The Lions got screwed

[tiny tim]

I heard this game on the Lions radio network. One of the guys on the Lions radio network kept saying this is a touchdown and the play was under review. Later I sorta saw the play, but I want to get a better look at it.

 

[theogt]

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.

Okay, let's break this down into two parts. There is the blue part of the rule and there is the red part of the rule.

The red part of the rule ONLY applies if the player "loses control of the ball." So the question is, at what point did he "maintain control of the ball?" And did he not cross that point before he "lost control of the ball" when he let it go?

The answers to these questions ARE NOT addressed by this wording of the rule (I doubt it is the exact wording of the rule, but rather is simply ripped from NFL.com which only contains summaries). Thus, you CANNOT logically declare with certainty that, based on the mechanical wording of the rule, the call was correct.

Let's throw out an example. Say a player catches the ball in the endzone. While catching the ball, the ball itself never touches the ground, but the player goes to the ground in the process and lays on his back. He lays there for 30 seconds with possession of the ball. Then let's say he rolls over and lets go of the ball while rolling over, did he "maintain possession?"

If you answer, "yes" then what happens if he lays there for only 3 seconds? Does he maintain possession? One second? Ten seconds? At what point does the player "maintain possession" of the ball?

At this point, there is a subjective judgment inserted into the rule that will be based on the official's observations. We've crossed beyond pure, mechanical application of the rule to the facts. And when you're crossing into "subjective determinations" you have to ask things like, would most people think he had possession?

Obviously, here most people would agree that he had possession of the ball and only lost the ball after getting up off the ground. There's no rule that he has to get up off the ground and maintain possession. He simply has to maintain possession after hitting the ground. And I think any reasonable observer would say that he did.

 

[rkell87]

http://www.nfl.com/videos/detroit-lions/09000d5d81a77070/Controversial-call-on-Megatron-non-TD

 

[rkell87]

he caught the ball with 2 hands, got both feet down, then palmed the ball straight out in one hand, hit the ground, then swung his hand with the ball to the ground and when the ball hit the ground it squirted out.

IMO him holding the ball out in one hand after catching it with two shows the 'football move' they always talk about when determining a catch by a receiver. at that point the play is over idc what the rule says

 

[Dodger]

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

100% correct.

What a terrible call...

 

[UnoDallas]

http://www.nfl.com/videos/detroit-lions/09000d5d81a77070/Controversial-call-on-Megatron-non-TD

it was a TD IMO

 

[Dodger]

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.

For how long? Ten minutes?

This is where I have a problem with the ruling. Johnson clearly caught the ball, fell to the ground, rolled, and in the process of getting up released the ball, but here's the thing: it all happened so fast that it may initially appear that he didn't have possession, but he did.

What's funny is the parts in bold actually support a ruling of a TD.

First, Johnson had control of the ball after touching the ground. The rule doesn't, as far as I know, say that he must maintain control for at least 1 second or half a second or 1.034 seconds. It just says maintain control, which he did, and he was on his way to his feet when he tossed it.

Second, he never "lost control" of the ball. He tossed it. Clearly.

Sorry, Kevin, you're wrong.

 

[kmp77]

They just showed the same play in the Super Bowl...guess what...THAT one was a TD!!!!

 

[Kevinicus]

For how long? Ten minutes?

This is where I have a problem with the ruling. Johnson clearly caught the ball, fell to the ground, rolled, and in the process of getting up released the ball, but here's the thing: it all happened so fast that it may initially appear that he didn't have possession, but he did.

What's funny is the parts in bold actually support a ruling of a TD.

First, Johnson had control of the ball after touching the ground. The rule doesn't, as far as I know, say that he must maintain control for at least 1 second or half a second or 1.034 seconds. It just says maintain control, which he did, and he was on his way to his feet when he tossed it.

Second, he never "lost control" of the ball. He tossed it. Clearly.

Sorry, Kevin, you're wrong.

He didn't "toss" it. He used his hand (with the ball in it) to brace himself as he rolled over and when the ball hit the ground it came loose.

 

[Hyperion]

Terrible call. It's simply not impossible for the ball to have been in his possession from where he originally caught the ball to where it came free. If he didn't have control, the ball would have came out much sooner.

 

[CowboysFanSince88]

This will catch up with the Bears next week