That was the straw that broke the camel's back for me.

[Connorpozlee]

Sorry man. I'm 51. I'd go back to pre-replay in a heartbeat. Everything about the NFL has worn me down. I watched Pittsburgh vs Green Bay a few weeks back on a plane because I was somewhat of a captive audience. First game I watched all year. I watched some of Pittsburgh vs Baltimore. Good game. Got sucked back in a bit. Then I watched this game and the ending was a travesty. Whether the rule sucks, or whether Pittsburgh got ripped off has been debated for 4 pages in this thread. I'll take a different angle here.
Why would I watch an NFL game? Maybe as a brief escape from a workday or a work week. How does my day go? Meeting after meeting where people waste time analyzing the living shit out of everything. Guy gets home from work to his significant other, "hey honey, lets analyze the living shit out of day over dinner". Hop on Facebook. Let's analyze the living shit out of a year old election and a long simmering political divide. Aaah! But at least there's a game on tonight. I can escape for a couple hours. Oh shit, I forgot, the NFL wants to analyze the living shit out of every marginally questionable call. And they analyze the living shit out of basically the biggest play of the season, and I don't care what the rule says, they got it wrong. If that isn't a touchdown, then the rule is wrong. And what happened to, since the beginning of time, as soon as the ball crosses the plane of the goal it's a touchdown? Damn, there I go, analyzing the living shit out of it. Count me out. I've watched every super bowl since VII. I'm done. I need my escape to be a true escape and not aggravate me more.

I realized I was done being a hardcore NFL fan the last time the Steelers were in the Super Bowl. As the ball kicked off to start the game I was sick of the game already. More than wanting the Steelers to win, I just wanted the schtick to be over. As you said, the over-analysis kills it for me. I can live with some official errors more than I can deal with replay. It sucks the energy out of the game and is a major momentum killer.

 

[PennStateNate]

Officials were for NE big time, Bryant was clearly interfered with on his TD Catch and Rodgers was clearly held on the last play..

 

[royboy]

Sorry man. I'm 51. I'd go back to pre-replay in a heartbeat. Everything about the NFL has worn me down. I watched Pittsburgh vs Green Bay a few weeks back on a plane because I was somewhat of a captive audience. First game I watched all year. I watched some of Pittsburgh vs Baltimore. Good game. Got sucked back in a bit. Then I watched this game and the ending was a travesty. Whether the rule sucks, or whether Pittsburgh got ripped off has been debated for 4 pages in this thread. I'll take a different angle here.
Why would I watch an NFL game? Maybe as a brief escape from a workday or a work week. How does my day go? Meeting after meeting where people waste time analyzing the living shit out of everything. Guy gets home from work to his significant other, "hey honey, lets analyze the living shit out of day over dinner". Hop on Facebook. Let's analyze the living shit out of a year old election and a long simmering political divide. Aaah! But at least there's a game on tonight. I can escape for a couple hours. Oh shit, I forgot, the NFL wants to analyze the living shit out of every marginally questionable call. And they analyze the living shit out of basically the biggest play of the season, and I don't care what the rule says, they got it wrong. If that isn't a touchdown, then the rule is wrong. And what happened to, since the beginning of time, as soon as the ball crosses the plane of the goal it's a touchdown? Damn, there I go, analyzing the living shit out of it. Count me out. I've watched every super bowl since VII. I'm done. I need my escape to be a true escape and not aggravate me more.

Really good rant, and I think many long-time fans can relate. The fun is not there so much.

If you really feel like taking a hammer to your head, try one of those 2-hours pre-game shows.

 

[78SweetRevenge]

Officials were for NE big time, Bryant was clearly interfered with on his TD Catch and Rodgers was clearly held on the last play..

lol--this whole "the officials are biased" thing is worse than not understanding the rules

 

[EPC FAN]

As soon as the ball crosses the goal line it is a td period!!! It's no different than a Qb reaching over the goal line and someone swatting the ball from their hands

Different rule.

I totally understand the interpretation of completing the catch to the ground. The problems was the interpretation of completion and the subsequent independent move to advance the ball over the goal line. The stretch was ruled a continuation of the completion attempt. There's the error. It was a separate catch with a separate extension attempt after the catch and should have been a touchdown. It was quick and I understand the call but there were NFL officials watching who did not agree with the call. There is the rub. Stupid rules cause stupid interpretations occasionally.

 

[AvgUser]

Different rule.

View embedded media

This clown doesn't know his OWN rule.

The rule says "initial contact". The initial contact was when the knee hits the ground. Everything after that is a continuation after the catch was made. .

 

[Thorndike2012]

Yeah. There's a rule. And if you're a runner it's this rule. If you're a receiver it's this rule. But, when you establish yourself as a runner after a catch it's another rule. Are you f@cking kidding me? Make up your stupid mind, NFL!

Look, this isn't hard. Even by NFL standards. If you make a catch and establish possession in the field of play, then make a 'football move' and break the plain of the EZ it's a TD. PERIOD!!!!!!! Overturning that is CHEATING. There is no other explanation. Deal with it.

 

[Mister Magoo]

Yeah. There's a rule. And if you're a runner it's this rule. If you're a receiver it's this rule. But, when you establish yourself as a runner after a catch it's another rule. Are you f@cking kidding me? Make up your stupid mind, NFL!

Look, this isn't hard. Even by NFL standards. If you make a catch and establish possession in the field of play, then make a 'football move' and break the plain of the EZ it's a TD. PERIOD!!!!!!! Overturning that is CHEATING. There is no other explanation. Deal with it.

Sounds like you're having trouble dealing with it. #scoreboard

 

[AWS1022]

Yeah. There's a rule. And if you're a runner it's this rule. If you're a receiver it's this rule. But, when you establish yourself as a runner after a catch it's another rule. Are you f@cking kidding me? Make up your stupid mind, NFL!

Look, this isn't hard. Even by NFL standards. If you make a catch and establish possession in the field of play, then make a 'football move' and break the plain of the EZ it's a TD. PERIOD!!!!!!! Overturning that is CHEATING. There is no other explanation. Deal with it.

When is falling down a football move? So either they cheated for some completely unexplainable reason or the officials know the rules better than you do...hmm, I wonder which it is.

 

[NewEra 2014]

Different rule.

View embedded media

He said at the beginning, “Roethlesberger completes the pass....”. Pretty much sums it up.

 

[Victor E. Bell]

I need my escape to be a true escape and not aggravate me more.

Why I quit golf ^

 

[OKC Nittany]

Why would officials have any reason to choose NE over Pittsburgh?

Ratings are down again this year, and attendance is way down. If Pittsburgh would have won Sunday, the Houston & Cleveland games would be meaningless. Now every game involving Jax, new england, & Pittsburgh are huge.

On top of that, the morons running this league think injustice sells. NFL Network had "controversial call" in big red letters in the bottom corner of their screen yesterday morning. If I wanted to watch a collection of jagoffs screw people over, I'd watch CSPAN.

 

[PghNittanyLion]

This clown doesn't know his OWN rule.

The rule says "initial contact". The initial contact was when the knee hits the ground. Everything after that is a continuation after the catch was made. .

I thought his explanation was clear. He must survive the ground, this is how the rule is interpreted and always has been. He did not survive the contact with the ground. Incomplete.

Again, I do think this rule is dumb and needs changed, but they got the call right.

 

[dbsteel]

Nope...not even close. guy catches the ball, controls it, and reaches across the goal line. What if he had caught it on the 15, ran to the one and reached it across the line to a TD when the ball moves? Player caught the ball and reached it across the line.

Horrible call.

I'd take it a step further, and even if that was the rule- he seemed to have his hands under it when it wiggled. At best it was inconclusive.

But to me, once you are doing something outside of the act of catching it- its a football move. Him changing direction and lunging to the goal line was a football move.

Stupid rule.

 

[dbsteel]

Except, you forgot the item about a catch that takes the player to the ground. There's a whole different set of rules for that and the process of the catch took James to the ground and thus, he had to maintain all the way through which he didn't. It's the same rule that burned Dez Bryant. It's the same rule that burned Andre Ellington a couple weeks ago in a game. It's the same rule that so comically burned Calvin Johnson of a TD years ago against the Bears. It's a garbage rule but unfortunately, it was applied correctly here.

It's the same rule the ignored when Cooks from the Patriots beat the Texans on a sideline catch in the end zone at the beginning of the season. Far more obvious than this. If they had called that one, this one wouldn't have mattered.

 

[Obliviax]

I'd take it a step further, and even if that was the rule- he seemed to have his hands under it when it wiggled. At best it was inconclusive.

But to me, once you are doing something outside of the act of catching it- its a football move. Him changing direction and lunging to the goal line was a football move.

Stupid rule.

To me it is "group think," not unlike any large bureaucratic conglomerate. We all know the intent of the rule, but there are always cases that don't quite fit. So the refs, who are forced to be robots, make a stupid decision that defies all logic so that they can retain their jobs as opposed to doing what is right and making the correct call. I know of not a single person who thinks that wasn't a catch and a TD, except the NFL front office.

This is why I don't like doing business with governments and large companies. You cannot define rules to address all situations and you cannot get up to a level and leave the robots to do the menial day-to-day work.

 

[mtnlion]

Furthermore, once his knee touches the ground (and he's not touched down) and then makes a football move, he's a "runner" not a "receiver". At that point,once the ball crosses the plane, it's a TD.

Horrible, horrible call. What a joke. I haven't been that upset about a call since the "not a TD call" in the PSU-Nebraska game in 2012.

Exactly. The folks citing the "rule" are using the rule for the wrong situation. Once JJ caught the ball inbounds landed on his knee pulled the ball in while not touched is a catch. One he then turned up field he was subject to rules as a runner. TD

Also people describe it like JJ lost the ball completely. It only bobbled in his hand a little after it was in the end zone.

 

[AvgUser]

I thought his explanation was clear. He must survive the ground, this is how the rule is interpreted and always has been. He did not survive the contact with the ground. Incomplete.

Again, I do think this rule is dumb and needs changed, but they got the call right.

You're not understanding what is written. Neither does he. You are reading in to what you have been led to believe by the people who have over-engineered and overly complicated a basic football play. What you are asserting and what is written are not the same at all.

The rule says initial; not second, not third, not all. It says initial.

A knee is an body part that, when it touches the surface of the field, indicates contact and a necessary action for potentially concluding a play. If said knee is on the ground and a defender touches the player, an official tackle is recorded. In this case, James was not touched so the play didn't conclude. He then lunged for the end zone and crossed the nose of the ball through the plane.

James 100% fulfilled the requirements as they are written in the rule.


Also - great point by another poster who indicated that this clown says "...the catch is made..." You know? That is because he actually did catch ball in IAW the rule, as written.

 

[PghNittanyLion]

You're not understanding what is written. Neither does he. You are reading in to what you have been led to believe by the people who have over-engineered and overly complicated a basic football play. What you are asserting and what is written are not the same at all.

The rule says initial; not second, not third, not all. It says initial.

A knee is an body part that, when it touches the surface of the field, indicates contact and a necessary action for potentially concluding a play. If said knee is on the ground and a defender touches the player, an official tackle is recorded. In this case, James was not touched so the play didn't conclude. He then lunged for the end zone and crossed the nose of the ball through the plane.

James 100% fulfilled the requirements as they are written in the rule.


Also - great point by another poster who indicated that this clown says "...the catch is made..." You know? That is because he actually did catch ball in IAW the rule, as written.

Let's just agree to disagree.

 

[PearlSUJam]

You're not understanding what is written. Neither does he. You are reading in to what you have been led to believe by the people who have over-engineered and overly complicated a basic football play. What you are asserting and what is written are not the same at all.

The rule says initial; not second, not third, not all. It says initial.

A knee is an body part that, when it touches the surface of the field, indicates contact and a necessary action for potentially concluding a play. If said knee is on the ground and a defender touches the player, an official tackle is recorded. In this case, James was not touched so the play didn't conclude. He then lunged for the end zone and crossed the nose of the ball through the plane.

James 100% fulfilled the requirements as they are written in the rule.


Also - great point by another poster who indicated that this clown says "...the catch is made..." You know? That is because he actually did catch ball in IAW the rule, as written.

 

[BBrown]

wrong...IN THE NFL YOU MUST COMPLETE THE CATCH TO THE GROUND....he did not, stupid rule but correctly calledc...does not matter that he made football rule, or that knee hit wit possession, or that he crossed plane with possession, he did not complete the catch to the ground....IT WAS NOT A CATCH ACCORDING TO THE ASININE NFL RULE THAT WAS CORRECTLT CALLED

sry

Therein lies the problem, it doesn't seem to be called the same way...

https://www.sbnation.com/2017/9/26/16364372/brandin-cooks-touchdown-catch-rule

Its funny how all of these "subjective" rules always seem to benefit the Patriots.

 

[step.eng69]

View embedded media

finally the proper interpretation of the new Jesse Rule

 

[WDLion]

Therein lies the problem, it doesn't seem to be called the same way...

https://www.sbnation.com/2017/9/26/16364372/brandin-cooks-touchdown-catch-rule

Its funny how all of these "subjective" rules always seem to benefit the Patriots.

If that play was ruled correctly, then Sundays ruling was wrong.

 

[BBrown]

If that play was ruled correctly, then Sundays ruling was wrong.

Exactly. Its just funny that it seems to benefit the Pats no matter "how" its ruled.
Bottom line is the past few years have been a fiasco in what is ruled a catch and what isn't.
I have an idea Simplify the damn rule. LOL.

 

[WDLion]

Exactly. Its just funny that it seems to benefit the Pats no matter "how" its ruled.
Bottom line is the past few years have been a fiasco in what is ruled a catch and what isn't.
I have an idea Simplify the damn rule. LOL.

If that ball had gotten away from James and recovered by the Pats, I'd bet money that it would've been ruled a catch and a fumble.

 

[BBrown]

If that ball had gotten away from James and recovered by the Pats, I'd bet money that it would've been ruled a catch and a fumble.

Somehow I think you are correct.

 

[EPC FAN]

If that ball had gotten away from James and recovered by the Pats, I'd bet money that it would've been ruled a catch and a fumble.

And had Gronkowski made the same exact play, you'd say it was the correct call.

 

[AWS1022]

Ratings are down again this year, and attendance is way down. If Pittsburgh would have won Sunday, the Houston & Cleveland games would be meaningless. Now every game involving Jax, new england, & Pittsburgh are huge.

On top of that, the morons running this league think injustice sells. NFL Network had "controversial call" in big red letters in the bottom corner of their screen yesterday morning. If I wanted to watch a collection of jagoffs screw people over, I'd watch CSPAN.

You can't really think they strategize it to that level to decide how they're going to have the refs cheat. And when exactly did they flip the script because Pittsburgh has been the recipient of a ton of calls over the years....hell, they won a Super Bowl that way. But I guess the fix wasn't on during all those times, just now when Pittsburgh is on the losing end.

 

[Thorndike2012]

AWS, you're trying very hard here. What is your motivation? You offer no logical answers, only leading questions. What's your end game? Ravens, Bungles, or Clowns fan? And what 'calls' are you referring to that were gifted, like the one this Sunday, to the Steelers? I can't recall even one.

 

[OKC Nittany]

You can't really think they strategize it to that level to decide how they're going to have the refs cheat. And when exactly did they flip the script because Pittsburgh has been the recipient of a ton of calls over the years....hell, they won a Super Bowl that way. But I guess the fix wasn't on during all those times, just now when Pittsburgh is on the losing end.

I'm not sure what your last few sentences have to do with anything I said above. If it makes you feel better, I'd bet they've cheated for Pittsburgh in the past too. That has no bearing on what happened Sunday, nor should that make anyone feel any better about the integrity of the league under goodell.

 

[AWS1022]

AWS, you're trying very hard here. What is your motivation? You offer no logical answers, only leading questions. What's your end game? Ravens, Bungles, or Clowns fan? And what 'calls' are you referring to that were gifted, like the one this Sunday, to the Steelers? I can't recall even one.

My motivation is to explain that the league is not predetermining games to fix outcomes. There would be no logical reason to do it. Pittsburgh is one of the most popular teams in the league and when they do well, the league does well. If there was cheating going on by the league, they would be better off to cheat on behalf of the Steelers. Based on the rules, it was the correct call yet the conspiracy theorists are running wild. Now if it was a call going against the rules, then there might be a complaint.

 

[AWS1022]

I'm not sure what your last few sentences have to do with anything I said above. If it makes you feel better, I'd bet they've cheated for Pittsburgh in the past too. That has no bearing on what happened Sunday, nor should that make anyone feel any better about the integrity of the league under goodell.

The integrity of the league is fine...the product is crap, but the integrity is fine. There is absolutely no evidence of fixed games to get a predetermined outcome and if they were fixing games, there's no way they would fix it so that one of the most popular teams in the league would lose.

 

[OKC Nittany]

there's no way they would fix it so that one of the most popular teams in the league would lose.

There's much more drama in the AFC for the last two weeks now that NE has won. The guys in NY understood that before making that ridiculous call.

Of course given Pittsburgh's injuries, the NFL's dream of a rematch may go unfulfilled. Not sure there's a ref in the league capable of cheating enough to make up for the loss of AB. Then again, they dragged manning's dead arm across the finish line a few years ago, so anything is possible.

 

[Mister Magoo]

I'd take it a step further, and even if that was the rule- he seemed to have his hands under it when it wiggled. At best it was inconclusive.

But to me, once you are doing something outside of the act of catching it- its a football move. Him changing direction and lunging to the goal line was a football move.

Stupid rule.

His left hand is completely off the ball.

I realized I was done being a hardcore NFL fan the last time the Steelers were in the Super Bowl. As the ball kicked off to start the game I was sick of the game already. More than wanting the Steelers to win, I just wanted the schtick to be over. As you said, the over-analysis kills it for me. I can live with some official errors more than I can deal with replay. It sucks the energy out of the game and is a major momentum killer.

Tell me about it. #mikerenfroe and #kordellsteppedoutofbounds