This is one of many judgement calls that can or not be penalized. The player safety mindset behind rules like this results in the officials getting guidance that if it is "close" penalize it in order to establish the spirit of the rule. Aside: thought the hit on the QB going out of bounds probably should have gotten a flag based on this logic.
"A receiver attempting to catch a pass who has not had time to clearly become a runner. If the player is capable of avoiding or warding off the impending contact of an opponent, he is no longer a defenseless player"
In the context above looked to be a "good" call albeit in the "good old days" this and the QB situation would have been good defensive football.
This link explains what a "defenseless player" looks like in a variety of situations: https://operations.nfl.com/the-rules/nfl-video-rulebook/defenseless-player/
Another aside: Would love to see a TV broadcast in which they had a graphic with the rule and how it is to be enforced ending with "now let's see the play in slow motion" (with no commentary describing what is being shown) ... and then back to discussing the play with someone who actually knows the rules and what the NFL (ACC or whatever) have told their officials about applying it.
Here is the rule
Replies to: "Here is the rule"
- NFL officials channeled the Big 10 in the SB thus capping off a magnificently terrible year. - BaronVonZemo - 11:52pm 2/3/19
(21) [View All]
- Here is the rule - Dinglewood - 3:01pm 2/4/19
- But you know what is funny about that second part. If you have to watch the player catch the ball, - THEISMANCARR - 1:17pm 2/5/19
- My take - Dinglewood - 4:08pm 2/5/19
- But you know what is funny about that second part. If you have to watch the player catch the ball, - THEISMANCARR - 1:17pm 2/5/19
- Blame the rule, not the officials, for that call - CC72 - 1:50pm 2/4/19
- Except that the officials usually don't call that BS, and they also called Sullivan for holding and - BaronVonZemo - 3:36pm 2/4/19
- BVZ, I would not say that the catch by Woods being out of bounds was as obvious as you claim [NT] - Irish_Demon - 9:29am 2/5/19
- OLs hold on every play. The call on Sullivan was unusual - CC72 - 6:22pm 2/4/19
- Except that the officials usually don't call that BS, and they also called Sullivan for holding and - BaronVonZemo - 3:36pm 2/4/19
- "The Worst People Win Again" [NT] [LINK] - lacan - 1:37pm 2/4/19
- Wild to me that the MVP had to sit four games to start the season for PED’s - Rocket91 - 12:25pm 2/4/19
- Forgot about that. [NT]
- iairishcheeks - 1:06pm 2/4/19
- Me too. I was thinking, Wow he looks like a roid monkey! [NT] - StreetFightingIrish - 2:20pm 2/4/19
- Forgot about that. [NT]
- iairishcheeks - 1:06pm 2/4/19
- That call was huge and total bullshit. Los Angeles had them on the ropes at that point. [NT]
- THEISMANCARR - 11:17am 2/4/19
- A complete horseshit call was what - ColeyO - 12:29pm 2/4/19
- True but that is a different game. Yesterday is the call we are talking about and it was horrible. [NT] - THEISMANCARR - 7:09pm 2/4/19
- Yes, of course, but they're mutually exclusive. One doesn't excuse the other [NT] - Irish_Demon - 12:38pm 2/4/19
- A complete horseshit call was what - ColeyO - 12:29pm 2/4/19
- It's just a bad overall entertainment product - ND_in_DRO - 9:10am 2/4/19
- The product is generally mediocre but I like hard hitting defensive intense games. Mahones is one - THEISMANCARR - 11:19am 2/4/19
- ratings up 5% in 2018 [NT]
- LanceHarbor - 9:33am 2/4/19
- Even so, still down 14% in past 3 years including this uptick, and SB was least watched in 10 years. [NT] [LINK] - BaronVonZemo - 3:33pm 2/4/19
- Not yesterday though, ratings down. Headline called game Super Bore but I happen to like games - THEISMANCARR - 11:21am 2/4/19
- In order for "ratings (to) continue to plummet" they need to actually be going down [NT] - LanceHarbor - 11:26am 2/4/19
- Here is the rule - Dinglewood - 3:01pm 2/4/19