Should Calvin Johnson's Catch Have Been a Touchdown? It is the biggest question of the day and there is no shortage to the arguments.
Many have already stated the rule and agreed that it was actually not a catch by official NFL rules. The rule that keeps being stated goes as followed .... "A player is in possession when he is in firm grip and control of the ball in bounds. To gain possession of a loose ball that has been caught, intercepted or recovered, a player must have complete control of the ball and have both feet completely on the ground in bounds or any other part of his body, other than his hands, on the ground in bounds. If the player loses the ball while simultaneously touching both feet or any other part of his body to the ground or if there is any doubt that the acts were simultaneous, there is no possession."
According to the written rule, some are saying that Calvin Johnson needed to have control of the ball after falling to the ground for it to be a touchdown. I disagree!
According to NFL rules, if a receiver catches the ball and has control of the ball and takes two steps, or makes a football move with the ball, it is a reception. If he drops the ball after taking two steps, it is a fumble.
According to NFL rules, if a receiver catches the ball and runs with it and falls due to contact with a defending player, the ball is down where the ball is when he hits the ground. If he loses the ball when he hits the ground, it is still down because the ground cannot cause a fumble.
According to NFL rules, the ball only needs to cross the plain of the goal line while in possession of a player for it to be a touchdown. Even if it is knocked out of his hands afterwords! Because once the touchdown is made, the play is dead.
Now lets look at Calvin Johnson's catch.
Johnson was in the end-zone when he leaps backwards and catches the ball in the air. With clean control of the ball in two hands, Johnson comes down on one foot then a second foot. At this point, the ball is considered a reception. He is in the end-zone so it should be a touchdown. Play should be dead. Then his momentum causes him to fall backwards and he lands on his butt. Now holding the ball in one hand with a firm grip, if he wasn't down with the ball before, he is now. The buttocks is considered a part of the body that if it touches the ground while that player has possession of the ball, the player is considered to be down and the play is dead (If he fell due to contact from a defensive player). If the player falls on his own, he has the opportunity to get up and run, but either way, it is considered a reception. If he is in the end-zone, the result of the play is a touchdown. So Calvin Johnson had possession of the ball while putting two feet down. Then he still has possession of the ball when he falls on his butt. Touchdown! So it should have been.
In a continuous motion, the ball now in only one hand, Johnson spun around and hit the ball to the turf. His hand came away without the ball. This is the problem with the interpretation. Many are saying that the rule is saying that he has to have control of the ball after he hits the ground. However, the rule does NOT say that he has to have control after the BALL hits the ground. When Johnson got both feet on the ground, THAT was when he hit the ground. He had control of the ball at this time. IF that is not good enough, when Johnson fell to his butt, THAT would constitute him hitting the ground. He still had firm control of the ball.
Nowhere in the rule does it state that the receiver must have control of the ball after he hits the ground for the third time!
So by the written rule, the play should have been called a catch and a touchdown. The Lions should have won the game.
9/12/10
Detroit Lions Lose in Week One
Jahvid Best ran into two defenders at the goal line and was stopped dead in his tracks. As he fell along the goal line, he twisted around and the ball crossed the plain. It was Best's second touchdown of a game that the Detroit Lions lost 19 - 15.
With less than a minute to go and the Lions down by five points, Calvin Johnson made a leaping catch in the end-zone. With two hands having solid possession of the ball he came down with first one foot then a second. Still holding the ball cleanly with one hand, he fell to his butt. Than as he spun to his side, the hand holding the ball hit the ball to the turf and came away without the ball. With possession of the ball, Calvin Johnson got both feet down, and fell to his butt, yet because he hit the ball against the turf and then lost control of it, the replay official said it was NOT a touchdown. Instead of winning in the first week of the season, the Lions got a loss because of the worst rule in the history of sports.
According to the rule, to my understanding, a receiver must have control of the ball through the entire play. So even though he held clean possession of the ball far longer than a running back would have to when reaching the ball across the plain for a touchdown. Even though Calvin Johnson had possession much longer than a receiver would if he landed with two feet and spiked it to the turf, his reception was considered an incompletion.
Then after the replay official overturned the touchdown, the Lions came back with the same play and Calvin Johnson was literally mauled by the defense before the ball made it to him and no interference call was made.
Yet that is only one reason the fans have to be upset. In the first half the Lions offense was pitiful. The only touchdowns coming from being put in great field position after Bears turnovers. The offense never drove down the field for any points. Then late in the second quarter, Peppers broke free and hit Stafford from behind, driving him to the turf and injuring the Lions 2nd year quarterback. At this time there is no word as to how serious it is.
Then there is the play calling by the Lions offensive coordinator. It was seriously reminiscent to the days of Marriucci as the coach. Before the last drive where the Lions were ripped off by the refs, there was not one pass attempt to my memory that was more than ten yards down field. When the defense was stacked up on 3rd and short, they ran the ball up the middle and the Lions do not have the power to run up the middle behind an undersized line. There were a couple of quick slants called, and they worked well enough, but they did not go back to those very often. In short, the play calling did absolutely nothing to force the defense to back off in the least bit. The Bears played a tight short defense and came hard every play and Scott Linehan did not have the ingenuity to counter that.
After Matthew Stafford was injured, Shaun Hill was rendered useless. In fact he did not get more than one first down until the last drive when the Bears played bend but don't break defense to protect the lead. Though Jahvid Best had two touchdowns, he only had 20 yards rushing for the day because there simply was no place for him to go.
Yet after a very upsetting loss, there is something for the fans to be happy about. The Lions new and improved defense was nothing short of superb. With the offense putting the Lions defense in a bad field situation over and over again, the Lions defense only allowed 19 points and at one point stood up the Bears at the goal line. The Lions had four sacks on Cutler, all from the defensive linemen. Corey Hill, Ndamukong Suh, Sammie Lee Hill, and Turk McBride each had one sack. Along with the sacks, the Lions had 3 fumble recoveries and an interception.
With less than a minute to go and the Lions down by five points, Calvin Johnson made a leaping catch in the end-zone. With two hands having solid possession of the ball he came down with first one foot then a second. Still holding the ball cleanly with one hand, he fell to his butt. Than as he spun to his side, the hand holding the ball hit the ball to the turf and came away without the ball. With possession of the ball, Calvin Johnson got both feet down, and fell to his butt, yet because he hit the ball against the turf and then lost control of it, the replay official said it was NOT a touchdown. Instead of winning in the first week of the season, the Lions got a loss because of the worst rule in the history of sports.
According to the rule, to my understanding, a receiver must have control of the ball through the entire play. So even though he held clean possession of the ball far longer than a running back would have to when reaching the ball across the plain for a touchdown. Even though Calvin Johnson had possession much longer than a receiver would if he landed with two feet and spiked it to the turf, his reception was considered an incompletion.
Then after the replay official overturned the touchdown, the Lions came back with the same play and Calvin Johnson was literally mauled by the defense before the ball made it to him and no interference call was made.
Yet that is only one reason the fans have to be upset. In the first half the Lions offense was pitiful. The only touchdowns coming from being put in great field position after Bears turnovers. The offense never drove down the field for any points. Then late in the second quarter, Peppers broke free and hit Stafford from behind, driving him to the turf and injuring the Lions 2nd year quarterback. At this time there is no word as to how serious it is.
Then there is the play calling by the Lions offensive coordinator. It was seriously reminiscent to the days of Marriucci as the coach. Before the last drive where the Lions were ripped off by the refs, there was not one pass attempt to my memory that was more than ten yards down field. When the defense was stacked up on 3rd and short, they ran the ball up the middle and the Lions do not have the power to run up the middle behind an undersized line. There were a couple of quick slants called, and they worked well enough, but they did not go back to those very often. In short, the play calling did absolutely nothing to force the defense to back off in the least bit. The Bears played a tight short defense and came hard every play and Scott Linehan did not have the ingenuity to counter that.
After Matthew Stafford was injured, Shaun Hill was rendered useless. In fact he did not get more than one first down until the last drive when the Bears played bend but don't break defense to protect the lead. Though Jahvid Best had two touchdowns, he only had 20 yards rushing for the day because there simply was no place for him to go.
Yet after a very upsetting loss, there is something for the fans to be happy about. The Lions new and improved defense was nothing short of superb. With the offense putting the Lions defense in a bad field situation over and over again, the Lions defense only allowed 19 points and at one point stood up the Bears at the goal line. The Lions had four sacks on Cutler, all from the defensive linemen. Corey Hill, Ndamukong Suh, Sammie Lee Hill, and Turk McBride each had one sack. Along with the sacks, the Lions had 3 fumble recoveries and an interception.
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