That's a catch.
Mention the names Calvin Johnson
Adidas Marc-Andre Fleury Jersey , Dez Bryant, Zach Miller and Jesse James , and what looked, sounded and felt like a catch wasn't one. If NFL owners pass a proposal from the powerful competition committee, those will be receptions in the future.
According to committee chairman Rich McKay and league officiating director Al Riveron, it's time.
"We want to take these great catches and make them into catches," Riveron said Monday at the NFL meetings, where the owners likely will vote Tuesday on the adjustments to the catch rule.
Such phrases as "slight movement of the ball" and "surviving the ground" will disappear, and fans, players and coaches will get the fulfilment of knowing what they were sure was a reception actually is.
The committee looked at dozens of plays dozens of times. They discovered that the previous attempts to clarify what is a catch only confused the issue. So much so that the language of the rules was getting in the way of making the proper call.
"Every time, we tried to add language to cure a situation," said McKay, president of the Atlanta Falcons "and that did not serve us well.
"We felt like the word slight was getting people caught up. It's really loss of control. If you lose control of the ball, then you haven't satisfied (the process). If you have movement of the ball but haven't lost control of it, then you still have it."
Added Riveron: "If we see total loss of control, that's the way we're going to rule it. But we understand there are situations where the ball is going to move. We have to see loss of control."
McKay pointed to touchdown receptions by Alshon Jeffery and Corey Clement in the Super Bowl. In both cases, the ball moved a bit in the receiver's hands. In both cases, though
Bengals Mark Walton Jersey , on-field officials, then Riveron handling the video review, determined there was possession throughout.
"Those are catches," he said, noting that under current language in the rules, "the ground trumped everything. It didn't make a lot of sense."
The committee examined plays back to the 1990s and early 2000s, including a pass to the Jets' Wayne Chrebet in which McKay said the film was "so grainy you could barely make it out." He mentioned Bert Emanuel's non-reception in the 1999 NFC title game when the tip of the ball touched the ground even though Emanuel had it in his clutches.
The major emphasis on re-examining the rule stems from Bryant's non-catch in a playoff game at Green Bay. Reconstructing that play through video, Riveron explained how the proposed change will seize logic 鈥?in other words, make what should have been a catch into a real catch.
"I think the Dez Bryant was the start of us realizing something needs to change," McKay said.
Each year, there have been similar examples that made everyone from the guys throwing the ball to the coaches on the sideline to the fans in the stands and on their mobile devices wondering what was going on. When James' apparent winning touchdown reception against New England was overturned even though the Steelers tight end made a football move to extend the ball over the goal line, it prompted Commissioner Roger Goodell to forcefully endorse seeking adjustments to the rule.
The competition committee heeded such instructions.
So, a receiver must:
鈥攈ave control of the ball;
鈥攇et two feet down or another body part;
鈥攎ake a football move: taking a third step or extending the ball or something similar.
Gone, Riveron emphatically said, is surviving the ground.
"That's out," he said. "No mas."
There will, however, be more emphasis on the on-field officiating calls. McKay reminded that game officials overwhelmingly get the calls correct at full speed.
"The rule is a lot cleaner
Authentic Customized Browns Jerseys , so the answer is yes," Riveron said, adding that game officials were consulted as the committee worked on the language of the proposal.
Of course, with more catches, there could be more fumbles as receivers try to extend plays and get extra yardage. Riveron has no problem with that.
"If we end up with 10 more fumbles but five of the most exciting plays of the year," McKay said, "it's a trade we'd make any day."
Notes: No proposals were made nor votes taken regarding the national anthem before games. The owners did focus on implementing the social justice platform with the players and unanimously approved a local matching funds program. Each of the teams will match fundraising proceeds of the players and teams and its players will work together to determine where to allocate the funds in a local market. The anthem discussions will resume and be a main focus of May's meeting in Atlanta.
Desperate to win after an emotional day at Citi Field, the New York Mets sent just the right man to the plate in the 10th inning.
Wilmer Flores singled home the decisive run and the Mets stopped their seven-game losing streak Tuesday night, beating the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-3 hours after general manager Sandy Alderson stepped down because his cancer has returned.
”We really wanted to focus in and just make sure that we bounce back today, of all days, and play a little bit better,” outfielder Michael Conforto said. ”I think we showed a little fight there.”
In a game that briefly got testy following a hard slide at second base, Conforto hit a tying homer and Flores had three RBIs for the Mets (32-45), who won for only the second time in 16 home games. They had dropped 24 of 30 overall during a maddening skid that’s wiped out an 11-1 start to the season.
New York has three walk-off wins this year and Flores provided the final swing on all of them. He leads the majors with nine walk-off RBIs since 2014, matching David Wright for the most in Mets history.
”It was tough being out there playing, but you’ve got to concentrate,” Flores said. ”Sandy is one of us and we support him 100 percent and hopefully he’ll get better.”
Before the game, players said the 70-year-old Alderson broke down a bit as he addressed the team in the clubhouse. During the surprise news conference that followed
Authentic Ronald Jones II Jersey , his voice quavered when he spoke about his illness .
He and chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon announced that Alderson is taking a leave of absence. Alderson said his prognosis is good but he doesn’t expect to return to the job, partly because he’s ”not sure coming back is warranted.”
Assistant general manager John Ricco and special assistants J.P. Ricciardi and Omar Minaya will run the club’s baseball operations in the absence of Alderson, diagnosed with cancer at the end of the 2015 season – when the Mets reached the World Series. Back then, he had surgery and underwent chemotherapy but kept working full-time.
”Honestly, I’m here – we’re all here – because he believed in us,” Mets pitcher Steven Matz said. ”And I think for me personally, especially now under these circumstances, I want to prove that he was right. So yeah, there was definitely I would say extra emotion out there hearing that news.”
Both dugouts and bullpens emptied in the eighth when tempers flared after a clean slide by Josh Harrison prevented the Mets from turning an inning-ending double play.
Harrison went straight into the bag, forcing second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera to jump over him as he made a weak, one-hop relay to first base that was too late.
”I don’t think I even touched him,” Harrison said. ”Broke up a double play without touching the guy or hurting the guy. At the end of the day, I think that’s playing the game the right way.”
Mets reliever Jeurys Familia said something to Harrison, though, and the two began jawing back and forth. As players rushed onto the field, Familia and Harrison – a second baseman himself – were kept apart. Cabrera sought out Harrison and gave him a big hug during the brief skirmish, an obvious acknowledgment he had no problem with the slide.
”It’s over and done with,” Harrison said. ”I think what (Familia) saw was just the latter part. He might have turned around and saw Cabrera hobbling. It wasn’t anything due to me contacting him.”
No punches were thrown
Authentic Adam Boqvist Jersey , and Familia was pumped when he pitched out of a bases-loaded threat .
”Maybe it was a good thing we cleared the benches. Showed a little fight and fire,” Mets manager Mickey Callaway said.
Conforto drew a leadoff walk in the 10th from Steven Brault (5-2) and went to second when Todd Frazier singled. Cabrera popped up a bunt for the first out, but Flores hit a shot just inside third base to knock in Conforto.
Tim Peterson (1-0) got three outs on five pitches for his first major league win.
Gregory Polanco homered for the second consecutive game and had an RBI single for the Pirates, who have dropped six of seven.
Conforto went deep in the seventh, connecting off reliever Edgar Santana. New York also got seven effective innings from Matz and some fine defense from 37-year-old right fielder Jose Bautista .
Flores grounded a two-run single with two outs in the first to put the Mets ahead. They capitalized on a pair of wild pitches by Chad Kuhl that got past catcher Elias Diaz, who also committed two errors in the inning.
Pittsburgh threw four wild pitches, all in the first six innings.
ROSTER MOVE
New York recalled RHP Gerson Bautista from Triple-A Las Vegas and optioned INF Luis Guillorme to its top farm team. Guillorme made two costly errors at third base Monday.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Pirates: Kuhl was removed after four innings with right forearm discomfort. … Rookie OF Austin Meadows was hit in the helmet by an 84 mph changeup from Matz in the first inning. Meadows was checked by manager Clint Hurdle and a trainer, but stayed in the game.
Mets: OF Brandon Nimmo, hit by a pitch on the right hand Sunday, came off the bench for the second consecutive game. This time he got a chance to swing, but fouled out as a pinch-hitter.
UP NEXT
Pirates RHP Ivan Nova (4-5, 3.98 ERA) starts the series finale Wednesday night against RHP Zack Wheeler (2-6, 4.85).
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