Pro Rules vs. College Rules on Catching a Pass (Dez Bryant and Dallas Cowboys)

The thing that strikes me was that Bryant should have just caught the ball. The attempt to catch the ball and score resulted in the catch not being completed.
Since this was 4th down, he absolutely had to catch that ball.
But, stupidly, he tried to catch it and score, and ended up doing neither.
And I neither hate nor love the Cowboys. I do hate stupid football. With a passion.

TideFan in AU said:

There is no way falling to the ground is a football move. It was a good call, as Pereira and the NFL said.

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So, some how planting a foot to lunge into the end zone is not a mythical "football move"? Who knows if he had actually tried to stay up and not lunge? Maybe, just maybe, it would not of been a fall. That's what stupid about this. They give a liberal definition of what is catch-able ball when considering passing interference cuz they don't want to limit what they think an athlete can accomplish....just saying letting the refs determine if he was going to fall or was deliberate football move is idiotic. Get rid of the "football move" crap.

Tidewater said:

The thing that strikes me was that Bryant should have just caught the ball. The attempt to catch the ball and score resulted in the catch not being completed.
Since this was 4th down, he absolutely had to catch that ball.
But, stupidly, he tried to catch it and score, and ended up doing neither.
And I neither hate nor love the Cowboys. I do hate stupid football. With a passion.

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In the end, this was also the conclusion I came to. It was 4th and 2, they ran a streak pattern. High risk, high reward. Unfortunately the reward didn't culminate.

Tidewater said:

The thing that strikes me was that Bryant should have just caught the ball. The attempt to catch the ball and score resulted in the catch not being completed.
Since this was 4th down, he absolutely had to catch that ball.
But, stupidly, he tried to catch it and score, and ended up doing neither.
And I neither hate nor love the Cowboys. I do hate stupid football. With a passion.

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Bingo. Catch the ball, then go down. Done.

It's like when a DB intercepts the ball from the back of the endzone and then tries to run it out. Just go down...sheesh.

colbysullivan said:

Bingo. Catch the ball, then go down. Done.

It's like when a DB intercepts the ball from the back of the endzone and then tries to run it out. Just go down...sheesh.

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"The best is the enemy of the good."
In trying to make the incredible play, Bryant cost his team any chance at all of winning the game.
If he had just made the good play (catch the ball, keep both hands on the ball, land on your back, but above all else, catch the dang ball), the Cowboys would have had a first down on the three yard line with four minutes and change left to play. Gotta like their chances from that point.
Instead, Bryant went for the incredible play, and ended up screwing his team over. Bad.

I don't really understand the rule. But any rule that results in that being called an incomplete pass is stupid, inconsistent with how the game should be played, and needs to be changed immediately.

I was for the Packers, and I'm very glad they won the game.
Dez Bryant caught the ball, ran three steps, tried to reach the ball for the goal line, hit the ground , and the ball came loose.
If, by rule, that was an incomplete pass, then they need to change the rule.
That was a horrible call.
Again, I was pulling for the Packers, but a bad call is a bad call.
By rule, it wasn't a bad call. By "reality", it was a very bad call. One of the worst I've ever seen.
I have never liked the Cowboys, but they got shafted.
sip

Alasippi said:

I was for the Packers, and I'm very glad they won the game.
Dez Bryant caught the ball, ran three steps, tried to reach the ball for the goal line, hit the ground , and the ball came loose.
If, by rule, that was an incomplete pass, then they need to change the rule.
That was a horrible call.
Again, I was pulling for the Packers, but a bad call is a bad call.
By rule, it wasn't a bad call. By "reality", it was a very bad call. One of the worst I've ever seen.
I have never liked the Cowboys, but they got shafted.
sip

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If I "ran three steps" out of my front door like that, somebody would be calling an ambulance. He was falling. If he had caught the ball and actually ran three steps, it would have been a catch.

Alasippi said:

I was for the Packers, and I'm very glad they won the game.
Dez Bryant caught the ball, ran three steps, tried to reach the ball for the goal line, hit the ground , and the ball came loose.
If, by rule, that was an incomplete pass, then they need to change the rule.
That was a horrible call.
Again, I was pulling for the Packers, but a bad call is a bad call.
By rule, it wasn't a bad call. By "reality", it was a very bad call. One of the worst I've ever seen.
I have never liked the Cowboys, but they got shafted.
sip

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Cowboys got shafted by Dez Bryant.
If he had not tried to score on the play and focused on catching the ball, his team would have had a 1st and goal on the 3 or 4 yard line.
I call this the ESPN effect. Every football player, especially the stupid, immature ones, want to make the highlight reel on ESPN so, rather than make the good play, they try to make the incredible "top ten highlight-worthy" play.
Dez Bryant screwed his team over.

BamaMoon said:

This could go in circles for days. I see both sides.

Perhaps a third possibility is he made the catch, came down on both feet, took a step or two toward the endzone and then went down because of the defensive contact of the defensive back.

Watch the video and how Dez trips over the guys legs as he reaches for the goal line:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...h-that-wasnt-a-catch-in-cowboys-packers-game/

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Bryant, in a moment of candor, admitted what he was trying to do.

Bryant said:

What am I supposed to do? I’m just reaching for the goal line. I don’t understand.

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I'll tell you what you are supposed to do, Dez. Catch the dadgum ball. That's what you are supposed to do. You don't have to score on that play, but above all else, you have to catch the ball. Or, alternatively, you could selfishly screw your team mates over. You're call...
Oh, I see. You chose option B.