Does anyone know what the heck a catch is in the NFL anymore?
The short and obvious answer is no, given the tumultuous and tedious rule changes the league has made in hopes of enhancing the rules and making everything a bit fairer.
Unfortunately, it didn’t do the Denver Broncos any good in Super Bowl XII against the Cowboys, which Dallas won 27-10.
Already leading 13-3 in the third quarter, Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach hit wide receiver Butch Johnson for a 45-yard touchdown — an iconic Super Bowl moment you’ve probably seen hundreds of times.
As Sports Illustrated’s Chris Burke seems to imply, the play likely wouldn’t stand as a TD in today’s NFL.
Johnson half dives for the ball, managing to get one foot down before doing a sideways flip into the end zone. Upon landing, Johnson’s momentum rolls him over toward the ground and the ball pops out, but he immediately gets up and celebrates the score as an official’s hands are raised confirming it.
Confused NFL fans everywhere are waiting for FOX’s Mike Pereira to suddenly be heard explaining how Johnson never makes a football motion and doesn’t maintain control of the ball through the end of the catch. Spoiler: he never shows up, and the call stands.
It probably wouldn’t have mattered much, anyway. The dominant Cowboys had four interceptions and forced four fumbles in the game.
But should Johnson’s catch have counted? The answer to that question arguably is too subjective to explore.
All that matters is that it did. Just ask Dez Bryant.
Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@Tirusbravo
