I’m not really sure where I stand on the NFL’s criteria for what makes a completed catch. I mean, if the guy has two feet inbounds and he has possession, that sounds like a catch to me. On the other hand, I understand that the way the rule is written now makes officiating the catch easier; the side judge doesn’t have to watch the guy’s feet and the ball at the same time. Which brings me to the “catch” by Raiders wideout Louis Murphy in the first half of last night’s game against the Chargers.
The league office issued a further clarification of its officials’ ruling on whether Murphy maintained possession of the ball. While Article 7 of the 2009 NFL Rule Book was applied in making the booth decision to reverse the touchdown, the NFL also is further citing its rule book for an explanation:
“Rule 8, Section 1, Article 3, Item 1 of the NFL Rule Book (page 51) states that ‘if a player goes to the ground in the act of catching a pass (with or without contact with an opponent), he must maintain control of the ball after he touches the ground, whether in the field of play or in 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.”‘ via.
Like I said, Murphy’s effort in the video above looks like a catch, but I get it. I can’t help but feel for Murphy, who took that ball to the sideline, thinking it was his first career TD. It’s that secret human side of me that I don’t show to anyone, except orphans and some kinds of wildlife.
