The NFL Competition Committee met on a variety of issues on Monday, including the oft-discussed rule governing what constitutes a catch.
Judy Battista of NFL Media reports that one of the things being considered on that front is eliminating the portion of the rule that calls for a player to retain possession while “going to the ground” for a play to be ruled a catch.
Under the current rule, “a player is considered to be going to the ground if he does not remain upright long enough to demonstrate that he is clearly a runner.” In such cases, a player needs to maintain control of the ball through “initial contact” with the ground whether they’ve been contacted by a defensive player or not.
Battista adds that the committee is also looking at more ejections resulting from on-field fights, a targeting rule similar to college for hits to the head and the possibility of changing the defensive pass interference rules from a spot foul to a 15-yard penalty in addition to a renewed focus on illegal contact penalties in the passing game.
