The NFL’s new catch rule was supposed to make it easier to define what a catch is.
We still don’t know.
The league adopted a rule that says a player has caught the ball when he has control, two feet or another body part down and either making or having the ability to make a football move.
Julio Jones did all that on a pass he caught for a 52-yard gain, but on-field officials ruled he did not have control of the ball before sliding out of bounds on his back. The Falcons challenged the ruling.
The league’s officiating head, Al Riveron, ruled from New York that the call stood.
NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay, a former official, second-guessed Riveron’s decision as it appeared Jones pinned the ball to his shoulder while in bounds.
The Falcons ended up punting.