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Billy_T
Simplify. None is this ridiculous division about being a runner versus a receiver.
If a player has control of the football when he breaks the plane of the goal line, it's a TD, and the ground can't cause a "fumble" or an incomplete. It should be judged based on control in the moment of crossing that plane.
It gets trickier with sideline catches, but I still think it should be about where the ball is when he crosses that boundary, too, not what happens afterwards. To me, it shouldn't matter if the receiver isn't in absolute control of the football throughout the entire process, as long as it doesn't hit the ground. And this isn't some Olympic scoring event, with deductions taken for the slightest imperfection. It's football. Does the player have the ball when he crosses the boundary or not? It's catch if he does. If it doesn't hit the ground, and the player has the ball in any way -- it doesn't have to be perfect from A to Z -- it's a catch.
I think as the NFL has evolved, it's been too clever for its own good in many ways. And I also think this actually makes the players less safe. Put too fine a point on any of these rules, and you actually encourage more vicious shots to separate the player from the ball even after he's already really made the catch.
Just my take. I think the two calls in favor of the Eagles were the right calls.
Best,
Laram
