NFL rewrites reception rules

Dez Bryant missed it by that much.

That would-be 4th-and-2 reception from Tony Romo near the goal line that frosty afternoon in Lambeau Field, originally called a good catch inches from pay dirt.

Then, it wasn't.

Down by five points with four minutes remaining, the Cowboys were set up to take the lead against an Aaron Rodgers-led Packers squad that hadn't lost in that building in two calendar years.

Packers coach Mike McCarthy called the striped gang over to contend Bryant actually didn't have possession throughout. That decision paid off.

But the NFL, preferring receptions to incompletions, took to their rule book to clarify any confusion that may still result from that play and any other that may come along in the future. 

A player is considered to be going to the ground if he does not remain upright long enough to demonstrate that he is clearly a runner. 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 until after his initial contact with 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 the ball touching the ground, the pass is complete. 

Not that any amount of words will ever clear anything up in the scuffle following a catch or a replay that doesn't quite show everything clearly, and certainly not anything that will convince Cowboys fans that Dez Bryant didn't have that ball.

@MrJamesParks