I wonder why they didn’t penalize the Panthers OL for trying to pull McCaffrey across the goal line on their final play last week?
They should have thrown a flag. You cannot assume the officials know (or care?) about all of the rules. Had McCaffrey scored and the Panthers ended up winning the game it would have been a controversy.
Those former NFL office rules "experts" they have on the broadcasts these days flub the rules with some regularity. One of these guys keeps saying, "he's got possession and took two steps, so it's a catch." You'd think with all the controvery surrounding the catch rules he'd have the current rules memorized. Nope. It's control with two feet down and one additional step among a few possible criteria. The rule now (finally and sanely) reads:
"A player who makes a catch may advance the ball. A forward pass is complete (by the offense) or intercepted (by the defense) in the field of play, at the sideline, or in the end zone if a player, who is inbounds:
- secures control of the ball in his hands or arms prior to the ball touching the ground; and
- touches the ground inbounds with both feet or with any part of his body other than his hands; and
- after (a) and (b) have been fulfilled, performs any act common to the game (e.g., tuck the ball away, extend it forward, take an additional step, turn upfield, or avoid or ward off an opponent), or he maintains control of the ball long enough to do so."
You'll also hear these experts still referring to "a football move" being the criteria. Who knows what a football move is supposed to be, but even if all the specifics above are regarded as such he doesn't have to to do that if he has possession long enough to do so.
There was another play I saw recently where the "expert" declared that a play where a receiver stepped out of bounds before getting both feet down inbounds for a catch should be ruled incomplete in that a receiver cannot reestablish himself in the field of play. The color commentator corrected him; a receiver can reestablish himself inbounds if forced out by a defender.
The play was reviewed, and New York made the right rule interpretation. Good thing that "expert" was not the New York official. Whether the contact was sufficient to make that call is debateable.
Who knows how many rule flubs we'd find if we scrutinized every play of every game.
