Whitney Starling: Best and Worst Touchdown Celebrations of the 2011 Season
Touchdown celebrations of yesteryear were a simple fist pump or a spike of the football. In today’s game, they have become an art form – sometimes, a costly one. Mostly, these celebrations capture all the excitement and passion of football in one silly move. But some are much more entertaining than others.
Here are some of the recent best and worst touchdown celebrations:
Best
1. In the Detroit Lions vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers fight, Tony Scheffler did his best Captain Jack Sparrow impersonation. Upon scoring, he drew an imaginary sword out of his pocket and began to have an imaginary sword fight.
2. Victor Cruz, wide receiver for the New York Giants, showed off his salsa skills after scoring a 74-yard touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles. He apparently learned these moves from his grandmother and uses his touchdowns to recognize her and his Puerto Rican descent.
3. When the Bills played the Cowboys, wide receiver David Nelson didn’t care too much that his girlfriend was a cheerleader for the enemy. After scoring he ran a mini-victory lap to Kelsi Reich on the sidelines and gave her a hug, thus making every girl watching green with envy.
4. Words don’t begin to describe Steelers’ wide receiver Antonio Brown’s dance moves during a preseason game against the Falcons. So watch it here.
5. Marshawn Lynch, Seahawks running back, loves to “taste the rainbow.” So much that Seattle fans have embraced his Skittles obsession and “feed the beast” by tossing Skittles onto the field after his touchdown runs.
Worst
1. Cheerleaders everywhere would be disappointed in Marion Barber’s attempt of a back flip. Key word – attempt.
2. Stevie Johnson earned himself a $10,000 fine when he imitated Jets wide receiver Plaxico Burress shooting himself in a club back in 2008.
3. Chargers fullback Mike Tolbert did his best Beyoncé/Santa combination after making it to the end zone against the Jaguars. His bumpin’ Beyoncé moves turned into a Santa impression when he jiggled his stomach. Who knew professional athletes aren’t all muscle?
4. Saints tight end Jimmy Graham stole Aaron Rodgers’ signature championship belt aka “discount double check” move when his team was still trailing after his touchdown. Needless to say the Green Bay fans were not too happy with that and booed him.
5. Pierre Thomas, running back for the New Orleans Saints, was slapped with a 15-yard penalty for using a football as a prop after he pulled a bow from is pants and “wrapped” it as a gift for a fan. If that doesn’t say Merry Christmas, I don’t know what does.
