Lions' Calvin Johnson says no one understands catch rule

In today's NFL, a catch isn't as simple as whether the receiver catches the ball and stays in bounds or not. The actual rules are a lot more complicated than that.

The problem, however, is that no one seems to understand what constitutes a catch - not even the most dominant wide receiver of the last decade, Detroit Lions superstar Calvin Johnson.

"I thought I understood the rule," Johnson said, according to ESPN. "I don't think anybody does know."

The controversial rules were brought to the forefront of the NFL's landscape again on Sunday. Johnson's teammate, Golden Tate, was awarded a touchdown on review after he caught the ball for a moment, then lost control of it and tipped it into the air for an interception.

Johnson has been the poster boy for the league's confusing "catch rule" in the past, after he was denied a touchdown against the Chicago Bears in 2010 for not maintaining control of the ball.

Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins is just as perplexed as Johnson by the NFL's rules and their lack of clarity and consistency.

"You can have control of the ball, but you might switch hands. What is really control of the ball?" Hopkins said. "I just wanted to have it to my helmet and show the refs I was in control, I guess, the whole time, to them. I really don't understand the rule. The rule is really, it's messed up, honestly."