Super Bowl 2018: Just when you think you know what a catch is, there's this Eagles TD
Corey Clement appeared to be bobbling the ball but he still got credit for the catch
By
Will Brinson
•
1 min read
MINNEAPOLIS -- Breaking news, everyone. No one knows what a catch is.
On the biggest stage, the NFL ran into a problem with its most difficult rule again, this time as Eagles running back Corey Clement caught an absolute dime from Nick Foles in the end zone that was initially ruled a touchdown for the Eagles.
On the play, Clement clearly got two feet down, and "survived the ground," but he appeared to bobble the ball after his first foot was down and then did not get a second foot in after the apparent bobble.
Nick Foles with the absolute DIME! #SBLII pic.twitter.com/xVaZmET7Y0
— NFL (@NFL) February 5, 2018
In real time it clearly looked like a catch, even if some Patriots defenders were signaling it was incomplete. But once the play was slowed down, it sure felt like the refs would ultimately decide it was incomplete, because that's exactly what NFL refs have been doing all season in situations like this.
WHAT IS A CATCH?! pic.twitter.com/k0OQ0fTjBh
— UPROXX Sports (@UPROXXSports) February 5, 2018
Everyone was very confused and mostly annoyed.
wouldn't be an NFL game without a controversial catch ruling. By the letter of the law probably shouldn't be a catch.... but it looked like a catch to me.
— Dan Hellie (@DanHellie) February 5, 2018
What’s a catch, #SuperBowl52 edition. “I give up.”
— Jason Horowitz (@HorowitzJason) February 5, 2018
Replay's in place to overturn obvious calls. Not 80-20 or 70-30, so I'm OK with sticking what was called on the field here. Still don't know what a catch is tho.
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) February 5, 2018
You won’t know it when you see it. — NFL Catch Rule
— Don Van Natta Jr. (@DVNJr) February 5, 2018
Guess that's payback for all the calls Pats got in EZ this year. As I've said many times, that just proves what we already know: Nobody knows what a catch is anymore.
— clark v judge jr (@clarkjudgeTOF) February 5, 2018
Zero clue what a catch is but I'd rather have more TDs than no TDs. So I'll take it
— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) February 5, 2018
WTF IS A CATCH?
— Michael Shamburger (@mshamburger1) February 5, 2018
Only makes sense that we have no clue what a catch is during the biggest game with the highest stakes.
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) February 5, 2018
#NFL catch rule. Make sense of it. We're told all season that's not a catch. Personally, I think it should be called the way it just was. But by the letter of the law? Mmmmmm.
— Charles Robinson (@CharlesRobinson) February 5, 2018
(•_•)
— Lana Berry (@Lana) February 5, 2018
<) )╯what
/ \
\(•_•)
( (> is
/ \
(•_•)
<) )> a catch
/ \
This even included former NFL wideout and current NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth, who, like the rest of us, just wants to give up.
"I give up." - @CollinsworthPFF on the definition of a catch
— The MMQB (@theMMQB) February 5, 2018
Eagles fans are probably excited about getting the touchdown, but even if you're pumped about it being ruled a score, it's still incredibly frustrating to have an important play like that be totally up in the air when watching on replay.
It's fine if that is considered a catch, but it hasn't been a catch all year, and suddenly the NFL is changing its mind midstream on the biggest possible stage.
Keep up with all of the action as it happens in our Super Bowl LII live blog.
