I heard someone say the other day that the problem is that with the stop action slo mo from several different angles, it really ruins the reality. Catching the ball has moved into the realm of perfection and theory like trying to figure out the exact speed of light.
Part of the solution is, perhaps, to ONLY look at some reviews (maybe all) from full speed. No slo mo. Because the game isn't played in slo mo and the refs can't call the game in slo mo.
But it's more than only the catch rule. Too much is being reviewed. And too many very dicey calls are being over turned by somebody sitting at a desk in New York. So the game officials are intentionally letting certain plays continue (such as fumble/no fumble) with the idea that instant replay will tell them the right answer. That's bad because the local officials have taken themselves out of the game for that play.
One of the issues is the controlling the ball to the ground rule. The rule is that no movement of the ball can occur when hitting the ground. Well, that's not really possible and it's not really the way it's called. So the issue becomes subjective: just how MUCH movement can a ball have and still be said to be under control? How LONG after hitting the ground does a player have to hold on to it? I've seen players catch a TD and within a few tenths of a second they are spiking the ball in celebration. I've also seen players dive for a catch, go sliding along the ground for as much as 2 or 3 seconds, holding control until the last instant when he hits an obstacle like a camera man and the ball moves. And then it's called no catch.
How about PI? The O has become adept at creating situations where PI is nearly impossible to avoid. And, we all know there's always contactbetween CB and Receiver. The issue is HOW much is too much? And it varies by ref and by circumstance. So should PI be reviewed?
Most calls except things like off sides, illegal procedure, delay of game, are by nature subjective and that's why we have refs.
There needs to be very few instances where replay is used and as of now there are way too many uses of it so the "catch rule" issue is just a symptom; not the problem.
Is the game better today with everything being reviewed? Not in my opinion. And the decision should never be out of the hands of the local game officials.
Is some review better than none at all? Perhaps. But only in very limited circumstances of scoring plays and turnovers. That's it. No more catch reviews at all except when scoring.
