Except every catch has to be completed after all that happens 99 of 100 times. Was a catch despite their stupid rules. Common sense has to come into play when they review this stupid rule again.
I think it’s subjective because the league never specified that. It used to be “a football move” not sure what it is now that constitutes becoming a runner.
He clearly maintained possession of the ball while running toward the goal and while he was diving. It became a touchdown at the instant the nose of the ball broke the plane of the goal. Unless the rule that the ground can't cause a fumble is no longer in effect the fact that he momentarily lost possession should be moot. At any rate, he regained possession before being touched by any defender while lying on his back. The impetus of him falling with the ball nose down propelled the ball up into the air, If the play had happened at midfield even if the refs ruled it a fumble it would still have been a legal recovery by the ball carrier.
Getting back to the game, would you be penniless right now if someone gave you that Pats +7, told you Brady would pass for 505 yards and no picks, N.E. would only be called for 1 penalty (a false start), and they wouldn't punt once in the entire game? I would've probably bet the house on the Patriots +7 alone.
They've created conflicting rules. By the "completing the process of the catch" rule, he lost control when the ball hit the ground, so it should have been incomplete. But by the much older "break the plane of the goal line" rule, it was a catch. Now I wouldn't have complained if the Clements touchdown had been overturned, because I thought he was still moving the ball around trying to get it secured when he stepped out. @LaSalleAve and I talked about this a lot in the Saints threads during the season, and I still think you start to fix this problem by banning slow motion replay reviews. Its ridiculous that they will bring video to a complete stop and make a ruling based on a still frame, which is 1/30 of a second. Review the play from as many different replay angles as you want, but at real speed.
I was out of it yesterday (hernia surgery), so I didn't get to hear the discussions, but I know immediately after the game, the talking heads were hailing Pederson's 4th down call as being more gutsy than Payton's onside kick. Here are 4 reasons they're wrong: 1. The Eagles were in the lead at the time of the call. The Saints were trailing. 2. The Eagles had moved the ball at will against the Pats throughout the game up to that point. They had every reason to be confident in the call. The Saints had struggled on offense for most of the 1st half, and were counitng on the onside kick as a momentum builder. 3. If the onside kick had failed, Payton Manning would have gotten the ball with great field position, and big motivational lift, and a chance to put the game away early. Had the Eagles' play failed, all that would have happened was Brady gets the ball on his own 2-yard line with 30 seconds left. Handoff up the middle and end of the half; nothing to build on. 4. The Eagles' trick play depended on a tight end throwing a good pass, but the tight end is a former college quarterback. Again, high confidence time. The Saints' onside kick was depending on a kicker who had never attempted an onside kick in his college or pro career. Huge gamble.
Didn't he "complete with process of the catch" when he caight the ball on the field of play and clearly had secure possession while he was running toward the goal line and he maintained secure possession while he was diving as the ball broke the plane? The fact that he momentarily lost control after breaking the plane should be of no more consequence than if he spiked the ball or threw it into the stands.
You are conflating the whole thing. He caught the damn ball! Had it both hands. Shook a defender (Still has ball) took not one, not two (still holding the ball) then a 3rd AND yep, you guessed it STILL has the ball firmly in his hands. Then he dove, still has it and the very nanosecond in time where the very tip of brown crosses the first slice of white grass the play is dead. Why you might ask? Because it's a touchdown! I don't care if the ball hit the ground and ricocheted right into Roger Goodells ass, it's still a touchdown and Roger now needs a doctor.
That was the 1st one. I think the one they are talking about is in the 4th qtr when they Eagles were down and like 5 and some change left on the clock around mid field. They give the ball back to Brady there and it is curtains.
