From fans to players, coaches and front office executives, no one seems to know what constitutes a catch in the NFL. Obviously, there are instances in which no gray area exists but, for those plays that require discernment on the part of officials, chaos has reigned in recent years.
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To that end, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell visited with Colin Cowherd of FOX Sports on Monday and he shared that he is "concerned" about the catch rules and the confusion they create.
Beyond that, Goodell said the following:
"You want there to be clarity from an officiating standpoint and a coaching and player standpoint... I think here you might have clarity in a large element of it, but what happens is that it's not the rule that people really want."
With Goodell prominently involved, the league could certainly push toward clarity in the rules but, given the recent past, healthy skepticism seems quite reasonable with regard to whether things will be fully sorted for the 2018 season. Too many games have been swayed by catch/no-catch rulings and, until the rulebook reflects some level of coherence, that will likely continue.
To his credit, Goodell is saying the right thing here, but only time will tell as to whether the issue will be appropriately addressed.
[h/t ESPN]
