In the two-plus years we've been hashing it out on this blog, I've never seen a story generate such widespread venom as Calvin Johnson's overruled touchdown reception in the Detroit Lions' 19-14 loss Sunday to the Chicago Bears. We've surpassed a record number of comments on the related post, and I continue to hear from hundreds of you who either don't understand the rule, don't like it or are just looking for someone to vent on.
To that end, make sure you listen to Mike Pereira's appearance Monday
on ESPN 100's "The Waddle & Silvy Show." Pereria is the NFL's former vice president of officiating and said there is a "black and white" standard for making this call.
Here's an excerpt: "Right now it's really black and white, and it's all on the receiver at this point. If he's going to the ground, he's got to hold on to the ball until he has completely finished, until he's come to a stop. If he doesn't, it's an incomplete pass."
I still don't understand why the standard for continuation is so long, but at least we have a semi-official explanation for the rule. Feel free to continue weighing in, either on this post or over on SportsNation. I'm thinking of putting together a more in-depth post later this week.