The Cowboys may not like the rule, but they acknowledge that the NFL’s catch rule was correctly applied when an apparent Dez Bryant catch was ruled incomplete in their playoff loss to the Packers.
Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones admitted it was the right call according to the rules in an interview with ESPN on Tuesday.
“As it turns out, according to the rule, I think the call was correct,” Jones said.
Jones is still holding out hope that the NFL can find a way to change the rules to reward receivers who make seemingly great plays, but for the 2015 season at least, a play like Bryant’s will remain an incomplete pass.
“Now, going forward is there a better way that some of these plays that are made by great players like a Dez Bryant or a Calvin Johnson, is there a way to tweak a rule to where you can say, ‘Hey those guys really caught those footballs and they should be catches even under the NFL rules?’ Well, that’s the job of the Competition Committee and for us to continue to look at ways to get better,” Jones said.
Some day the NFL may change that rule, but that day won’t be until 2016 at the earliest. Plenty of fans, players, coaches and owners may dislike it, but whether you call it the Calvin Johnson Rule or the Dez Bryant Rule, the rule remains in place.
