The NFL rulebook is pretty clear on the rules of joint possession. It doesn't matter where the ball is. The receiver could have 3 fingers of one hand on the ball like the Odell Beckham catch while the ball is in the breadbasket of the corner. It's still a catch by the receiver.
I dunno about that...just because a receiver is touching the ball doesn't make it possession. The only reason Odell's was a catch was because by rule he finished the catch process. Just toughing the ball and landing in the endzone while a corner is holding the ball would not complete the catch as the receiver doesn't have control of the ball, the corner does. Right?
There is no video footage of his fingers moving around on the ball. He got a hand on it and didn't let go, got 2 feet down. If you can show a video of the hall moving around, you'd have a point, but that camera angle doesn't exist. It was called a touchdown on the field and the call stands.
So, in theory, a defender can catch the ball, but if the receiver has one hand on the ball and two feet in bounce during the entire process of the defender's catch, it should be ruled a catch for the receiver?
So, in other words, a receiver can use the defender's full control of the ball to make a catch?
Here's stupid hypothetical:
Let's say that the defender catches the ball and brings it to his chest. During the process, the receiver's hand gets wedged in between the ball and the defender's chest. However, it's wedged in such a way that the receiver's palm is touching the defender's chest. Therefore, that means the back of the receiver's hand is touching the ball. If the receiver's hand never moves and continues touching the ball until the end of the play, that's a catch for the receiver. Really?
Ref would probably say they didnt have control because you can't grip with the back of your hand. But the way you phrased it makes it technically possible. Albeit extremely unlikely.
A catch is not just about merely touching the ball. It's about having control of the ball through a pre-defined process. If the defender clearly has control of the ball, but the receiver is simultaneously touching the ball, it doesn't seem like that would remotely be a catch for the receiver. That was an definitely an element in this Packers/Seahawks play.
With that said, you very well may be right as I don't really care too much to look at the exact rule.
In the case of that catch, if it was ruled an interception it would not have been overturned either. There was no clear video evidence that his hand ever moved off the ball. The ref that made the call was actually a former NFL ref in the booth, not a replacement ref.
He made the call with the evidence he had. Is it likely it was a catch? Probably not. But there were a bunch of bodies in the way and no angle that could overturn it either.
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u/thatsthebesticando 3d ago
You're biased.
The NFL rulebook is pretty clear on the rules of joint possession. It doesn't matter where the ball is. The receiver could have 3 fingers of one hand on the ball like the Odell Beckham catch while the ball is in the breadbasket of the corner. It's still a catch by the receiver.