Was Santana Moss incorrectly ruled down by contact before he caught the ball?

Question

It looked like any contact that was made with a defender was well before he had anything resembling possession. Is the rule that any contact previous to the catch still constitutes "down by contact" if the catch is made by a player on the ground. If not, he should have had a touchdown. Most likely, the ref blew the whistle before he even caught it. Premature whistles kill football.

Answer 1

i must say i agree because showing the replay u clearly see moss getting possession on the ground. the call was made way before he even establish possession of the ball. I dont know any wear that a call like that can be made before someone catches the ball. thats like the ref calling P.I without the defender touching the WR jsut because he was moving towards him. lol

blown call = 4 down punt = game changing affect IMO

not that the skins didn't have other chances just my opinion

Answer 2

It looked like an incomplete pass to me, as well.  He was pulling it up from between his legs, for Pete' sake.  LOL

Answer 3

This was absolutely the correct call and I'm surprised that so many fans think otherwise. Santana Moss was contacted by a defender simultaneous to the arrival of the pass and that contact forced him to the ground. In a situation where a receiver is contacted by a defender prior to the receiver getting both feet on the ground and maintaining control of the ball, the receiver is considered to be "going to the ground" and, therefore, must maintain control in order for it to be a catch. The fact that Moss wasn't touched by a defender after he completed the catch is irrelevant because the defender's action caused him to hit the ground.

The ruling was right--complete pass and down by contact.

Answer 4

Yeah thats why the Redskins lost.

Answer 5

that was a nice catch  

Answer 6

He "DID" catch it. Ref. blew the call.

Answer 7

Santana had plenty of chances, One play usually doesn't make the game.

Answer 8

He caught it and fumbled it.