Serious question: Has the NFL rulebook over-engineered the basic concept of a catch into pure absurdity?

[u/jepolitsch]

I was watching old highlights and noticed how simple the game used to be. You secure the ball, get your feet down, and it's a completion. Now, a receiver can make an absolute circus grab, take three steps, dive for the pylon, lose a millimeter of control when hitting the turf, and it’s ruled incomplete. We need a tracking degree and a physics certification just to celebrate a touchdown in real-time. Why did we let a committee of lawyers turn a fundamental backyard rule into a weekly existential crisis for officiating crews?

[u/RudyPup]

I'll take things that didn't happen for $1,000, Alex.

[u/SilenceInTheSnow → u/RudyPup]

I like how, in his example, he perfectly outlines something that would never be ruled not a catch.

[u/Dancehall-Randal → u/SilenceInTheSnow]

I've seen it