Video: Tony Romo Said That Was a Catch; I Agree

[Flamma]

To me this is spot on, either its a in bound catch with control through out the out of bounds fall ..OR its a catch in bounds with a football move and anything about the ball now becomes down or a fumble..it can not be a catch in bounds a football move and no control through the tackle/out of bounds fall....it cant be both.

Right. He caught the ball. Got several feet down. This wasn't a case where he was diving for the ball and it came out as he hit the ground. Which is pretty much what the rule was intended to cover.

For example. These are the plays this rule was supposed to cover.



Not this.



That was an embarrassment. Those refs should never see the field again.

 

[Aerolithe_Lion]

Again though would that not be a judgment call on a football move in bounds? Thats what I'm saying, to me the rule has to read if there was a football move then it nulifies whether what happens next is a drop because its a fumble at that point. Now if we are arguing wether it was a football move thats a diferent conversation.

but this will really trip you out:

because of something you said here; I would have called it a catch on the field despite everything I’ve argued thus far in this thread that the refs got it right and the rule properly says it wasn’t a catch

 

[speedkilz88]

The reason it wasn’t called catch is the original rule stated that if you’re falling down during the act of securing a catch, you then must maintain possession through hitting the ground.

Dez caught the ball and started lunging toward the end zone, and the refs interpreted that as going to the ground even though it took a few steps to get there as he was no longer upright. The ball then hit the ground as he went down and popped out of his hand.

What the board did 3 years later was lessen that part of the rule. So they thought it should be a catch moving forward, but it wasn’t viewed as a catch in the old rule. The refs weren’t crooked, the rule book was flawed for not allowing ref interpretation of what Dez was attempting (controlled fall vs loss of balance).

You are confusing the endzone rule they came up with that was used against Calvin Johnson. Dez was running in the field of play and even switched the ball from one hand to the other.

 

[Aerolithe_Lion]

You are confusing the endzone rule they came up with that was used against Calvin Johnson.

The rule is in the rulebook for all scenarios, not just endzone

 

[shabazz]

That was an embarrassment. Those refs should never see the field again.

Probably on the NFL Rules Commitee if I had to guess

 

[DogFace]

Upright is implied when there is a rule about when you are not upright, ie. Falling

There was nothing in the rules saying you had to be upright to establish yourself as a runner.

Regardless, I argue he became a runner just before he brought it to his right shoulder.

Later I’ll try to find Blandino’s prior explanation in that Giants game when he said “he doesn’t matter that he’s going to the ground because he’s already established himself as s runner”

You’ll be able to see in the video that the player had not done as much as Dez did before falling.

 

[speedkilz88]

The rule is in the rulebook for all scenarios, not just endzone

You are confusing a rule that was made because there isn't a runner. In Dez's case he was a runner.

 

[McKDaddy]

Regardless, I argue he became a runner just before he brought it to his right shoulder.

There was a replay where you could see Dez's eyes move down & then toward the endzone. It was clear he knew had the ball & was assessing the player at his feet and what he could \ couldn't do as a runner.

 

[Aerolithe_Lion]

You are confusing a rule that was made because there isn't a runner. In Dez's case he was a runner.

They’re saying because he was going to the ground he was no longer a runner

 

[speedkilz88]

They’re saying because he was going to the ground he was no longer a runner

He clearly made possession - steps including switching hands a football move before diving towards the endzone - another football move. Which is why you are trying to use the wrong rule.

 

[nalam]

But there was no reasonable basis for saying he went down as part of making the catch. He caught the ball in the air above his head, brought it down & shifted the ball and clearly turned his attention to not just going down in the tangle with the defender but to plant his leg & lunge toward the goal. All of which negate any basis for the requirement to maintain control. The catch, control & football move were all in place.

A few days after the game, I was discussing with some guys who thought the ruling was correct. So, I asked them if everything had happened the same except as Dez extended the ball the defender swiped the ball loose would they not have ruled it a catch & fumble? After considering, they all agreed it would have been ruled a catch & fumble.

It was a horrible injustice. Simple as that. The whole period where the league couldn't define & consistently what constituted a catch was a embarrassment.

I rest my case.. if he didnt shift the ball from one hand to another , I would agree going to ground with the catch unfinished .. since he moved the ball with full possession and lunged for the goal line , at that point the catch was done .

 

[CowboyFrog]

I rest my case.. if he didnt shift the ball from one hand to another , I would agree going to ground with the catch unfinished .. since he moved the ball with full possession and lunged for the goal line , at that point the catch was done .

Yes it was either a football move and out of bounds with posession, or it wasn't and incomplete...can not be both.

 

[Aerolithe_Lion]

He clearly made possession - steps including switching hands a football move before diving towards the endzone - another football move. Which is why you are trying to use the wrong rule.

What makes it the wrong rule? The red at the time said it was the right rule. The head of officiating later said it was the right rule. The NFL itself never came out and condemned the call, instead choosing to change the rule later to make sure future plays aren’t called the same. Both the people who make the rule and the people who enforce the rule said it’s the right rule.

 

[Silly]

It was a catch, fumble, and recovery.

 

[CowboyFrog]

It was a catch, fumble, and recovery.

well actually it should be a catch and down at the 1 inch line as the ground cant cause a fumble.

 

[CWR]

Me too. I agree completely. Where the Cowboys lost that game was when they were up 10-7 and Murray fumbled it going through a huge hole near mid field. Dallas was starting to take control of that game like they've been doing all season. It would have been 17-7 and the avalanche was in motion. Same process in all of their wins. But that fumble changed everything. Packers still had 4 minutes left, I'm sure they would have scored again.

Yup we were about to lite them up, and Murray killed us. It's always been our best players taking turns blowing it since the Romo years.

 

[goshan]

This is the rulebook for 2014:

https://operations.nfl.com/images/content/rules/2014rulebook.pdf

Section 8:


Item 1: Player Going to the Ground. 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 throughout the process of contacting 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.



it’s not a lie, it was in the rulebook just as stated.

the act of catching the pass was over because he made a football move and had two feet down.

 

[CWR]

the act of catching the pass was over because he made a football move and had two feet down.

The ball never touched the ground either.

 

[Whirlwin]

This is why you can't snub Romo from the HOF. He got snubbed.

He doesn’t have the credentials he didn’t get snubbed , he just doesn’t belong. Do you really believe he’s one of the greatest of all time

 

[Whirlwin]

Catch or no catch, Romo isn't getting into the Hall, and neither will Dak. At least Dak has a few more years left to try and accomplish something.

Even if Prescott gets a ring. I don’t believe he should go down as one of the greatest of all time. Even if the numbers say so. I’m not sure Eli meaning ever gets in