For the second time in the past four years, Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson had a touchdown catch overturned in the team's opener due to what is known as the "process rule."
The rule states that in order for a touchdown catch to be legitimate, the receiver must "complete the process of the catch in the end zone" - meaning he must control the ball throughout the entire "process." In the game today, Johnson had control of the ball as he crossed the goalline and dove into the end zone. However, since once he hit the ground, the ball came loose, the touchdown was reversed to an incomplete pass. This happened to Johnson and the Lions in their season opener in 2010 in a loss to the Chicago Bears. The catch would have resulted in a Lions victory. Fortunately for the Lions today, the call reversal didn't result in a loss, as they defeated the Minnesota Vikings 34-24.
This call makes absolutely no sense to me. When a team runs the football into the end zone, the ruling is that if any part of the football crosses the goalline, it's a touchdown. If a ball carrier fumbles the ball a split-second after it crosses the goalline, it will be ruled a touchdown. So, if a receiver has control of the ball as it crosses the goalline, like Johnson did earlier today, why is that not automatically ruled a touchdown? Whether a player is running with or catching the football, if he is in control of the ball as it crosses the goalline, it should be ruled a touchdown. Hopefully the NFL finally reverses this silly rule so we don't see any more silly call reversals like the one witnessed earlier today.
http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/84323/johnson-overturned-again-by-process-rule
The rule states that in order for a touchdown catch to be legitimate, the receiver must "complete the process of the catch in the end zone" - meaning he must control the ball throughout the entire "process." In the game today, Johnson had control of the ball as he crossed the goalline and dove into the end zone. However, since once he hit the ground, the ball came loose, the touchdown was reversed to an incomplete pass. This happened to Johnson and the Lions in their season opener in 2010 in a loss to the Chicago Bears. The catch would have resulted in a Lions victory. Fortunately for the Lions today, the call reversal didn't result in a loss, as they defeated the Minnesota Vikings 34-24.
This call makes absolutely no sense to me. When a team runs the football into the end zone, the ruling is that if any part of the football crosses the goalline, it's a touchdown. If a ball carrier fumbles the ball a split-second after it crosses the goalline, it will be ruled a touchdown. So, if a receiver has control of the ball as it crosses the goalline, like Johnson did earlier today, why is that not automatically ruled a touchdown? Whether a player is running with or catching the football, if he is in control of the ball as it crosses the goalline, it should be ruled a touchdown. Hopefully the NFL finally reverses this silly rule so we don't see any more silly call reversals like the one witnessed earlier today.
http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/84323/johnson-overturned-again-by-process-rule
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