Since the 2017 NFL season has wrapped up, the league has heightened its push to alter the catch rule to eliminate any additional issues that could arise. Much of this talk has been around simplifying the rule due to the complex nature of how a catch can be determined on any given play.

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At the center of this has been the “going to the ground” portion of the regulation that has led to many controversial instances in games over the last few years since being implemented. According to Peter King of Sports Illustrated, the NFL competition Committee is hedging toward erasing that section of the rule altogether.

“Going to the ground is going away.” That’s what I was told about the Competition Committee’s early study and deliberations over the NFL’s catch/no-catch rule.

It appears that it may just be a matter of time before the league follows through with a significant change to catch rule that could help improve this aspect of the game. This should provide a clearer universal understanding of what exactly is deemed a catch in any instance through the course of a contest.

The “going to the ground” part of the rule had led to several controversial calls being made this past season. The most commonly discussed plays in this regard have been the non-catch by Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Jesse James against the New England Patriots, and Buffalo Bills wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin’s touchdown grab against New England that was overturned. Each of these had a significant impact on the outcome of the game and impacted playoff seeding in the process to some degree.

This also played a considerable part in Super Bowl LII with the Eagles getting two touchdowns confirmed with running back Corey Clement's touchdown grab at the back of the end zone. Meanwhile, Pro Bowl tight end Zach Ertz had his 11-yard diving touchdown reception upheld.

This could be a huge step in the right direction toward taking away unnecessary confusion and frustration toward a crucial regulation in the NFL's rulebook. There should be some finality to this issue in the coming weeks along with some additional changes to help provide a better product on the field.