Originally posted by schmons:
Originally posted by ElDannMann:
Originally posted by schmons:
you cant interpret the rules as who had more possession of the ball or who had possession first. based on rules, the officials did the right thing. call me crazy. officials waited until the play was finished before making a ruling much like they do after a fumble skirmish. Golden Tate and Jennings both had their hands on the ball no matter how much more Jennings had possession of it - tie goes to offense. They reviewed it, couldn't review the part in question. Call was made, game over.
No matter how much I saw Jennings make that interception at first, the play needs to finish itself out. It's kind of like the Calvin Johnson play from last year in my eyes.
Here's the rule in the NFL rule book word for word:
"If a pass is caught simultaneously by two eligible opponents, and both 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."
So to be blunt and rash, you are absolutely wrong. Right in the playbooks it says that whoever has control FIRST retains possession of the ball. So stop trying to argue a losing battle. You're wrong. Jennings came down with the ball and Tate eventually got joint possession of it.
i see where you're getting at but the big issue here is does this rule apply in the air or when the catch is official (ie possession and 2 feet on the ground). I think this rule was written for the case when the catch is made with both feet on the ground while Jennings was in the air for awhile and then he came down with 1 foot and the second foot does not hit for awhile. I don't think they ever took this situation in to account. I compared it to the calvin johnson catch based on how you want to interpret the rules.
watch the replay and you'll see as Jennings has 1 feet on the ground, Tate pulls the ball towards his body as his butt hits the ground and that can be seen as possession. he had at least 1 hand on the ball the whole time. you arent award possession in the air - never have, never will.
Both of Jennings feet hit the ground after he caught the ball. He demonstrate control and possession while in the air and going to the ground. If Tate had control of the ball with 1 hand than he's a dumba** to let Jennings gather it to his chest. In other words Tate did not have control of the ball. Had a hand on it but not control
[ Edited by qnnhan7 on Sep 25, 2012 at 8:59 AM ]