When Detroit’s Stephen Tulloch went down last week against the Packers after sacking Aaron Rogers in the first quarter something very tragic and interesting happened. For years many players have celebrated following big plays, but this celebration looked different but very familiar. You have to believe that Tulloch decided long before the divisional showdown started that if he was able to get to Rogers he was going to do something to show-up the Super Bowl winning quarterback. Tulloch’s celebration dance was his own version of the “Discount Double Check” made famous by Roger’s State Farm commercials. However, when Tulloch left his feet and started to celebrate the sack he was clearly excited about he had no plan to injure his ACL and be placed on the injured reserve list. Up until that moment, Tulloch had played in 131 straight games without an injury. Yet, this poor decision to celebrate a play that occurred in the first quarter of week three will haunt him for the remainder of his career. After the game Tulloch went on to say, “Unfortunately, I got up in celebration and it happened, but I ain’t embarrassed by nothing. We all celebrate when we make a play.” The fact that Tulloch made an excuse for his decision and making it appear as though it is the status quo is part of the problem.
Two weeks ago when the Bills beat the Dolphins it was hard to find anything to complain about. The Bills were incredible on special teams. The defense held the Dolphins to a dismal 10 points, and the offense made plays and moved the ball when they needed to. However, there was one thing that bothered me during the win that seemed to go unnoticed. A stupid and avoidable penalty. After Miami went 64 yards on 13 plays and kicked a field goal to start the second half, C.J. had one of the more memorable and explosive touchdown returns in recent Bills history. Spiller went 102 yards in 12 seconds giving the Bills a commanding 16-3 lead. Then it happened. After the return, the Bills were given a 15 yard penalty for celebrating after the big play was over. That pushed the Bills back to their own 20 yard line when it came time to kick off to the Dolphins and Gay’s kick was returned to the Dolphin’s 36 instead of a certain touchback following a big play. Eleven plays later, Ryan Tannehill found Mike Wallace in the end zone making it a one possession game. Obviously, the offense responded and was able to put together their own big drive and score, but I feared that stupid penalties would come back to haunt us later on in the season. Turns out it only took seven days. Last week an experienced Chargers team took advantage of eleven Bills penalties that ultimately led to the 22-10 loss. There may not have been any turnovers on Sunday, but it just seemed as though every time the Bills looked like they were going to get it going, someone made a mistake, and young teams just cannot afford to let that happen.
Please don’t get me wrong. I loved watching Deion Sanders high step it 70 yards down the sideline as he ran it into the end zone. I loved watching TO stand on the star in Dallas and pull out his sharpie in Seattle. I am sure if I didn’t hate Cincinnati and what they did to us in ‘88, I would have loved the Ickey Shuffle… well, maybe not. Regardless, times have changed. The game is cracking down on these situations and penalizing teams without hesitation. Coaches need to make all players understand that this behavior and these penalties truly are the little things that can change a football game, or in Tulloch’s case - an entire season. The Lions have lost a player that made their defense better and all over a foolish sack dance centered on making someone else look bad. Who looks bad now? Why not make an opposing player look bad during the play and go celebrate with your teammates on the sideline afterwards? Once the whistle blows, players need to understand that the play is over. An occasional end zone dance or big time spike will always have a place in the game, but all players need to think carefully before doing it. Bad habits lead to more bad habits and deciding to test the referees just isn’t worth it anymore. Neither is missing the rest of the season.
