Take heart, they’ll probably win at least one of the two games against us. 
I guess I should have been paying closer attention! Thanks for the info
I figured it must have been something like that (I’ve seen the highlight now). That has to be one of the all-time “hero to goat” moments. I can’t think of a comparable example of someone making such a miracle game-saving play and then just immediately blowing the game. It’s a bit like those cases where a player drops the ball before they’ve actually crossed the goal line, except it’s happened on a Hail Mary end-of-game-walk-off situation.
It’s nicknamed the “Emmitt Smith rule” because he wouldn’t stop doing it, so the league banned it in 1997.
What’s the problem they’re trying to solve? I figured it had something to do with hockey fights, not celebrations in the end zone.
We used to call that performing a Cam Newton. (Slows down and starts celebrating before he crosses the goal line and gets blasted.)
Or this oldie:
Or this one:
He even once took off his helmet to celebrate a TD and got flagged for it.
Maybe it’s just a Panthers tradition?
When it occurs on the field, it’s a potential safety issue though that’s more of an excuse. It’s really because Emmitt Smith (and others) used to do it after every touchdown and it was considered a form of taunting.
But this was clearly out of the endzone and after the play. He wasn’t rubbing anybody’s nose in it and it’s not something that happened after every touchdown, which was the purpose of the rule. It was at best a borderline call.
Worse, it was literally robbing a player (and team and fanbase) the joy and love of the game after what should have been a game-winning play. It’s literally the opposite of what they wanted to achieve with the rule.
Leon Lett thanks you.
Memories of Champ Bailey and Ben Watson as well…
Here’s the exact text of the rule from the NFL rulebook, in the “Unsportsmanlike Conduct - Prohibited Acts” section:
Removal of his helmet by a player in the field of play or the end zone during a celebration or demonstration, or during a confrontation with a game official or any other player.
Watching the video, he started to take his helmet off while he was in the endzone, and got it off just as he stepped off the white OOB section. So very, very slightly open to interpretation as to where he was when he removed it, but if you’re going to have a rule that clear, I think the refs have to enforce it.
I’m wondering what’s “unsportsmanlike” about taking off a helmet?
Who thinks the Browns will win tonight?
My suspicion is that the rule was written less about removing a helmet during a celebration, as it was about removing a helmet while in an argument or confrontation with another player or an official – at that point, said player would have a hard, heavy, and dangerous weapon in hand.
It’s a bit of both but the relevant rule regarding unsportsmanlike conduct lists celebrations first, if that makes any difference:
This rule is loosely also deemed to apply outside the endzone during celebrations, so they’re at least consistent with how its interpreted/applied. I’ll give them that. I just think in this particular context, it’s not the greatest rule or look for the No Fun League.
The Bears trade Roquan Smith to the Ravens.
The Baltimore Ravens traded for Chicago Bears linebacker Roquan Smith on Monday, a team source confirmed, filling a major weakness in the middle of their defense.
A source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that the Ravens are sending the Bears a 2023 second-round pick, a 2023 fifth-round pick and linebacker A.J. Klein to acquire Smith, the NFL’s leading tackler.
Damn. I was hoping the Bears would be the ones to make him a top 5 paid linebacker in the league.
Looks like you’re not a Packers fan? Neither is my husband, who was happy to see Aaron Rogers lose again, even though the Bills could have played better. They could have won by 20+ points, not just 10, if Josh Allen hadn’t thrown 2 interceptions in the 2nd half.
Did they purposely schedule the Browns vs the Bengals for the Halloween game because they both have orange color schemes?
I did not expect that! A touchdown and a 2 pt. conversion.