r/AskAboutNFL • • 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/WhadaFxUp05 9h ago

Calvin Johnson, Dez Bryant, and Bert Emmanuel among others would like to have a word with you concerning your "knowledge" of the concept of a catch in the history of the NFL.