Dolphins debate what constitutes a catch
Call against Jesse James in Steelers-Patriots game sparks discussion of rule, whether it should change.
Miami players react to play in which Pittsburgh’s Jesse James had touchdown reception voided.
DAVIE — It was, in the eyes of many who have eyes, the greatest theft involving Jesse James since, well, you know.
Of course we’re referring to James’ noncatch for a nontouchdown in last weekend’s Steelers-Patriots game. It will go down as the most controversial play of the year in the game of the year, one that will likely give the Patriots homefield advantage throughout the playoffs via their 27-24 victory.
Had Ben Roethlisberger’s pass to James, a tight end, survived a replay review, it would have given Pittsburgh a 30-27 lead (pending the extra point).
A slight wobble as the ball touched the ground was enough to nullify the score.
“It was a catch,” Dolphins receiver Jarvis Landry said. “And a touchdown.”
You must forgive Landry for being wrong in both cases. The NFL’s efforts to simplify what is and isn’t a catch have only managed to take something that should be black and white and make it 50 shades of gray.
What, exactly, is a catch? “I t ’s a good questi on,” Dolphins tight end Anthony Fasano said.
Fasano’s good answer? “Catching the ball and getting at least two feet down and securing the ball all the way to the end of the play,” he said. “I guess.”
Kenny Stills, care to take a shot?
“Yeah,” Stills said. “I have an understanding of what it is.”
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“C o n t r o l l i n g t h e b a l l through the ground,” he said. “I don’t necessarily agree with the rule, but the rule’s a rule.”
Not every rule is necessarily a good one, and Peter King’s Monday Morning Quarterback reported there could be an overhaul this offffffffffffseason of the rule most likely to have TV analysts looking stupid by trying to predict the outcome of replay reviews.
“It seems the only people who don’t know what a catch is when they see it are NFL offifficials and the league’s overcomplicating rules-makers,” MMQB wrote. “Time to bring some subjectivity back into the issue and let the offifficials use their common sense. ...
“In the process of administrating the rules like they’re the tax code, the NFL found a way to screw that up.”
In James’ case, he had possession of the ball and broke the plane of the goal line. That part isn’t in dispute. It’s what came next — going to the ground — where the problem arose.
In Landry’s mind, anything that happened after the plane was broken shouldn’t matter.
“Once the ball breaks the plane, it’s automatically a touchdown,” he argued, making the same point Stills would like to see implemented.
Landry mentioned other notorious “is it a catch or isn’t it?” controversies involving Calvin Johnson and Dez Bryant and added, “It’s something that I don’t know if we have a true grasp on it, as far as refereeing it, but it never seems to work out in the receiver’s favor, ever.”
James didn’t lose the ball after he hit the ground, but several members of the Dolphins, including offensive c oordi nator Clyde Chri stensen, broadened the discussion to include players who do fumble while extending for the end zone.
Instead of a touchdown, Oakland quarterback Derek Carr last week conceded a touchback thanks to such a move.
Christensen said the Dolphins are coached not to try such a maneuver.
“It just kind of comes natural to take the thing and reach it out,” Christensen said. “But especially in traffific, it’s extremely risky. That’s a hard teach, but it is a teach that we say, ‘Hey, in traffiffic, don’t reach the ball out. Just try to get it in there, and if not, we’ll get it in the next play.’ There’s some catastrophes that can happen from that thing.”
For athletes as competitive as NFL players, once they get within sniffiffing distance of the end zone, it must be tempting to extend the ball.
“Ye a h , b u t i t ’s a t e a m sport,” Stills said. “Not saying that people that do that aren’t team players, but if you’re coached on a point like that, it becomes a selfifish play if you decide you want to do that because you want the touchdown or you want to be the playmaker.
“It’s part of any other job in any other business: If your boss is telling you, ‘Don’t do this’ or ‘Do do this,’ you’ve got to follow those rules if you want to be successful in a team atmosphere.”
The exception, Stills said, is when you’re down to your last gasp, such as when it’s fourth down or time is about to expire and you essentially have nothing to lose.
James’ play came on fifirst down with 34 seconds left. Denied the score, Roethlisberger then threw a short completion, then an ill-advised interception in traffiffic with fifive seconds left.
We’ll soon know if that replay review is as crucial a s a not her bre a k i n New England’s favor: the “Tuck Rule” game in which the Patriots edged the Raiders 16-13 on a Tom Brady nonfumble in the 2001 playoffs. New England went on to win the Super Bowl.
Perhaps Landry also had the Tuck Rule game in mind when he made a wisecrack about how last weekend’s replay ruling worked out:
“You’re playing the Patriots,” Landry said with a grin. “Whatcha think?”