[bigboydan]

the "N"o "F"un "L"eague is living up to it's name.

TD celebrations might be curtailed

By BARRY WILNER, AP Football Writer
March 28, 2006

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- Bad news might be on the horizon for Terrell Owens, Chad Johnson and the other purveyors of outrageous touchdown celebrations.

The NFL's competition committee is proposing a crackdown on rocking the baby, teeing off like Tiger and anything else that might be considered taunting.

This isn't particularly new. The league has smacked down celebrators who went over the top before. Remember T.O.'s dancing on the Dallas star in Texas Stadium? Or Johnson revealing a small sign asking not to be fined by commissioner Paul Tagliabue?

Or, of course, Joe Horn's hidden cell phone trick in New Orleans?

But committee chairmen Jeff Fisher, coach of the Tennessee Titans, and Rich McKay, general manger of the Atlanta Falcons, believe enforcement hasn't been strict enough recently.

"Individual celebration was getting out of hand," Fisher said Monday at the NFL meetings. "The players' association was unanimous in wanting to get this under control."

So spiking the ball in the end zone will be OK. And spinning it on the ground, or dunking it over the goalpost. Dancing in the end zone is fine, too, as long as it's not prolonged or a group effort.

Almost all other celebrations will be out if the committee's recommendation to clamp down further on the frivolities is passed by the owners.

The new emphasis on unsportsmanlike conduct penalties will call for a 15-yard mark-off on the ensuing kickoff against the offending team, and possible fines.

Players can't use props for any celebrations, and they can't be on the ground when they do their thing. Asked what happens if a player is tackled in the end zone and begins celebrating while down, Fisher said it would be a penalty.

"Get up and dance," he said, prompting laughter at a news conference.

"If they go to the ground to score and feel compelled to do something, get up!" McKay added.

"We've allowed those things to creep back. They are not necessary and should not be allowed."

The committee also will suggest:

-- Down by contact calls be subject to instant replay review, a proposal that was voted down last year. Currently, a play is dead once the whistle blows and the ballcarrier is ruled down by the officials. McKay said that last season there were 18 to 20 plays when the ball came out of a player's grasp before he was ruled down.

The proposed change would allow any turnover to stand if replay showed the ball came loose before the whistle. No subsequent runbacks with the ball would count, however.

-- Modifying illegal procedure to allow receivers to flinch if they get back into position before the play and the defense doesn't react to the move.

-- Toughening enforcement on pass rushers who hit quarterbacks below the knees, as long as the defensive players could have avoided making the hit. One play that didn't prompt such a point of emphasis, McKay said, was in last year's playoffs on Cincinnati's Carson Palmer by Kimo von Oelhoffen, then with Pittsburgh, that severely injured Palmer's knee. McKay said it was clear von Oelhoffen didn't make any intentional move to hit Palmer, but simply rolled into the quarterback.

-- Just like quarterbacks, one defensive player might be allowed direct communication with the coaches next season. The committee will recommend that a defense has the same option as an offense in that area. As of now, quarterbacks get instructions through a small speaker in the helmet until there are 15 seconds remaining on the play clock.

"We hope to get away from offenses -- I don't want to say stealing, so borrowing -- signals from the sideline (for defenses)," McKay said.

Also this week, Tagliabue plans to begin the process of selecting his successor, although he wasn't certain Monday when a committee will be established to begin the search.

Nor did the owners seem in a hurry.

"It's not a race for speed, it's a race for success," said Jeffrey Lurie, the owner of the Philadelphia Eagles. "This is the CEO of a 32-team operation, so it's not the speed, it's the quality."

[Illusion]

That's half the fun in watching these games. What a joke.

[Curse Fire]

My COwboys will be gettign alot of this
penaltys next season. TO will get 20 by
him self. He wont listen to the player
associaion and Jerry Jones will be happy
to pay the fines.

[The Great One]

No kidding. It really doesn't change anything. The homeboys in their own mind have Bill Gates money meaning they THINK they will have enough to last them the rest of their life so a 5K won't mean anything to them besides the owners like to try to relate to them by acting like they are funny and we'll just pay the fine for them so he can act like they are friends.

The majority of them are lame anyway.

Pretty soon, instead of a sharpie, they'll be pulling out a joint and smoking it, then selling the rest of it to a fan.

Those celebrations don't do it for me anyway. it's the quarterback that made the real play, not the reciever; at least the majority of the time.

[presley177]

going to one knee and saying thanks to god is probably a 15,000 dollar penalty.

No religion in sports!

[bigboydan]

compotision committee member jeff fisher said that this stuff was getting way out of hand. he continued to say this stuff has to stop.

maybe he wouldn't be bitching so much, if he had a playmaker that would get the chance

[The Great One]

I want someone to score a touchdown, then proceed to take his entire uniform off where you will see a fake bomb strapped around his chest. He will then grab a microphone, set a timer, tell everyone that they have 45 seconds to vacate the stadium, then do a countdown, when he hits double zero, say "Boom" and then fall over.

Thats what I call a good touchdown celebration.

Screw this CPR to the ball crap. I like my idea better. That for sure would make sportscenter.

[presley177]

I want someone to score a touchdown, then proceed to take his entire uniform off where you will see a fake bomb strapped around his chest. He will then grab a microphone, set a timer, tell everyone that they have 45 seconds to vacate the stadium, then do a countdown, when he hits double zero, say "Boom" and then fall over.

Thats what I call a good touchdown celebration.

Screw this CPR to the ball crap. I like my idea better. That for sure would make sportscenter.

great idea..and although he wouldn't be doing the celebration on the ground...he'd be in violation of the NFL dress code of must be wearing a tie under the uniform.

[The Great One]

compotision committee member jeff fisher said that this stuff was getting way out of hand. he continued to say this stuff has to stop.

maybe he wouldn't be bitching so much, if he had a playmaker that would get the chance

He justs feels that way because his club hasn't scored a touchdown since 2002.

[bigboydan]

He justs feels that way because his club hasn't scored a touchdown since 2002.

lmfao@TGO

aint that the truth

[slacker00]

I like the rule. I never liked TD celebrations from the "Icky Shuffle" to "Burping the Baby", etc. I kinda chuckled when T.O. mocked the Ray Lewis celebration when he scored against the Ravens, but only because I think celebrations are a joke period. If you want to act like a joke, do it on your TV ad.

[Mikehunt]

going to one knee and saying thanks to god is probably a 15,000 dollar penalty.

No religion in sports!

any player that thanks god for winning is a complete idiot./ for example
when you see player thanking god after they win the super bowl-
so the players on the other team should say fuk u to god or what?
morons.

[Ganchrow]

going to one knee and saying thanks to god is probably a 15,000 dollar penalty.

No religion in sports!

God willing.

[imgv94]

I like the celebrations myself. I saw no harm in it at all! terrible idea IMO