ARTICLE: NFL May Curtail Touchdown Celebrations

WoodysGirl

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per Clayton blog:

Taking the fun out of N-F-L


posted: Monday, March 27, 2006
filed under: Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers, Cincinnati Bengals, Carolina Panthers, Steve Smith, Chad Johnson


Chad Johnson of the Bengals and Steve Smith of the Panthers aren't going to have any fun with the celebration rule change being proposed by the NFL Competition Committee.


By Wednesday, NFL owners have to vote on an expansion of the taunting rules that penalize players for excessive end zone celebrations following touchdowns. Heading the list of violators are Johnson and Smith.

As a point of emphasis, NFL owners will vote and probably pass a clampdown on excessive celebrations. If passed, Johnson won't be able to do his CPR-with-a-football celebration, or his sideline-proposal-to-a-cheerleader routine, or play "pylon" golf with the ball after a score. He might be able to do his Riverdance as long as it doesn't delay the flow of the game.

For Smith, Carolina's Pro Bowl receiver, his touchdown Snow Angel would not be allowed, or his rowboat celebration, or his goalpost ladder climb, or his treat-the-football-as-a-baby, or his wipe-the-rear celebrations.

The penalty, if called, would be 15 yards and enforced on the ensuing kickoff.
"One of the major points of emphasis is sportsmanship," said Titans coach Jeff Fisher, co-chairman of the competition committee. "When we are talking about sportsmanship, we are talking about two areas. Number one, we are talking about taunting. If you recall two or three years ago, we made taunting a point of emphasis. That's the in-your-face, the lack of sportsmanship, the lack of respect for your game.

"Two or three years ago, they [tauntings] were being flagged and we almost eliminated them. I think we take responsibility. The officiating department and the committee have allowed them to creep back. We're going to make that once again a point of emphasis."

After watching hours of touchdown celebration tape, the committee felt the celebrations have gotten out of hand. The proposal specifically prohibits a player going down to the ground to celebrate, prohibits using the ball as a prop and prohibits using any other item as a prop, such as a pylon.

Still allowed are spikes, dances, Lambeau Leaps, spins and dunking the ball. Anything else is going to result in a penalty if the proposal is passed.
Some have called the NFL the No Fun League. Smith and Johnson might call it the No Fair League.
 

Juke99

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Good!

I'm all for it.

If a player does an impromptu celebration, great..emotion is a huge part of the game.

But...a preplanned celebration ain't about emotion..is about promotion...self promotion.

And as an aside, I havent see one that is funny, clever...or even makes any sense...TO as a waitor? Huh? Artificial Respiration to the football? Holding the football as if it's an infant? ZERO funny stuff.

As one coach said, "When you score a TD, act as if you've done it before."
 

trickblue

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You know... forget TO "apologizing" to fans by running to the field and kissing the star...

I would rather he do a Keyshawn and run over and give the ball to a handicapped kid... that would go a LONG way with me and many fans...
 

Hoov

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There will also be no yelling, cheering or jumping around on the sidelines as that may be mistaken as "taunting" an oponent. coaches will talk calmly to their players and politley ask an official for an interview on the sideline to discuss calls as we are pushing for "respect for the game".
 

lcharles

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This only hurts the drama queens like TO, Johnson, Steve Smith.

I like it. If I want to see football players dancing, I'll watch dancing with the stars.

Juke said it well, Those types of celebrations are for SELF-PROMOTION only.


It is a team game ya know.


Btw, for those that argue that it takes the fun out of the game? scoring the touchdown IS THE FUN, not celebrating it.
 

Juke99

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trickblue said:
You know... forget TO "apologizing" to fans by running to the field and kissing the star...

I would rather he do a Keyshawn and run over and give the ball to a handicapped kid... that would go a LONG way with me and many fans...


as a great philosopher once said "On the nosey"
 

billknows

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Juke99 said:
Good!

I'm all for it.

If a player does an impromptu celebration, great..emotion is a huge part of the game.

But...a preplanned celebration ain't about emotion..is about promotion...self promotion.

And as an aside, I havent see one that is funny, clever...or even makes any sense...TO as a waitor? Huh? Artificial Respiration to the football? Holding the football as if it's an infant? ZERO funny stuff.

As one coach said, "When you score a TD, act as if you've done it before."

Agreed ,and they had all week to come up with that Lame stuff:lmao: ...However Irving first down was the best,he got to do it many times a game.
 

SupermanXx

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Doomsday101 said:
No just grown up and not some little kid who gets his rocks off by watching grown men acting like idiots. All that is different is the refs are being told to enforce the rule a bit more strictly

Remind me never to "grow up"... which in your case actually means *insert every word in the thesaurus for "grumpy old man" *
 

SupermanXx

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one of my favorite pure emotion TD celebrations was Keyshawn Johnson during the 2002 NFC Championship game @ Philadelphia

after he scored he was so pumped and threw the ball Nolan Ryan style (extreme 90+ mph fastball) straight at the wall under the Philly fans where they hang taunting signs... with Key's teammates jumping around him

pure bad***.
 

WoodysGirl

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Just to chime in.

I have no problem w/pre-planned celebrations. Some are lame. Some are hilarious. And to suggest it's not a team thing, how so? Who's to say that the other players aren't putting these guys up to it? For TO to do Ray-Ray's dance like that, he wasn't just practicing in front of a mirror. Somebody had to be there w/him while he was doing it...Somebody had to have known what he was gonna do. And I'd believe the same thing of Smith and Chad Johnson also.

I've seen shows on NFL Network about the celebrations and guys on other teams like those celebrations just as much as the fans, even when they do it against them. Cuz in their minds, they can't do those celebrations to u, if u don't let them in the end zone.

I'm of the opinion that the players should do what feels natural to them. If they're dunking over the goal post, then fine. If it's giving the ball to the ref or a disabled person, then fine. If it's doing something outrageous to get their team stoked, then that's fine.

Like I said, some aren't funny, but some have me rolling. And while we're all fired up now, cuz they're about to make it a point of emphasis. It doesn't mean that officials are going to call it any different when the season starts. Horse Collar anyone?
 

Doomsday101

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SupermanXx said:
Remind me never to "grow up"... which in your case actually means *insert every word in the thesaurus for "grumpy old man" *

Not grumpy at all, some of these guys are going overboard they have brought this on themselfs. The game of football does not need guys acting like punks and there are a lot of fans who think that these guys have gone overboard. No one is saying they can't celebrate but many of these acts by TO,Chad Johnson and Steve Smith have nothing to do with celebration it is for their own ego.
 

phildominator

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I don't see what's wrong with the TD celebrations involving the football or the dances on the ground.

Joe Horn bringing the cell phone was too much though.

I wonder if this rule will impact DEs and LBs with their QB sack celebrations.

All in all, this may be irrelevant, but I don't think anyone's turned off the TV when soccer players take off their shirts and do cartwheels. Did Brandi Chastain get a 15 yard penalty?
 

sacase

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Doomsday101 said:
Not grumpy at all, some of these guys are going overboard they have brought this on themselfs. The game of football does not need guys acting like punks and there are a lot of fans who think that these guys have gone overboard. No one is saying they can't celebrate but many of these acts by TO,Chad Johnson and Steve Smith have nothing to do with celebration it is for their own ego.

is your stance about their "ego" or you trying to make yourself feel better by calling them names? I wonder what else you can't stand.
 

adbutcher

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WoodysGirl said:
Just to chime in.

I have no problem w/pre-planned celebrations. Some are lame. Some are hilarious. And to suggest it's not a team thing, how so? Who's to say that the other players aren't putting these guys up to it? For TO to do Ray-Ray's dance like that, he wasn't just practicing in front of a mirror. Somebody had to be there w/him while he was doing it...Somebody had to have known what he was gonna do. And I'd believe the same thing of Smith and Chad Johnson also.

I've seen shows on NFL Network about the celebrations and guys on other teams like those celebrations just as much as the fans, even when they do it against them. Cuz in their minds, they can't do those celebrations to u, if u don't let them in the end zone.

I'm of the opinion that the players should do what feels natural to them. If they're dunking over the goal post, then fine. If it's giving the ball to the ref or a disabled person, then fine. If it's doing something outrageous to get their team stoked, then that's fine.

Like I said, some aren't funny, but some have me rolling. And while we're all fired up now, cuz they're about to make it a point of emphasis. It doesn't mean that officials are going to call it any different when the season starts. Horse Collar anyone?
You are on the :money: queen. :bow:
 

Doomsday101

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sacase said:
is your stance about their "ego" or you trying to make yourself feel better by calling them names? I wonder what else you can't stand.

I watch football for the game not the dancing evidently you want to see idiots acting like fools in a game that is suppose to be about team. TO, Smith and Johnson can't score squat without the other players doing their job but all of a sudden it is all about them. This is the ego I'm talking about, if they want to do that crud then get into a sport where they rely on themselves and not the work done by 10 others. Myself I love the game of football and I do expect to see guys act like they have been in the end zone before and do not need their antics to be entertained easy to see you’re more interested in the side show
 

chinch

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great news.

the less "celebrations" the better.

they're all lame.

nfl highlights need to be about GAMEPLAY and FOOTBALL not some overpaid, self-absorbed imbicile looking to bring attention to himself first and foremost. waaaaaay too much of that on ESPN and other highlight reels
 

DallasKnight

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Good, act like you been there before. Too much showboating going on IMHO. I'm old school when it comes to this. Spike it, and head to the sideline.
 

THUMPER

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zrinkill said:
I am not a conspiracy kinda guy ..... but it does seem odd that they decide to do this when we sign T.O. ................

seems to me to be another
Emmitt rule or
Eric Williams rule or
Row williams rule

ect ect

I thought the same thing. It was no problem when Owens was with the Niners or Eagles but when he signs with us suddenly the league has to put a stop to the endzone celebrations.

Funny, they have never even considered eliminating the "Lambeau Leap" which is probably the most egregious celebration of them all.

I have never liked celebrations after a TD, a 1st down or after a sack but that is because I am old school.
 
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