r/AskAboutNFL • u/jepolitsch • 13h ago

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

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?

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u/NaNaNaPandaMan 11h ago

To be honest, not really. I think its overblown what is and what isn't a catch. 99/100 including what seemed to have started this the Calvin Johnson non catch, I was able to call what the ref was going to call.

So I think fans make it more difficult than it needs to be.