This apparent TD catch by the Steelers' Jesse James late in an eventual loss to the Patriots on December 17, 2017 was overruled on replay review but would be a catch under the proposed rule change. (Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
The NFL is set to revise its controversial catch rule, reportedly eliminating passages that led to a series of disputed incompletions upon video replay review.
The proposed changes — described by NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent in an interview with the Washington Post — would include removal of the standards that a football can’t shift at all in a receiver’s hands (only demonstrated control would be necessary) and that a receiver maintain full possession of the ball while on the ground (control apparently would only need to be held through the initial contact).