When the NFL Annual League Meeting takes place next week, it hopefully will bring greater clarity to the recent question, "What is a catch?"
The reason why that is such an issue to everyone in the game is that the game means so much to all its fans and media around the country.
If no one cared for the game, no one would ever make a big deal of defining a catch.
On Sunday, Terrell Davis' Hall of Fame induction was honored, four of the team's HoFers received new rings and Red Miller's name was unveiled on the Ring of Fame facade. (Photos: Gabriel Christus unless noted)
Photo by Marc Piscotty
But I watch with some amusement at this being the latest big deal in the NFL.
Back in the days when the league's first meeting of hierarchy was held at the Ralph Hays Hupmobile Agency, the issues were a lot more basic.
Like, how many teams should we have?
How much should we charge each other to own a team?
And, of course, who will play quarterback for the Broncos?
Just kidding about that one.
The closest anyone came to using the word Bronco in those years was with a "k," as in Bronko Nagurski, who went on to have one of the greatest careers in history and who once filled two positions, fullback and tackle, on the eleven-man All American team.
There has been a lot of water under the bridge since that first meeting in Canton and the wall-to-wall attention that next week's meeting will bring.
But really, it is still pretty simple.
The men and women who run the game are getting together to tweak rules, policies and procedures to keep the NFL at its lofty perch.
A big difference is that many will not bother thinking back almost 100 years, as looking back to the football Stone Age is not as exciting as looking forward.
But I can name some guys at the league meeting who in fact are looking back: Commissioner Roger Goodell, along with vice presidents Pete Abitante and Michael Signora, all of whom have key roles in planning out the ceremonies attached to the 100-year anniversary of the NFL.
That will be celebrated in 2019 throughout the NFL, and at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton in both 2019 and 2020.
The NCAA will celebrate the 150th anniversary of college football next year as well, and the meetings are going to get more and more interesting as the months move along.
But for now the big talk will all involve defining the catch rule once again.
But that is just the preamble to other meetings down the road.
I have had a number of conversations with NFL officials about the centennial, and I join NFL fandom in the early excitement of waiting to see future meetings regarding one of the great sports celebrations in American history.
