The LSU Penalty

I can appreciate the intent of the rule, but I don't think this one falls into that category.

 

I loved most of Ochocinco's TD celebrations.

I loved Owens autographing the ball. I loved it when he picked up the pom poms.

Joe Horn and the phone was idiotic.

 

The Brewers' home run celebrations define excessive.

 

Twould be pointless in Atlanta, which needs to be renamed Mudville. No joy whatsoever.

I agree that the A.J. Green/Charles Scott calls were worse than this one. It's still stupid from virtually every angle. Stupid rule. Stupid player doing it anyway.

 

There's a difference in taunting and celebrating. In theory, the rule against taunting is to help eliminate teams trying to "even the score" later. As an official, you have to use some discretion. We talk about this stuff a lot at meetings. Had this kid waited until after he scored, I can almost guarantee there's no flag. But doing this on a trick play was just stupid.

 

Then again, this kid will NEVER have the chance to do this again. Given how relatively insignificant the taunt was, you'd think the ref would have a little more leeway. The-heat-of-the-moment celebrations I get. It's the choreographed-ahead-of-time stuff that is usually silly and always unnecessary.

 

Let me pose some (unloaded) questions:

How does any of this matter? In what way is celebrating or not celebrating an expression of some higher moral or practical purpose?

What's the point of looking "like you've been there before"? Especially if you've never been there before?

What values are being expressed (or foreclosed) here?

 

I agree. That's why I pointed out that the 2009 penalty calls were worse. That he did it during the play and that the SEC officials have a history -- as 2009 shows -- of penalizing anything short of handing the ref the ball and jogging, head down, to the sideline, this penalty did not surprise me at all when it was called.

That does not mean I like the call. I think college football in general has a dysfunctional relationship with its own players on these rules. Knowing the SEC's history of enforcing these rules, I was not the least bit surprised that it was called and, at the least, Wing should have known better.

But I'm serious when I note that he's an Australian kid who probably didn't know better. He didn't grow up around the SEC. He came to this country late in high school. He grew up watching NFL games, where this kind of stuff happens all the time (I think his dad had a brief NFL career way back when). He sits in on punt coverage meetings, where touchdown decorum is not likely a topic that often gets covered. If there is a player on that team who was somewhat removed from the discussions of how the SEC enforces these rules, he'd be that guy.

 

He plays for Les Miles. He may have a chance to do this again next week.

 

No, this week he'll be asked to flip a one-hopper over his should to the kicker for a touchdown.

 

By the way,

was what warranted AJ Green getting called for excessive celebration. That's it.

(In a game where, on an unflagged play, two LSU defenders went high-low on Caleb King, breaking his jaw.)

Marc Curles was, and remains, an idiot of the highest order. He should've been fired on the spot. Sadly, the SEC needed him to ruin the Arkansas/Florida game a couple weeks later as well.