Game-Losing Catch...

Week 1 of the 2010-11 NFL season, brought three things. 1) As I predicted, a lot of upsets, 2) more first week season-ending injuries than I can ever remember, and 3) the "Calvin Johnson rule." No wait, I thought of another. Yep, four things. 4) We learned just how great the Jets offense is. (Still laughing....still laughing.........yep, still laughing). But back to the Calvin Johnson rule.

Exhibit A:

This is a catch people! And while we're on the topic, this is a travel Duke fans. Look, I get it Bears fans. You think it's an incompletion because he...Oh wait, you thought it was a catch too? Well then who, other then the referee, thought it was an incomplete pass? The answer: Very few. Which is why I can almost guarantee there will be a rule change next Spring. And why is that? Because it was obviously a catch.

The Editor and Chief of the soon-to-be Pulitzer Prize winning website, BachTalk, is convinced the only reason I'm taking 98% of society's viewpoint on this play is because I'm bitter about the 8.5 fantasy points I lost from it. I tried to explain to him that the fantasy points were meaningless. After all, I started Arian Foster in that league. I was the "Toyota Greatest Fantasy Victor" of Week 1. It's obvious. I didn't need the points. Maybe I was pissed it dropped my Week 1 picks record to 11-5. Or maybe I just wanted to insert a cameo right there to show you that I went 11-5 last week and that for all you gamblers out there: Listen to my picks! Regardless, I'm not bitter about the points. I'm not bitter towards the Bears. I'm not bitter that one of my upset specials should have been an upset special. I'm bitter about the fact that there's a rule in place that leaves no room for interpretation, and that a play like that could possibly be conceived as an incompletion.

Should Calvin Johnson have brought the ball into his chest as he was falling to the ground? Yes. If he does, there's no story here. But Calvin clearly caught the ball, had both feet in bounds, both thighs in bounds, his rear-end in bounds, and clear possession of the ball when he hit the ground. He even added a left hand for good measure. But according to the head referee, Gene Steratore, Johnson didn't maintain possession of the ball through the complete act. Last time I checked, the act of catching a ball, with complete possession, and two feet in bounds was the act of a touchdown. How can you tell me a quarterback placing the nose of the ball a millimeter over the goal line and having the defense immediately strip it from him is a touchdown. But, Calvin having complete possession of the ball and two feet down in the end zone isn't a touchdown if the ball slips out of his hand when he's using it as a means to help him rise to his own feet so he can run and celebrate? I just can't agree with that.

Quick sidenote: At 28 seconds, I love the commentator's comment: "Very good point. Ya know, was he trying to reach to gain additional yards?" No sir, are you kidding me? Was he trying to reach for additional yards 9 yards deep into the end zone? Newsflash to the guy that's been covering football since long before I was born: You get the same number of yards whether you're in the front of the end zone or the back. Which goes to show just how hard it is to determine a second act in the end zone. In my opinion. If Calvin "Megatron" Johnson has his paws wrapped around a football, gets two feet and his ass down with possession and no ball disruption in the end zone - that's a TD. No question. It's just not fair that as that right hand was falling to the ground he could have done a sweet ball flip, or casually tossed it to the ref and the act would have been considered "completed," but since he chose to use it as a means of leverage to rise to his feet, it's considered incomplete.

Oh well. I give up.

Please take note of my Week 2 picks in the side bar. I don't know if you caught it on the Bottom Line or not, but I was 11-5 last week. I know. Not as good as my 13-3 start last year. But if we consider the fact Calvin caught the ball, and that I wasn't expecting Kansas City to throw a monsoon party and totally psych Rivers and the Chargers out of their game, I would've been 13-3; keeping pace with last season.

Just saying.

Lastly, I can't believe I almost forgot. Mark Sanchez was quoted in the The Record (NJ) this morning, saying the following things. Yes, these are actual quotes.

"We're ready to get rolling on offense"

(Laughing...)

"We're ready to have a breakout game"

(Still laughing...)

"We joke around about it, but there's nothing wrong with going 15-1"

(Rolling on the floor laughing...)

"We'll have games where we throw for over 300 yards"

(I can't take this. Mark Sanchez was 10-21 with 74 yards passing last week)

Work on throwing 300 yards for the season first Sanchez.

Week 1: 11-5

Season: 11-5