"his control wasn’t established again...." - Edit 1
Before modification by Joel at 28/09/2012 01:10:48 AM
Last night, I said I thought it was simultaneous possession in my initial viewings. I now think that Tate’s right arm came off slightly on the way down, and so his control wasn’t established again until after it went back on (sixth picture down). He did have his hands on ball right away, and he did have possession when they contacted the ground. If his right hand had not come off for a split second on the fall, I think it is simultaneous possession by rule, regardless of what happened on the ground twisting around. There is no such thing as a player having more control than the other based on having it near his chest. It was a bang-bang play.
emphasis mine, for full effect. your own "proof" does not believe simultaneous possession because TATE LET GO OF THE BALL. simultaneous catch is defined by player control, not possession. try again....
"Again" as in, "like before" (when he gained simultaneous possession.) The only way that changes anything is if we argue a player must have both hands on the ball to have possession, obviously absurd in light of all the one handed catches we have seen over the years (I saw several last weekend alone.) That leaves us with "There is no such thing as a player having more control than the other based on having it near his chest," and likewise no such thing as a player having more control than the other based on having it in both hands rather than one. So the only thing established "again" was Tates second hand on the ball: Removing one hand while his other was still grasping it did not end possession.
Of course, even if it did there would still be the issue of whether Jennings was down in the endzone before Tate stripped him. Another of the many ways NFL rules favor the offense: If Jennings catches the ball in the endzone, then Tate takes it away, it is a TD unless Jennings first stepped out of the endzone, took a knee, or something similar to end the play. He could (and defensive backs often do, silly creatures that they are ) try to run the Int back, because the ball is still live, and as long as it IS alive Tate can take it away from him. However, if Tate manages to do that in the endzone, or if he comes down with it initially, it is a TD: A play ends the moment a player breaks the plane of their opponents goalline with the ball.