The NFL has a catch rule problem. And, as it does with plenty of other issues, the NFL seems to be content to ignore it. Or to claim that there\u2019s no problem at all.<\/p>\n
Via Mark Maske of the Washington Post, \u201cThe NFL and competition committee believe the catch rule is \u2018pretty clear<\/a>\u2019 . . . and are not planning to make major offseason changes to it, although an individual team could make a proposal.\u201d<\/p>\n That said, Maske adds that the league and\/or the Competition Committee \u201cmay take steps to provide clarity about in-game rulings and improve the widespread understanding of the rule.\u201d<\/p>\n The problem isn\u2019t the rule. It\u2019s the application of it. The three current problems, as explained here<\/a> on Tuesday, are these: (1) the taking of a third step to complete the process has caused the league to ignore the other ways of doing so (extending the ball forward, taking an additional step, avoiding or warding off an opponent, or having possession long enough to do any of those things); (2) the explanation of the Aaron Rodgers catch<\/a> on December 7 conflicts with the standard that was applied on Saturday to Bills receiver Brandin Cooks; and (3) the replay process is too vague and (to use the term uttered by Kyle Brandt on NFL Network the day after the Bills-Broncos game) \u201cOrwellian.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s like the legal system. The legislature creates the rules. The courts apply them. And the court \u2014 the league office and its team of referees and replay officials \u2014 has not been applying the rule as written and\/or crafting standards aimed more at concealing errors and less at ensuring consistency. In the Cooks play, the process failed to entail sufficient transparency as to the application of the rule.<\/p>\n