Even before a pair of are-they-or-aren’t-they catches in the Super Bowl, one owner made it clear the NFL had a huge problem with its catch rules.
During his state of the Ravens interview last week, Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti declared his frustration with the issue.
“The whole thing is stupid,” Bisciotti said, via the team’s official website.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has already promised the league would take a fresh look at the league’s catch rules, sounding prepared to write new rules to prevent the piecemeal approach that has led to confusion from fans, players, coaches, and officials alike.
That sounds like a good plan to Bisciotti.
“Start over. It’s just ridiculous,” he said. “Every time you’ve talked about referees, I’ve always defended them. It is such a hard job, they do such a good job, and yet we’re sitting there looking at five different HD camera angles, and then they’re changing some things, and I think it’s worse than it’s ever been. I think sometimes things have to get really, really bad before there is change. . . .
“I bet you that there is going to be a significant change in that. A football move? I mean, how you can catch the ball, get both feet down, turn towards the end zone and start diving for it, and they say it’s not a football move? No. It’s stupid.”
The Ravens weren’t even involved in any major catch dispute last year, but two days after Bisciotti’s comments, touchdowns by Eagles tight end Zach Ertz and running back Corey Clement prompted too much debate on the game’s biggest stage. At least the game officials stuck with the rules on the field, aligning with the “clear and obvious” standard.