When the NFL in March simplified its rules for a player to complete a catch, the adjustment was not made as a service to those who complained about not being able to understand the standards.
Even as phrases like "What's a catch?" and "I don't know what a catch is anymore" became weekly trending topics on social media, league officials were confident in their comprehension of the rules.
Instead, according to NFL senior vice president of officiating Al Riveron, entertainment value is what led the league to tweak its catch rule.
Riveron, speaking with media Friday ahead of the weekend's NFL officiating clinic in Dallas, explained the reasoning behind the simplified standards.
"I think we got to a point where fans, the office, coaches, players wanted to see more exciting plays," Riveron said. "How do we make this particular play a catch? How do we take the Dez Bryant play and make it a catch and still stay within the rules and the confines? How do we get these exciting plays back in the game?
"I think we’ve come up ... I know we’ve come up with a great rule."
Some words from Al Riveron on the NFL’s simplified catch rules pic.twitter.com/A0WUkMTkWj
— Tadd Haislop (@TaddHaislop) July 13, 2018
The new standards to complete a catch in the NFL are as follows:
- Control of the ball
- Two feet down or another body part
- A football move, such as: A third step; reaching/extending for the line-to-gain; or the ability to perform such an act
Eliminated from the rules are the going-to-the-ground components. Language like "survive the ground" is gone.
Riveron admitted Bryant's infamous non-catch in the 2014 divisional playoffs would have been a catch under the new rules. Presumably, Steelers tight end Jesse James' controversial non-catch against the Patriots last season would have been ruled a catch — and therefore a touchdown — under the new rules since he met all three requirements, including his reaching for the goal line.
The video is an explanation from @NFL SVP of Officiating Al Riveron on the reversal at the end of the #NEvsPIT game. pic.twitter.com/hm5EeoZTER
— NFL Football Operations (@NFLFootballOps) December 18, 2017
Though those calls technically were correct under the old standards, they're examples of catches the NFL wants to ruled as, well, catches.
Veteran NFL referee Ron Torbert thinks the league will achieve its goal.
"The way it’s changed, it’ll certainly make more plays catches that weren’t under the older rule," Torbert said. "It has the potential to make the game even more exciting."
Riveron contended the previous standards to complete a catch were clear, and Torbert agreed. With that said, Torbert made the point that the new rules will not be "necessarily easier or less confusing" for officials. But that was not the objective.
"We’re going to be fine either way in terms of how we officiate it," Torbert said. "We certainly understand that the way it was written, plays that people wanted to be a catch, weren’t a catch under the older rule.
"In that respect, the change is good."