Joe Buck Says Officials Indicated The NFL Might Scrap Rulebook And Start Over

By Dan Jenkins
@DanTJenkins

What's a catch in the NFL? What isn't a catch? The answer is sometimes convoluted.

The topic is up for discussion every Sunday (along with Thursdays and Mondays) among players, coaches, announcers, pundits and fans alike.

Long-time FOX announcer Joe Buck spoke on The Rich Eisen Show Monday about how things have gotten so bad in the NFL that authorities within the league might consider starting over from scratch with its rulebook.

"We were talking to them [the officials] and a couple of guys on that crew were indicating that they may -- the league -- in the next couple of years may just throw the rulebook out and start over," Buck said. "I do think that they will have to address that rulebook, in general -- if you've ever tried to read it, it's unreadable."

Buck and Eisen agreed that part of the reason rules are picked apart in today's age is because of replay and high-definition television. In the golden days of sports, fans were more likely to accept and move on from a bad call, unlike today where everything is reviewable from dozens of angles.

Buck said that even the commentators are often confused by some of the calls on the field.

"It's hard for us to wrap our heads around as announcers, and we get tapes and seminars and we talk to Mike Pereira once a week," Buck said. "I can't imagine what it's like for fans sitting on their couch saying, 'why is that not a touchdown?'"

"They've almost gotten to the point where, the minute you think you know it, well now they have another nuance that they bring into it and then you're scratching your head going, 'it looked like a catch, it smelled like a catch, it walked like a catch, but it's not a catch?'" Buck said.

The rule that most often falls under scrutiny is what constitutes as possession of the ball or what the "process" of a catch is, something Calvin Johnson made famous in 2010.

You can attempt to decipher the official NFL Rulebook HERE.