![Jesse James, tight end for the Pittsburgh Steelers, was a victim of the NFL catch rule in 2017 [Image via Jeffrey Beall/Wikimedia]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2018/3/20/660x290/b_502x220x82/jesse-james-tight-end-for-the-pittsburgh-steelers-was-a-victim-of-the-nfl-catch-rule-in-2017-image-via-jeffrey-beallwikimedia_1896429.jpg "Jesse James, tight end for the Pittsburgh Steelers, was a victim of the NFL catch rule in 2017 [Image via Jeffrey Beall/Wikimedia]")
The National Football League (NFL) Catch Rule has become one of the most publicly ridiculed rules in the NFL rulebook. The rule has been talked about by many coaches, players and fans alike and the message is clear: everyone wants a catch rule that has no implications of controversy. Everyone wants to clearly know what constitutes a catch and what does not.
With the NFL rules committee proposing a change to the catch rule, the league is now one step closer to finding a solution to the obvious problem. With the new provisions to the rule, Pittsburgh Steeler Jesse James's touchdown catch that was reversed against the New England Patriots last season would have counted and Dallas Cowboy Dez Bryant's infamous catch in 2014 that was called back would have also been upheld.
According to the Washington Post, rule-change proposals, such as this one, must be approved by at least 24 of the 32 teams before it becomes official.
What are the proposed rule changes?
According to the Washington Post, there are two provisions in the rule book that the NFL plans to remove to add more clarity to the catch rule. The committee plans to propose the removal of the provisions related to the receiver going to the ground with the football and to the slight movement of the football in the receiver's hands.
Both of these changes will help officials consistently make the right call when it comes to whether or not a receiver made a catch.
With these two proposals in effect, the requirements for a catch will be that the receiver must gain control of the football while in bounds and officials will be instructed to define a time element of the catch, but it will apply to all receivers, whether they are standing up or falling to the ground in the process of the catch.
Another big change that was proposed by the committee, according to ESPN, was a change to the replay process. It was determined that some of the problems in the past arose from the inconsistent interpretation of a certain part of the rulebook that states that to overturn a call on the field, evidence must be "clear and obvious", according to the wording in the 2017 NFL rule book.
A change of that wording, which the vice president of the NFL has suggested, would clarify when it is appropriate to overturn a call.
What will this rule change do for the NFL?
This is a big-time rule change suggested by the NFL and could impact the game starting next season. Hopefully, this change will lead to players and coaches not having to question what a catch is and fans will not be left frustrated after feeling like their team was robbed by the infamous catch rule.
The provisions that could be taken out of the rule book add much-needed clarity to the rule and will help officials stay more consistent from game to game.
There are no guarantees as to what changes this rule change will bring, but it seems to clarify what a catch is in the NFL, which, at the very least, is a step in the right direction.
