The Lions got screwed

[theogt]

You have to continue out the play if you go to the ground.

You have to maintain possession all through the entire motion of going to the ground.

IMO, he wasn't going to the ground any more. He was rolling over to get up.

Same thing happened to Todd Heap a few years ago. He caught a pass, landed with both feet. Got popped and when he landed on his back the ball popped out.

Last year in Oakland, I think it was Louis Murphy who caught a ball cleanly, went to the ground with possession but lost it as he was rolling over.

The rule is stupid.

Johnson wasn't going to the ground any more. He was getting up and I think that is what makes the play a TD.

What's the actual rule say?

I agree that if you're on the ground in the endzone with possession of the ball, that's it. What else is "after" that?

 

[Hoofbite]

What's the actual rule say?

I agree that if you're on the ground in the endzone with possession of the ball, that's it. What else is "after" that?

I don't know what the rule says.

My guess is, they want you to maintain possession until your body stops cold.

Lions got robbed. His motion of going to the ground was stopped. He was rolling over to get up.

 

[Manwiththeplan]

Sorry but to me it was obviously not a TD

-He caught the ball
-Got both feet in bounds
-Fell to the ground
-dropped the ball

It's always been the rule that in the end zone or not, a player must keep control of the ball, if falling after making contact with the ground.

And please don't say he was "letting the ball go" as if he wanted to start his celebration.

He was falling with the hand holding the ball extended and after coming in contact with the ball, it cam out.

Definately not a TD

 

[casmith07]

It was a bad call. He clearly had possession of the ball in his one hand, and even held the ball up to show possession. He went to the ground and dropped it while he was getting up to celebrate the call of TD, which occurred prior to him dropping the football.

Lions were robbed. No two ways about it.

 

[Hoofbite]

Sorry but to me it was obviously not a TD

-He caught the ball
-Got both feet in bounds
-Fell to the ground
-dropped the ball

It's always been the rule that in the end zone or not, a player must keep control of the ball, if falling after making contact with the ground.

And please don't say he was "letting the ball go" as if he wanted to start his celebration.

He was falling with the hand holding the ball extended and after coming in contact with the ball, it cam out.

Definately not a TD

He didn't drop the ball. It came out when he went to lift his body off the ground with the ball.

Clearly the motion of "going to the ground" was over.

 

[theogt]

I don't know what the rule says.

Well, unless we know the technical wording of the rule, it's hard to say. I've found a pdf of the 2010 rulebook online, but you have to register for the site (and wait for a mod to confirm your registration) before you can download the file.

 

[Manwiththeplan]

He didn't drop the ball. It came out when he went to lift his body off the ground with the ball.

Clearly the motion of "going to the ground" was over.

to me (and probably the refs) it looked like one motion. He leap, twisting his body and kinda landed on one knee and the ball outstretched, bounced up and the ball was out. according to the rule it was the right call and Calvin Johnson clearly lost his focus cause all this could've been avoided

 

[ajk23az]

Mike Pererira (sp) came on the TV and said it was no catch. Year in, year out, we see a TD that gets called incomplete like this because they dont come to the ground with posession with the ball. Pretty easy call if you ask me...

 

[YosemiteSam]

Sorry but to me it was obviously not a TD

-He caught the ball
-Got both feet in bounds
-Fell to the ground
-dropped the ball

It's always been the rule that in the end zone or not, a player must keep control of the ball, if falling after making contact with the ground.

And please don't say he was "letting the ball go" as if he wanted to start his celebration.

He was falling with the hand holding the ball extended and after coming in contact with the ball, it cam out.

Definately not a TD

He turned over to get off the ground. That is when he let go of the ball. Your logic is flawed.

You a Bears fan? Sounds like it.

 

[UnoDallas]

Establishing posession is exactly what the rule is about and according to the rule it wasn't established.

Clarification needs to be made to the rule as far as how long this "process" goes on for.

What the Lion receiver did after he was down by contact had no bearing on his controlling the pass.

 

[Manwiththeplan]

He turned over to get off the ground. That is when he let go of the ball. Your logic is flawed.

You a Bears fan? Sounds like it.

sorry, it's like arguing the "tuck rule." you can say it's dumb, but you can't say it's wrong or the "logic is flawed."

 

[theogt]

Mike Pererira (sp) came on the TV and said it was no catch.

That leads me to believe that the correct call was a catch.

Year in, year out, we see a TD that gets called incomplete like this because they dont come to the ground with posession with the ball. Pretty easy call if you ask me...

I've never seen anything like this at all. A guy catches, has possession, is down in the endzone, then lets go of the ball as he's getting up. I've never seen that.

 

[theogt]

sorry, it's like arguing the "tuck rule." you can say it's dumb, but you can't say it's wrong or the "logic is flawed."

What's the the rule? How is it worded?

 

[Kevinicus]

No, you're wrong. The rule isn't about establishing possession, it's about "process" which is what makes this rule so stupid. (they even said this about 50 times during the game)

Establishing possession is a firm grasp on the ball and two feet in bounds. Established possession, is something he clearly had.

Established possession is how fumbles are determined.

No, according to the rule, if you go to the ground during the "process" of making a catch, possession isn't established unless you maintain control of the ball as you hit the ground, and after you hit the ground until you've made additional "move". So it is very clearly about what is required to establish possession, and what is required involves the "process."

And Johnson's rollover was a part of him going to the ground.

I agree it's pretty clear to anyone that he caught the ball, but the rule is flawed and caused the ruling on the field. They need to clarify when this "process" is complete, because theoretically it could go on forever.

 

[Kevinicus]

Johnson's roll over was a result of his falling backwards, not him trying to get up btw.

 

[WoodysGirl]

Like it or not, Megatron call was right

September, 12, 2010 Sep 12
5:21
PM ET

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By Kevin Seifert

I'm sorry to tell you this, Lions fans, but the call was 100 percent right based on NFL rules. In fact, the play is similar to the one we discussed last season in the Dirty Laundry feature that explained why Green Bay Packers receiver Greg Jennings lost a touchdown against the Chicago Bears. Again, here is the wording of the NFL rules that applies to both catches:

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 after he touches 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.

To their credit, the Lions mostly agreed.

"The rule is if you are going to the ground in the process of making the catch, you need to finish with the football," coach Jim Schwartz said. "And we didn't finish with the football."

Johnson was less diplomatic but ultimately didn't challenge it.

"We have to move past it," Johnson said. "Can't do nothing about the call. I'm not saying nothing about the referees or nothing like that. It is what it is."

Read more: http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcnorth/post/_/id/16142/like-it-or-not-megatron-call-was-right

 

[IowaCowboyFan]

Lions fans deserve an apology from the NFL.

unfortunately for the lions an appology doesnt put a w in the category that counts

 

[Bob Sacamano]

So was he forced out?

 

[Kevinicus]

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 after he touches 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.

Like I said, the rule needs to be clarified, as it's worded he could hit the ground, lay there for 30 seconds and then let go of the ball and going by the words in the rule it's incomplete. There is no distinct cutoff of when it's okay to lose control. Though there is probably more to the rule than what that article quoted.

 

[Everson24]

How was this play any different than the INT that Troy Polamalu dropped when trying to get up against the Colts in the 2005 playoff game? At the time they called it incomplete just as they did with the catch today but then the NFL came out later and said they blew the call and that it should have been a catch and then a fumble. I'm confused to say the least.