Enough of this breaking the pylon noise.  It’s time for the NFL to re-evaluate a rule in desperate need of a change

CARRINGTON HARRISON

People say you have made it when you become a verb. Well Calvin Johnson you have arrived amidst the effects of the rule so appropriately named after the robbery committed against you earlier this season.

On Sunday, Arian Foster got Calvin Johnson-ed. To close the 1st half, Arian Foster received a pass from Matt Schaub and fell into the end zone. Touchdown right? Not so fast. He forgot “to complete the process”. No touchdown, Texans have to settle for a field goal and later go on to lose the ball game. We can sit here and debate the intent of the rule and the spirit of the rule and to the NFL’s credit, the officials have called the call correctly each time it needed to be applied but the rule is wrong.

In fact, most of the current touchdown rules need to be changed. When an apparent touchdown to us all has become in question, the rules need to be radically changed. So I am here to help the NFL out. I’m sure Goodell is a busy guy fining anyone who tackles someone too hard.

The NFL needs for the rules to be consistent from running backs and wide receivers. How can a running back dive at the pylon lose the ball as it hits the ground and that count as touchdown? Arian Foster broke the plane with the ball so that should be a touchdown right? The rule lacks any type of consistency and seems to penalize anyone who catches a pass. The solution needs to be eliminating the “cross the plane” way of thinking. A touchdown should be getting your entire body in the endzone with the ball and fully having control of the ball.

A quarterback sneak where the QB puts the ball over this white line for a millisecond and then immediately retreats his arms should not longer count as a touchdown and neither should the silly Reggie Bush style dive toward the pylon. I’m actually fine with the Calvin Johnson rule counting if you eliminate that rule as well. It’s not right the rule is wrong and it should be obvious. Anyone that watches the game, the opposing team, and even the officials know it should count. At the end of the regular season, the NFL competition committee needs to seriously look at what a touchdown is and seriously adjusts need to be made before next season. Well if there is a next season…

Photo: AP

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