NFL Reportedly Will Make 'Some Kind of Change' to Simplify Catch Rule

One of the most heavily debated topics in the NFL, the catch rule, is finally being simplified this offseason. 

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, there is an expectation for "some kind of change with added clarity" to the catch rule prior to owners meetings in March. The NFL Competition Committee is set to meet Monday in Indianapolis to discuss this and other possible changes for 2018.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell had previously explained that the committee will revisit the issue this offseason in a January interview on The Herd with Colin Cowherd.

"I'm not just somewhat concerned, I am concerned," he explained, via Jeremy Bergmanof NFL.com. "You want there to be clarity from an officiating standpoint, a coaching and player standpoint—they know what it is or isn't. And so they draft the rule, the Competition Committee looks at it, they bring it to the membership, and they want that clarity."

While fans in any sport will always debate interpretations of rules, the 2017 season featured several high-profile examples of the catch rule leading to confusion.

The Week 15 game between the Patriots and Steelers ended in controversy after Pittsburgh tight end Jesse James was ruled to not complete a catch for a potential go-ahead touchdown. There was even more debate in the Super Bowl when two different questionable touchdowns were upheld after replay reviews.

In both cases—touchdown catches by Corey Clement and Zach Ertz—there was a lack of clarity on the sport's biggest stage.

The NFL rule book features a complicated explanation about what makes a catch, especially while defining what happens when a player is going to the ground:

"If a player goes to the ground in the act of catching a pass (with or without contact by an opponent), he must maintain control of the ball until after his initial contact with the ground, whether in the field of play or the end zone. If he loses control of the ball, and the ball touches the ground before he regains control, the pass is incomplete."

Finding a way to simplify this and reduce controversy for next season and beyond should be a top priority for the Competition Committee and owners over the next month.