effect. Now, a catch can essentially be performed on the way to the ground and it's not an either/or determination. If you don't perform the 3-part process of the catch rule, either while going to the ground or while upright, then going to the ground and its "you must hold onto the ball" requirement takes effect. It's still there but not as overarching as it used to be.

Agreed. I wasn't saying the ref was wrong, just that the interpretation of the rule was being enforced in a way it wasn't intended. They have it right now.

 

[MarcusRock]

He still made a football move so the whole 3rd foot doesn't matter

No really, bro. You compare what Dez did to someone actually lunging with the ball stretched out and those are not the same things at all. I know Dez intended to lunge that way but he slipped on his third step and that took away the necessary pushing off to do so. As someone else said earlier, "where do you draw the line?" On a lunge, they placed Dez on the other side of one and deemed it not a football move. Once replay saw the ball had touched the ground, which the on-field official was shielded from, it was an easy overturn. Pereira on the game's broadcast knew it would be overturned before the official announced it.