Calvin Johnson Comments on NFL's Catch Rules

Detroit Lions superstar receiver Calvin Johnson was the catalyst for the NFL's "definition of a catch" conversation in a 2010 season opener against the Chicago Bears.

That's been the main topic of discussion after the two NFC North rivals played in Week 6. Megatron spoke out Wednesday and said, "I thought I understood the rule. I don't think anybody does now," per the Detroit Free Press' Dave Birkett.

Lions receiver Golden Tate hauled in a touchdown reception near the end of the first half in Sunday's game that swung momentum, ultimately resulting in a Detroit overtime win.

The play has to be seen to be believed Tate was rewarded a TD:

This brings to mind Johnson's apparent game-winning score in the aforementioned 2010 contest against the Bears. It was determined Johnson didn't possess the ball long enough, and the play was ruled incomplete.

Johnson and many others have been confused as to what the NFL's definition of a catch is since Megatron's infamous "drop" at Soldier Field. The conversation intensified in last year's playoffs when Dallas Cowboys wideout Dez Bryant made a critical catch and attempted to stretch for the end zone thereafter.

Bryant's clutch fourth-down grab was ruled incomplete as well, all but clinching victory for the Green Bay Packers. It led to an adjustment in the NFL catch jargon, but it may have only made matters worse.

Speaking of the Cheeseheads, they were on the wrong end of Tate's "Fail Mary" TD catch when he was a member of the Seattle Seahawks in 2012.

ESPN's Mike Golic was among those miffed about the latest "catch" controversy involving Tate:

Johnson's 57-yard OT reception in Week 6 was a no-doubter that set up a winning field goal for Detroit. If only the officials' jobs to judge were that easy on every catch.

But the inconsistency of catch calls doesn't seem so much a function of the referees' failure to determine it for themselves as much as the ambiguity of the rules. Attempting to create catch-all verbiage for a phenomenon so arbitrary is something even the best minds in the NFL should avoid.

The definition of a catch ought to bear the general football rules in mind while also leaving room for officiating crews to do their jobs.

Adhering to a strict by-the-book definition is evidently failing at the moment—or is at best leaving the general public and those on the gridiron confused about such a vital, basic element of the game.