A replay reversal on a touchdown reception deals the Steelers a heartbreaking loss—and the NFL another controversy
Steelers tight end Jesse James failed to ‘survive the ground’ as he dove across the goal line against the Patriots on Sunday.
By Jason Gay
It’s now Monday, but if you step outside for just a moment, you can still hear the screaming from Pittsburgh:
THAAAAAAAT WAS A CAAAAAAAAAAAATCH!!!
Followed by 90 seconds of colorful but crude, hide-the-children cursing—at the game officials, at the NFL, at the inventors of instant replay, at the inventors of television technology in general, at the New England Patriots and whatever horribly unlucky cosmic else contributed to a beautiful, season-altering victory getting ripped from the mitts of the Steelers on Sunday.
If you didn’t see it—and really, by now, you’ve watched it 300 more times than you ever watched your own wedding video—Pittsburgh appeared to have grabbed a momentous, last-minute, come-from-behind home win over New England when Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger hit tight end Jesse James (yep, that’s his real name) for a game-clinching touchdown catch.
The referees signaled touchdown, and there was pandemonium in Pittsburgh. With less than half of a minute left, it looked as if the Steelers were about to stop the rival Pats, taking firm control of the AFC with just two games left in the regular season.
Then the Replay Overlords intervened, and what very much looked like a catch became…
Not a catch.
They’ll be talking about this one for years. Many people still don’t know exactly what happened.
The ruling on the replay was that the ball did not “Survive the Ground,” which sounds like the title of a Liam Neeson movie.
BAD GUY: No! No don’t throw me off this rooftop, Liam Neeson.
LIAM NEESON: If you don’t tell me where she is, you’ll never…survive the ground.
Anyway, upon further review, officials decided this: the Steelers’ James may have “caught” the ball and crashed forward into the end zone, but in order to complete the catch, he needed to maintain full control of the ball upon hitting the turf. In the replay, it appears that the ball wobbled slightly when James lunged forward and his hands—and the ball—crashed to the ground.
In other words…it did not survive the ground.
RIP, Steelers game-winning touchdown catch.
In the aftermath, football’s forensic scientists said the officials got it right—James did not have full control of the ball for the entire duration, and therefore it isn’t a catch. I know you’re going to mention running backs here, but the rules are different for runners crossing the end zone—a running back only has to get a millimeter of that ball across the end zone line, and can lose it immediately, and it’s still a touchdown. A reception, on the other hand, must be completely finished off for it to count as a score.
Did you just fall asleep reading that last paragraph? See, this is a problem. The NFL’s standards for a reception have gotten downright kooky. According to the rules, the receiver must now:
1. Make the catch.
2. Place both feet in bounds.
3. Hang onto the catch for the duration.
4. Oven bake the catch for 30 minutes at 450 degrees.
5. Take the catch on a three-day camping trip.
6. Agree to pay for the catch’s college education—through grad school and a Ph.D. program.
7. Present a handwritten note to the referee that details reasons for making the catch.
8. Sing original composition about catch (OPTIONAL.)
As you can tell, this is a fairly lengthy and complicated list of requirements. And that’s how you get an outrage like you have in Pittsburgh—an aggrieved city wondering how what looked so clearly like a catch could become, with the sinister co-conspiring of replay, not a catch, and the Steelers would go from presumed AFC champions to what looks like runners-up who may have to play a roadie in New England.
New England Patriots strong safety Duron Harmon, center, celebrates his interception in the end zone of a pass from Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to seal the Patriots’ 27-24 victory.
(YES: We are leaving out the part in which Pittsburgh had another crack at the end zone—and definitely time to kick a game-tying field goal to send the contest into overtime—but Roethlisberger wound up throwing an interception, giving the Patriots the win. Fine! It’s true. The Steelers had another shot and they blew it, and they have their own questions to answer, you party poopers. I’m trying to stir the pot about the catch/drop. Don’t kill my vibe.)
You might think the NFL is embarrassed by what happened in Pittsburgh, that it’s yet another PR disaster for a league that’s had plenty of issues in 2017.
Please! First of all, they think the officials got it right. Secondly, they have to be thrilled that this is what people are talking about on Monday, as the owner of the Carolina Panthers, Jerry Richardson, prepares to sell his team after allegations of workplace misconduct and a Sports Illustrated report that at least four former employees were paid settlements. Not to mention the NFL Network’s own sexual harassment crisis and the suspensions of several high-profile on-air commentators. Or the continued rash of injuries to high-profile players—the Steelers lost MVP candidate receiver Antonio Brown to a calf issue early in Sunday’s game.
You want to yell about a catch that wasn’t a catch? That’s fantastic. Have yourself a ball!
Just make sure it…survives the ground.
Steelers tight end Jesse James failed to ‘survive the ground’ as he dove across the goal line against the Patriots on Sunday.
By Jason Gay
It’s now Monday, but if you step outside for just a moment, you can still hear the screaming from Pittsburgh:
THAAAAAAAT WAS A CAAAAAAAAAAAATCH!!!
Followed by 90 seconds of colorful but crude, hide-the-children cursing—at the game officials, at the NFL, at the inventors of instant replay, at the inventors of television technology in general, at the New England Patriots and whatever horribly unlucky cosmic else contributed to a beautiful, season-altering victory getting ripped from the mitts of the Steelers on Sunday.
If you didn’t see it—and really, by now, you’ve watched it 300 more times than you ever watched your own wedding video—Pittsburgh appeared to have grabbed a momentous, last-minute, come-from-behind home win over New England when Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger hit tight end Jesse James (yep, that’s his real name) for a game-clinching touchdown catch.
The referees signaled touchdown, and there was pandemonium in Pittsburgh. With less than half of a minute left, it looked as if the Steelers were about to stop the rival Pats, taking firm control of the AFC with just two games left in the regular season.
Then the Replay Overlords intervened, and what very much looked like a catch became…
Not a catch.
They’ll be talking about this one for years. Many people still don’t know exactly what happened.
The ruling on the replay was that the ball did not “Survive the Ground,” which sounds like the title of a Liam Neeson movie.
BAD GUY: No! No don’t throw me off this rooftop, Liam Neeson.
LIAM NEESON: If you don’t tell me where she is, you’ll never…survive the ground.
Anyway, upon further review, officials decided this: the Steelers’ James may have “caught” the ball and crashed forward into the end zone, but in order to complete the catch, he needed to maintain full control of the ball upon hitting the turf. In the replay, it appears that the ball wobbled slightly when James lunged forward and his hands—and the ball—crashed to the ground.
In other words…it did not survive the ground.
RIP, Steelers game-winning touchdown catch.
In the aftermath, football’s forensic scientists said the officials got it right—James did not have full control of the ball for the entire duration, and therefore it isn’t a catch. I know you’re going to mention running backs here, but the rules are different for runners crossing the end zone—a running back only has to get a millimeter of that ball across the end zone line, and can lose it immediately, and it’s still a touchdown. A reception, on the other hand, must be completely finished off for it to count as a score.
Did you just fall asleep reading that last paragraph? See, this is a problem. The NFL’s standards for a reception have gotten downright kooky. According to the rules, the receiver must now:
1. Make the catch.
2. Place both feet in bounds.
3. Hang onto the catch for the duration.
4. Oven bake the catch for 30 minutes at 450 degrees.
5. Take the catch on a three-day camping trip.
6. Agree to pay for the catch’s college education—through grad school and a Ph.D. program.
7. Present a handwritten note to the referee that details reasons for making the catch.
8. Sing original composition about catch (OPTIONAL.)
As you can tell, this is a fairly lengthy and complicated list of requirements. And that’s how you get an outrage like you have in Pittsburgh—an aggrieved city wondering how what looked so clearly like a catch could become, with the sinister co-conspiring of replay, not a catch, and the Steelers would go from presumed AFC champions to what looks like runners-up who may have to play a roadie in New England.
New England Patriots strong safety Duron Harmon, center, celebrates his interception in the end zone of a pass from Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to seal the Patriots’ 27-24 victory.
(YES: We are leaving out the part in which Pittsburgh had another crack at the end zone—and definitely time to kick a game-tying field goal to send the contest into overtime—but Roethlisberger wound up throwing an interception, giving the Patriots the win. Fine! It’s true. The Steelers had another shot and they blew it, and they have their own questions to answer, you party poopers. I’m trying to stir the pot about the catch/drop. Don’t kill my vibe.)
You might think the NFL is embarrassed by what happened in Pittsburgh, that it’s yet another PR disaster for a league that’s had plenty of issues in 2017.
Please! First of all, they think the officials got it right. Secondly, they have to be thrilled that this is what people are talking about on Monday, as the owner of the Carolina Panthers, Jerry Richardson, prepares to sell his team after allegations of workplace misconduct and a Sports Illustrated report that at least four former employees were paid settlements. Not to mention the NFL Network’s own sexual harassment crisis and the suspensions of several high-profile on-air commentators. Or the continued rash of injuries to high-profile players—the Steelers lost MVP candidate receiver Antonio Brown to a calf issue early in Sunday’s game.
You want to yell about a catch that wasn’t a catch? That’s fantastic. Have yourself a ball!
Just make sure it…survives the ground.
