What Is The NFL Rule About Simultaneous Catch?
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Rule 8 - Section 3 - Article 1 - Item 5: Simultaneous Catch. If a pass is caught simultaneously by two eligible opponents, and both players retain it, the ball belongs to the passers. It is not a simultaneous catch if a player gains control first and an opponent subsequently gains joint control. If the ball is muffed after simultaneous touching by two such players, all the players of the passing team become eligible to catch the loose ball.
Interpretation of the rule and the official's on-field call:
The officials most likely saw this as a simultaneous catch. In this event, the catch goes to the offense and is ruled a touchdown. Upon review, it is clear that M.D. Jennings had possession first, before Golden Tate "subsequently gained joint control." In this event the catch should belong to M.D. Jennings and be ruled an interception; therefore, the Packers win.
However, officials are not allowed to reverse possession of the ball via replay; they can only confirm that the player had possession. Once it was signaled on the field that both receivers came down with the ball together (one referee signaled a touchdown, the other an interception), the NFL Rulebook states that the catch is ruled a touchdown. (Video below)
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Reach Staff Writer Matthew Tufts here.
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frm the video i see clearly "simultaneous possesion"
What I see in the video is that Jennings has the ball first and Tate gets his hands on the ball. If you look carefully at the video and stop it at exactly the instant that Tate hits the ground, it looks to me like Tate and Jennings both share, for lack of a better term, what I would call "simultaneous and equal possesion". (Not meaning to say that it is "simultaneous possesion" as referred to in the rule book. I'm only using that phrase to describe what I see.) It may only be for an instant, but that is what I see at that instant with Tate "down" on the ground and Jennings not "down" in terms of being able to continue running. Think of what could happen after this particular instant to frame your thoughts behind making a call or ruling. At this particular instant if Jennings relinquishes control of the ball to Tate, Tate would be down and it would be a touchdown. If Tate were in the field of play and not in the endzone, he would still be down and not able to advance the ball. Now back up to that instant where they both have the ball and follow this course of events. If Tate relinquishes control of the ball subsequent to that instant, Jenning can actually continue the play and advance the ball because he isn't down yet. Now, this is where I can't really make a call based on my knowledge of the NFL rule book becasue I have never read it. Depending on the wording of the rule book and how it describes what constitutes a catch and/or possesion, that could certainly make the call of a simultaneous catch legitimate. I'm not saying that it does or does not because like I said before I am not familiar with the NFL rule book. I have only read rule books from and officiated at the high school association level. My point is that Tate and Jennings at that point both seem to me to have possesion with Tate on the ground which could lead to the interpretation that he is down and the play is over. Again, I'm not saying that is the case, I am just bringing up the point that there could be several rules that come into play making this particular situation not as clear and easy to rule on as it might at first seem. I can see applying rules on possesion, what constitutes a catch and rules on determining when a player is down as well as what constitutes a touchdown. With that many rules possibly applying to this one situation, it can get VERY complex.
The NFL statement supporting the officials' final determination was indeed complete BS.
Per there own rule book:
"A player has POSSESSION when he is in FIRM GRIP and CONTROL of the ball inbounds" - Golden Tate never displayed at any point within the play that he had a firm grip of the ball.
"A catch is made when a player inbounds SECURES POSSESSION of a pass, kick, or fumble in flight" - Golden Tate never made the catch per the requirements of possession.
"A forward pass is complete (by the offense) or intercepted (by the defense) if a player, who is inbounds: secures control of the ball in his HANDS or ARMS prior to the ball touching the ground; and (b) touches the ground inbounds with both feet or with any part of his body other than his hands; and (c) MAINTAINS CONTROL of the ball long enough, after (a) and (b) have been fulfilled, to enable him to perform any act common to the game (i.e., maintainining control long enough to pitch it, pass it, advance with it, or avoid or ward off an opponent, etc.). - per this ruling MD Jennings made an interception.
"If a pass is caught simultaneously by two eligible opponents, and both players retain it, the ball belongs to the passers. IT IS NOT A SIMULTANEOUS CATCH IF a player gains control first (MD Jennings) and an opponent subsequently gains joint control (Golden Tate). If the ball is muffed after simultaneous touching by two such players, all the players of the passing team become eligible to catch the loose ball" - There was no simultaneous catch per the rules
"A Touchdown is the situation in which any part of the ball, legally in possession of a player inbounds, is on, above, or behind the opponent’s goal line (plane), provided it is not a touchback" - Again referring to the requirements of possession, Golden Tate isn't credited a TD.
"SUPPLEMENTAL NOTES on when a touchdown is scored: A touchdown is not scored, until the receiver completes the catch" - Again Golden Tate didn't fulfill the requirements of making a catch in reference to possession.
Reviewable Plays.
The Replay System will cover the following play situations only:
(a) Plays governed by Sideline, Goal Line, End Zone, and End Line:
1. Scoring plays, including a runner breaking the plane of the goal line.
2. Pass complete/incomplete/intercepted at sideline, goal line, end zone, and end line.
...
(b) Passing plays:
1. Pass ruled complete/incomplete/intercepted in the field of play
...
Non-reviewable plays include but are not limited to:
1. Status of the clock
2. Proper down
3. Penalty administration
4. Runner ruled down by defensive contact (not involving fumbles)
5. Forward progress not relating to first down or goal line
6. Recovery of a loose ball that does not involve a boundary line or the end zone.
7. Field-goal or Try attempts that cross above either upright without touching anything.
8. Inadvertent Whistle
- According to the rules on replay the play is reviewable on the basis of who made a completed catch. MD Jennings fulfilled the requirements of making a catch and should have been awarded an interception.
EXAMPLES:
A.R. 8.28 NOT A SIMULTANEOUS CATCH
First-and-10 on A20. A2 controls a pass in the air at the A40. B3 then also gets control of the ball before they land. As they land, A2 and B3 fall down to the ground.
Ruling: A’s ball, first-and-10 on A40. Not a simultaneous catch as A2 gains control first and retains
control.
A.R. 8.29 NOT A SIMULTANEOUS CATCH
First-and-10 on A20. B3 controls a pass in the air at the A40 before A2, who then also controls the ball before they land. As they land, A2 and B3 fall down to the ground.
Ruling: B’s ball, first-and-10 on A40. Not a simultaneous catch as B3 gains control first and retains
control.
- All in all, the NFL proved themselves to lack competence and integrity with their support of the games ending TD ruling.
So by your interpretation if a WR catches the ball in mid-air and has control of the ball, but get's hit and the ball falls into a defender he is not allowed to catch the ball. You can't rule that a fumble, because the receiver never took possession, so the ball would stay with the offense as an incomplete pass.
I like how you only used the exact quote which makes you look smart. You left off the part "It is not a simultaneous 'CATCH' if a player gains control first and an opponent subsequently gains joint control". In order to make a CATCH you have to have control of the ball, two feet or a body part (excluding the hands) on the ground and the ability of being able to make an action. Even though it states the word "control", it's used with the action word CATCH; meaning they really are talking about possession. Yes, the person who wrote the rulebook should've saved everyone the trouble and just used the word possession, but when arguments arose on who technically has possession they used the word control with the action word of CATCH which tells you that they are talking about control at the point of determining possession!
No, in that case, the WR LOST control and the ball went to the defender WITHOUT the WR touching the ball, therefore it is not simultaneous possession b/c nowhere in your example were both the WR and defender holding the ball at the same time. In this case, Jennings never lost control of the ball, so you're wrong. Oh, and in case you didn't know, on the field officials make distinctions between control and possession all the time, control is one of the acts required for possession, but they are indeed separate parts and don't mean the exact same thing. "It is not a simultaneous 'CATCH' if a player gains CONTROL FIRST and an opponent subsequently gains joint control". You just proved your opponents point with that quote. It was clear that Jennings established CONTROL first.
There is a difference between control and possession. The rule talks about control, not possession. Jennings had control first and then Tate joined in. It does not matter that Jennings hadn't touched the ground yet.
whats being lost here is that a defender can come and snatch ball from reciever after he has control of ball in the air and is ruled an int. Simultaneous possesion is designed to stop defenders from trying to get hands on ball first and create a turnover. this "controversy" is why its not reviewed. a faction of a second is too close too make a call on. jenning should have knocked the ball down and saved us the trouble . this what cost green bay the game and anybody whose played d-back knows this.
everybody is half way right here...jenning does catch ball first but with a faction of a second tate also grabs the ball. this is simualtanious possession and this way it is a none reviewed play. this because if a defender was to come along a rip ball from tate while in the air it would be ruled an interception
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