P-F10: Week 3 NFL Bonus Results - Catch?

Is this a catch?



The refs say no. You say...

• YES. ANo - Northmen: It was totally a catch, give me a break. Hey Ref...TSO...TSO...TSO! (TSO... nice. +2)
• ???. - GN - Ferments-A-Lot: This crap is exactly why I wish the NFL had instant replay. Oh wait. (How do I objectively score myself? +2)
• NO.  KW - The Swinging Richards: OK, here's the deal, CJ should have focused a little more on showing off how awesome he catch the ball by show boating the ball over his head in his hand instead of just dropping it and running off.  This is the NFL, you have rules to follow, you have to do everything you can and give every effort to do what you can to demonstrate that you maintained control throughout the play.  Others in the league should learn from CJ's mistake.  Incomplete. (Kyle hates showboating, but you should see him dance after breaking wind... no wait, that's me. +2)
• NO. DW - Bevo XIV: No catch according to the rule.  However, the rule should be changed.  Hedging I know, it hearkens back to the 2008 BCS, the rules were the rules.  The problem in that case wasn't the rule (as it wasn't changed) it was stupid voters in other time zones who ranked OU higher than Texas for no defensible reason.  But I digress... (Digressing is encouraged here. +2)
• YES. KH - Smokey's Bandits: Undoubtedly (... and Kirby is a lawyer, so he's an expert in doubt. +2)
• YES. WH - The Cheerios: Yes.  The ref smells worse than my post-pear poopy diaper. (What about the post-prune ones? +2)
• N/A. KZ - Duffy: The link does not work! So, plus 3 for me 0 for you right?? (You gotta copy/paste it into the address bar. +1 for laziness)
• YES. CCa - Novacain: He clearly demonstrates possession, he's in bounds, then he's down.  Then the ball comes out.  If this were in the middle of the field we'd hear "the ground can't cause a fumble" and he'd be ruled down.  Leave it to the Lions to find a new way to win.  I'm sure Rich was surprised by none of this. (Pretty spot on, including the Rich part, IMHO. +2)
• YES. KS - Large Donkey Circus: Catch 22 (+2 for creativity... at least I'm assuming.)
• N/A. JH - Nothing to Lose: No answer (...no points. +0)
• ???. GF - Kentucky Snowman: If I watch it in slo mo it looks like a catch but watch it in real time it is a dropped ball. In real time the roll over is a continued momentum and he then lost control of the ball.  NO TD.  CJ has been in the league long enough to know "SECURE THE BALL".  He didn't do it no TD. EVEN THOUGH HE PROBABLY CAUGHT IT.  HIS DUMB@SS SHOWBOATING COST A TOUCHDOWN. (ALRIGHT. +2)
• YES. A-C - The Nine-Five: Yes. The fix was in. (Vegas runs everything in sports. +2)
• YES. CCo - Beelzebubbles: The answer is yes. I have no Air conditioner and so Its real hard for me to think....have mercy (Hot. +2)
• NO. DC - Cacti3: After seeing this a bunch of times -at first it looked like a catch -but now i say no. (After seeing it a bunch of times, the replay officials also agree with you. +2)
• YES- DD - Dave's Bonus: Duh! of course it's a catch, but they didn't take it away because of the rule.  They took it away because he plays for Detroit. (which is totally valid in my mind. +2)
• ???. CG - 13 National Championships: Total catch but rules are rules son!!! Now if that was Colston and my Saints that got f'd, I'd go postal... (I'm confused if the catch or the rules are the answer. Either way, I like this answer. +2)
• YES. JM - The Red Raiders: YES (+1)
• YES. JB - Pimp Possee: yes (+1)
• YES. JN - Naked Bootleggers: Of course that is a catch! Two hands controlling the ball while two feet down and then after his flop he had a knee down while still controlling the ball, with an impressive palming.  It was only after he was on on the ground that he let go of the ball to celebrate. (I am pretty jealous of the palming skeelz actually. +2)
• NO. MN - Football is Fun: Obviously not.  he didn't maintain control when he hit the ground. (Tell that to KH, lawyer in training. +2)
• NO. ANe - Accidental Champs: No Catch. The refs got it right, Calvin Johnson was just trying to play it off because he knows the ground knocked the ball out of his hand. (I'm positive that it crossed his mind. +2)
• YES. MF - One Man Wolfpack: Definitely, I can't view it but I take it this is the Calvin Johnson play? (Good guess. +2)
• YES. Lo - WhooDat4Life: Clearly a catch was made but he got up too damn quickly to celebrate.  He deserved the TD but I guess there's some karma involved LOL. (If he had only rubbed the Buddha belly more. +2)
• NO. AP - Gig'em: I wish they would have counted it as a catch...he clearly made the catch and had control. BUT...according to the rules...it's not. Even the Lions agree that it was NOT a catch based on the rule book. They need to change the rule book. I know that's what everyone is saying...but it's true. (So I'm going to count this in the NO column. +2)

There really was no way that Rich was not going to "win" this bonus question. I wrote it with him in mind.

• YES. RK - BlitzKrieg: Absolutely a catch and a misapplication or poor interpretation of the rule.  Rule 8, Section 1, Article 3, Item 1 of the NFL Rule Book states:
  “if a player goes to the ground in the act of catching a pass (with or without contact with an opponent), he must maintain control of the ball after he touches the ground, whether in the field of play or the end zone. If he loses control of the ball, and the ball touches the ground before he regains control, the pass is incomplete. If he regains control prior to the ball touching the ground, the pass is complete.” 
  Calvin caught the ball with two hands, planted two feet, palmed it in his right hand while showing the side judge who then declares a touchdown, landed on his ass cheek, sorted his mail, baked a cake, put his left wrist down, then goes to push himself up with the ball (that is still palmed in his right hand), whereupon he leaves the ball on the ground as he tries to find a teammate to celebrate with.  Perhaps he should have been more selfish like Terrell Owens or Chad Johnson and attempted some silly dance or other convoluted celebration.  I prefer handing the ball to the ref as Barry used to do, but considering the importance of the play and the excitement of the moment, I can understand wanting to celebrate with teammates immediately.  I would also like to mention that the arrogance of the competition committee -- Bill Polian specifically -- in the aftermath of this travesty of justice was disgusting.  If you haven't seen the NFL Total Access interview yet, it is worth a watch. Rich Eisen subtly shows what a mockery the rule is with video clips of other supposed applications of R8S1A3I1.  Good man that Eisen. (+3)

Catch pie