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to me that’s still significant. and it’s definitely a factor. and i still think it’s a conservative estimate.
Board wars like this one are always so tragic.
Completed catch origins
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/15382/morning-ram-blings-completed-catch-origins
Much of the discussion coming out of the NFL divisional playoff rounds this morning will center on the fourth-and-2 catch and subsequent non-catch by Dallas Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant in the closing moments of their loss to the Green Bay Packers.
For the few who might have missed it, the ruling on the field was that Bryant made the catch and was down at the 1-yard line. But Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy challenged the ruling with the idea that Bryant did not control the ball all the way through his landing on the ground. Indeed, the replay showed the ball hitting the ground as Bryant came down.
A huge play was overturned and the Packers ran out the clock to seal the win.
Of course, there was immediately plenty of outrage about the call and whether you agree with it or not, the debate isn’t so much about the call as it is the rule. Our resident officiating expert is NFL Nation columnist Kevin Seifert, who immediately filed some thoughts on the call.
No matter what side of the fence you fall on that debate, there’s no doubt that it will bring plenty of scrutiny to a rule that actually dates to the St. Louis Rams’ run to the Super Bowl XXXIV championship back in 1999-2000.
In that NFC Championship Game, the Rams were on the ropes against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. As Tampa tried to drive for the potential winning points, an apparent 13-yard completion to receiver Bert Emanuel would have given the Bucs a first down at the Rams’ 22. But a review came down from the replay booth and it was determined that the nose of the ball touched the ground.
The call was overturned and the Bucs never got closer to the end zone as the Rams advanced to the Super Bowl. After the season, the NFL took steps to clarify what constitutes a catch, which has since been deemed the “Bert Emanuel rule.”
There have been plenty of other questionable calls similar to that play since, namely the Calvin Johnson catch against Chicago that was changed to an incompletion in 2010.
Some will argue that the Cowboys were the victims of karma for benefiting from a call last week against Detroit. Either way, it’s probably wise to expect the debate on what constitutes a catch to begin anew.
