I wouldn’t disturb the peace of your Sunday with a rant about this were it not for one thing: It has all the attributes of one of the banes of modern day life: the invasion of legalistic thought and the rise of the so-called data-driven decision.
What really happened after Tony Romo arced the ball through the air in the late moments of the game was captured by Fox announcer Joe Buck when he said: “and a brilliant catch by number 88.”
That was the truth.
I have some very smart friends who have explained to me multiple times the reasoning that led to the on-the-field judgment to be overturned, the pass ruled incomplete and the ball going over to the Packers on downs. But, to me, Bryant seemed to have had clear control of the ball on the way to the ground, first with two hands as he strode, then when he switched it into one large hand as he lunged forward.
Still, even if I’m wrong about the interpretation, the rule is wrong.
In the midst of the debate about whether Bryant “made a football move” before crashing to the ground something got lost: To a football fan, the play was, is and always will be a football catch — the kind that we’ve seen time and time again and that has made the sport what it is. Take that play away for whatever reason you want to give and you diminish the game.
As for the argument that the ruling is fair because the same thing happened to Calvin Johnson of the Detroit Lions three years ago, that analysis can support executing a second innocent guy because it wouldn’t be fair to the first innocent guy who was executed if you don’t get out the needle this time as well.
And, just so you know, I was rooting for the Packers. I’m not one of the discount double-check nuts, but I did want the Cheeseheads to win.
In the process of trying to break things down, the rule has broken something. In an attempt to avoid “leaving something up to judgment,” the rule has codified bad judgment.
In the same way, the trend today is to pretend that a “data-based” decision is based only on data, not on interpretation of it. In both cases, the need for judgment is abandoned at the point where it’s called for.
Those who remember that scene from “Jerry McGuire” may also remember that after Cruise’s character finishes pouring his heart out, Zellweger’s character tells him to “just shut up, you had me at ‘Hello.’ ”
Two weeks ago, I wanted the official to “just shut up” as he got to the explanation. He and the NFL lost me as soon as he said, “After further review.”
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