Rules and Johnsons

It's been a rough month for tall, talented Johnsons. Rising PGA Tour star Dustin Johnson missed out on a playoff for the PGA Championship because he grounded his club in one of the 9,548 bunkers at Whistling Straits.

The game-winning touchdown grab of Detroit's Calvin Johnson was nullified after the officials deemed that he did not retain possession all the way to the ground. Officials also uttered something about making a football move and one knee being equal to two feet and an elbow.

Dustin famously, but unknowingly, violated Rule 13-4: Ball in Hazard; Prohibited Action. This rule states that a player cannot do the following if his/her ball lies in a hazard:

a. Test the condition of the hazard or any similar hazard
b. Touch the ground in the hazard or water in the water hazard with his hand or club
c. Touch or move a loose impediment lying in or touching the hazard

The question in this case wasn't whether or not he grounded his club - that was obvious. The real quandry was whether to classify the sandy waste area as a bunker or not. A supplementary local rule cleared that up:

1. Bunkers: All areas of the course that were designed and built as sand bunkers will be played as bunkers (hazards), whether or not they have been raked. This will mean that many bunkers positioned outside of the ropes as well as some areas of bunkers inside the ropes, close to the rope line, will likely include footprints, heel prints, tire tracks during play of the Championship. Such irregularities of surface area are part of the game and no free relieft will be available from these conditions.

From Wisconsin's Whistling Straits, we move to Chicago's Soldier Field. The second Johnson fell victim to an equally nonsense rule. Here it is:

Player Going to the Ground

If a player goes to the ground in the act of catching a pass (with or without contact by an opponent), he must maintain control of the ball after he touches the ground, whether in the field of play or the end zone. If he loses control of the ball, and the ball touches the ground before he regains control, the pass is incomplete. If he regains control prior to the ball touching the ground, the pass is complete.

I agree with Phil Simms, who on this week's Inside the NFL insisted that leaving a gray area subject to officials discretion would be a horrendus move. Rules are required for some semblance of uniformity.

In both instances, the player in question comes out on the wrong end of the argument. In Dustin's case, those trampled waste bunkers don't deserve the same classification as greenside bunkers, but they were treated as equals according to the local rule. He lost a PGA Championship, which is a little different than the Detroit Lions losing a game. That practically happens every Sunday.

On the video it appears that Calvin cavalierly flicked the ball as he was making his way to his feet. He wasn't as much of a victim to the complicated rules of the game.

Which Johnson got jobbed? Probably the golfer, but you have to feel for the Lions too. With Matt Stafford out already, it could be another long season for those sad, depressed people in Detroit. Dustin on the other hand might win $10 million next weekend.