The 2017 NFL season will be remembered for a lot of different things, but one of the more prevalent, negative things that we will most remember is the inconsistency in determining what a Catch is.
In a year with controversial calls seemingly every week, the Buffalo Bills-Jacksonville Jaguars brought us another debatable call that was not consistent with what has been called all season. With Buffalo moving down the field to tie the game with under a minute remaining in the game, Jalen Ramsey caught an interception off of Nathan Peterman to seal the game for the Jaguars, but looking at the replay of the catch, the call should not have stood.
Jalen Ramsey interception on the replay.. call on field stood but was it the right decision? #BUFvsJAX pic.twitter.com/gNvB02uzC8
— Snack Time Fantasy (@Snack_TimeFS) January 7, 2018
Based on the rules and how plays have been called this year, this should not have been a catch. The Rule is not the problem and has not been the problem this season. The problem is the inconsistencies with the calls. If the NFL isn't going to actively change the rules for what defines a catch, then they need to stay consistent.
What is a catch?
To understand what the NFL defines a catch, then we need to look at what the rulebook says, namely the rule that describes the process of a player going to the ground.
The rule essentially states that if a receiver does not become a runner, then he must survive the ground and the ball can't come loose.
If the ball comes loose as the receiver hits the ground and they lose possession of the ball, if the ball hits the ground, then it is an incomplete pass.
Based on this rule, the Jalen Ramsey interception should have been overturned.
A couple of other plays this season have brought this rule to fruition. The game-winning touchdown to Brandin Cooks in the New England Patriots win over the Houston Texans was the first big one.
The call stood after review.
The Jesse James catch that would have been the potential game-winner was overturned after review, that led to the Patriots beating the Pittsburgh Steelers.
This isn't the first year of the rule, but it is one of the biggest years the rule has caused problems with NFL fans.
History of the rule
As the game has evolved, many more people have spoken out in their disdain to the rule that has come with it.
Historically, this rule has caused much outrage among NFL fans, the first and most notable overturned catch being Calvin Johnson's touchdown in week one of the 2010 season.
One of the other infamous overturned catches in NFL history was the Dez Bryant catch on January 11, 2015, that took away a potential divisional round win for the Dallas Cowboys over the Green Bay Packers.
There were other instances the rule has caused problems with NFL fans, but these were by far the most talked about.
What the NFL should do
Be consistent. The problem isn't the rule, the problem is that there isn't consistency. The rule is clear enough, so the referees need to make sure they make the calls that correspond to this rule.
There wouldn't be as much outrage or backlash if they were consistently making the same call.
The only other thing to do is get rid of that part of the rule altogether, which will likely not happen. All I know is that something needs to be done because all the rule has done is cause problems to this point.
