VP of officials defends Bryant catch reversal
The NFL vice president of officiating tried to pacify the masses complaining about Sunday’s Dez Bryant catchthatwasn’t, saying the rule is “clear.”
Dean Blandino doubled down on the controversial reversal call he and Gene Steratore made that negated a tumbling catch and 31yard gain. The Cowboys would have been on the Packers’ 1yard line with 4:42 left and on the verge of scoring to leapfrog Green Bay. Instead, it was a turnover on downs and Green Bay survived, 2621.
“Is Bryant going to the ground to make the catch?” Blandino said Monday on Pro Football Talk’s “PFT Live.” “It’s clear. He’s stumbling. ... Then we have to look to see, does the ball touch the ground? Which it clearly did, and it came loose after it touched the ground. ... The last part, which was discussed, is did he make a football move? ... Looking at it, he didn’t.”
The rule Blandino references states a receiver must “maintain control of the ball throughout the process of contacting the ground.” After Bryant’s vault over Sam Shields, he tumbled forward three steps as he was falling. When he hit the ground, so did the ball, which popped slightly in the air.
“There’s judgment involved in all of these plays,” Blandino said. “We felt it was indisputable that [Bryant hadn’t made a ‘football move’]. He was just trying to gain control of it.”
Blandino would cop to one officiating error on the play, though it hardly will mollify Dallas fans: After the review, time should have been added to the clock.
“There should have been time back on the clock because by rule when the pass is incomplete it stops the clock and some time did go off the clock before [Packers] coach [Mike] McCarthy challenged it,” Blandino said.
After the reversal, Bryant was stunned — “C’mon man,” he said. “I think it was a catch. They took it away.” — as were millions of viewers, which has put a microscope on officiating for the second straight week. The Cowboys, ironically, were rescued in the wildcard round when they benefited from a controversial overturned pass interference penalty in the closing minutes against Detroit.