What makes a catch a catch in football plus some compliance stuff

Before I do what I get paid to do, I have to explain to you why I was screaming out Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth last night as they were mangling the NFL Rule Book. Simply put, Zack Ertz clearly made a catch when he scored the go ahead touchdown against the Patriots last night in what I consider the most entertaining Super Bowl I’ve ever watched.

There actually is a compliance component here. The NFL Rule Book is more complicated than the criminal code but refs are expected to make split second decisions in front of packed stadiums and about half a billion people watching on TV.

Here’s the allegedly controversial play. If you watch it you will see Ertz catches the ball, takes a step and a half and then dives into the end zone. Here how Rule 8-1-3 defines a catch: “A player who makes a catch may advance the ball. A forward pass is complete (by the offense) or intercepted (by the defense) if a player, who is inbounds: (a) secures control of the ball in his hands or arms prior to the ball touching the ground; and (b) touches the ground inbounds with both feet or with any part of his body other than his hands; and (c) maintains control of the ball after (a) and (b) have been fulfilled, until he has the ball long enough to clearly become a runner. A player has the ball long enough to become a runner when, after his second foot is on the ground, he is capable of avoiding or warding off impending contact of an opponent, tucking the ball away, turning up field, or taking additional steps.”

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