Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett thinks the NFL made a mistake when they didn't tweak the rules that apply to Dez Bryant's overturned catch against the Green Bay Packers, according to Clarence Hill of the Star-Telegram. The play, which saw Bryant catch the football, switch hands, take two steps and reach for the goal line before the ball came loose as he hit the ground, was ruled an incomplete pass.
Jason Garrett says NFL should have changed Calvin Johnson rule
Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett says the NFL should have changed the Calvin Johnson (and Dez Bryant) rule at the league meetings this year.
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The NFL spent time considering the rule, which stated that a player had to make “a football move” while maintaining control of the ball with a catch -- a vague statement if there ever was one. But the league neglected to change the rule, instead tweaking the language to say that a receiver has to “establish himself as a runner,” which isn’t much clearer.
"I do think this play belongs in the game. I do think we want Calvin Johnson's play and Dez Bryant's play to be catches in our league," Garrett said. "I do believe any tweaks to the rule should be to include these plays, not to exclude these plays."
The play in question was during a playoff matchup this past postseason. Garrett did not suggest that the call was the reason for Dallas’ loss, saying that the Cowboys had opportunities to control their own destiny, but it certainly didn’t help. That would have been a major turning point in the game, and while Bryant’s catch is not really a catch by the definition of the rule it surprised many that the league only looked to tweak the language rather than change it altogether.
Garrett said that the rule has “nothing to do with our game, our team, it’s about how to right the rule going forward.”
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