I don't like the new "possession while going to the ground" rule.

[fyo]

I'm saying that the guy caught the ball.  Rules aside, I watched the guy catch the ball, fully possess it while he was in the air, then on his feet, and then the ball came out after he fell down.

...

If a guy catches the ball in the air and then lands on his back, where it pops out, I'd be okay with calling that a catch, as well, especially if he is getting hit.  The second your back touches the ground, the play is over.

I'd be fine with that rule as well: Control can be established in-air. Once a player, in control of the ball, touches the ground with two feet or any other part of his body (excluding hand), the pass is deemed complete.

The PROBLEM you'll get with this rule is that there are going to be a huge number of fumbles.

[Spider-Dan]

Exactly.  And that's the point.

Unless you want a huge jump in the number of turnovers, loosening the restrictions on what is and is not a catch will also loosen the restrictions on what is and is not a fumble.

Personally, I prefer incompletes to fumbles.  By changing this rule, the net effect is that you make passing a riskier play, which will turn even more teams into 3-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust stinkers.

[Dave Gray]

An excessive number of fumbles weren't a problem last year.  Why the rule change?

[fyo]

An excessive number of fumbles weren't a problem last year.  Why the rule change?

What rule change?

There have been two recent rule changes with regards to catches, neither this year:

- "Force-out rule" removed.
- "Football move" no longer required to establish possession.

There has been no change in the rules regarding "retaining possession while going to the ground". I realize the topic claims this to be a new rule, but it isn't. It's been that way for ages.

Check the links at the bottom of this post. One is a detailed list of changes and "emphasis" for the 2009 season, the other a compilation of all recent rule changes (by year).

Without the "football move" rule, the "going to the ground" rule might apply in a few more situations, I don't know, but no new rule has been introduced and nothing has been changed about the old one.

Page 51. Rule 8.  Section 1.  Article 3. Item 1:

If a player goes to the ground in the act of catching a pass (with or without contact with an opponent), he must maintain control of the ball after he touches the ground, whether in the field of play or in the end zone. If he loses control of the ball, and the ball touches the ground before he regains control, the pass is incomplete. If he regains control prior to the ball touching the ground, the pass is complete.

The NFL has cited the following rule ("Article 7") as the one that was applied in the game -- but it states the same thing (and not as clearly, IMHO):

Page 6. Rule 3. Section 2. Article 7:

A player is in possession when he is in firm grip and control of the ball inbounds. To gain possession of a loose ball that has been caught, intercepted or recovered, a player must have complete control of the ball and have both feet completely on the ground inbounds or any other part of his body, other than his hands, on the ground inbounds.

If the player loses the ball while simultaneously touching both feet or any other part of his body to the ground or if there is any doubt that the acts were simultaneous, there is no possession. This rule applies to the field of play and in the end zone.

Note 1 under this article clarifies:

A player who goes to the ground in the process of attempting to secure possession of a loose ball (with or without contact by a defender) must maintain control of the ball after he touches the ground, whether in the field of play or the end zone.

If he loses control of the ball, and the ball touches the ground before he regains control, there is no possession. If he regains control prior to the ball touching the ground, it is a catch, interception or recovery.

http://www.steelersfever.com/nfl_history_of_rules.html
http://www.ihavenet.com/NFL/NFL-2009-New-Rules-for-NFL-2009-Season.html

[Phishfan]

An excessive number of fumbles weren't a problem last year.  Why the rule change?

This has been a rule for years as I stated earlier. This is not a new rule.

[Dave Gray]

I thought there was something new about possession going to the ground, while in the endzone.  Am I trippin'?  Or maybe something about the competition committee gathering to more tightly enforce it or something like that.

[Brian Fein]

It has been a rile for a long time.  Remember Santonio Holmes' Super-Bowl winning TD last year?  Remember they replayed it over and over to see if the ball moved after he fell out of bounds?  Same rule...