Terrell Owens. Keyshawn Johnson. Randy Moss. They’ve all got something in common. In recent years, they’ve been players who for one reason or another has struck me as being particularly obnoxious.
There’s something else they have in common. They’re all wide receivers.
Is there something about being a wide receiver in the NFL that lends a greater chance of a player being a bigger prima donna showboat than players in other positions?
What about all of those prima donna punters, like … er, uh … well … hmm.
Allow me to point out the exception to the rule, Marvin Harrison.
As to where this behavior started, I couldn’t tell you. I’ve only been into pro football for about 8 years or so.
I first became aware of the trend when I learned about Keyshawn Johnson’s book, Just Give Me the Damn Ball.
It’s a high profile position. Moreso than a Tight End. If Ken Dilger (or Marcus Pollard, or Bubba Franks, etc) tried something like that, they’d be laughed out of the league.
However, QB and RB are also high profile jobs. And I can’t imagine what would happen if David Carr wrote a book called Just Let Me Throw the Damn Ball.
So, in other words, I dunno. In fact, as a die-hard Colts fan, watching TO, Moss, and others behave like that’s really kind of an embarrassment. I don’t root for injuries or anything, but I consider them poetic justice when they occur to someone like that.
I generally think it’s because of the larger chance of Big Plays that a wide receiver would have (as opposed to a QB or a RB), not to mention the fact that a RB is going to be beat down fairly steadily during a game, carrying 30 times and eeking out 3 yards and a cloud of dust each time.
Plus, it helps that wide receivers have 4.3 speed so that they can outrun the defensive linemen they piss off with their antics 
I do. At least for Leon.
Eh, I think it’s a coincidence that three high-profile bigmouths are WRs. A few years ago, if you were to ask me who the most obnoxious NFL players were, I’d probably name Prime Time Sanders, Warren Sapp, and Ricky Watters. No WRs there.
How can you forget Icky Woods?
Steroid dealing and juicing, face-spitting Bill Romanowsi deserves mention here.
See also: Ward, Hines
Also: Fitzgerald, Larry (once he rises to the top eschelon of WRs)
Funny, I would have thought of Michael Irvin first.
And he was a WR.
I first started noticing it with Michael Irving. He was SO prima donna, he would rarely even do a cross pattern. Apparantly he hated being tackled. Every time he got the ball, if he wasn’t already in the endzone, he would step out of bounds when the defender got close. Did he have big numbers? Sure! He was fast, smart, and got open a lot. But he was still an asshole player for the other behavior. Including his taunting. A DB couldn’t even give him the hits he deserved because of his pussyfied side line or end zone only play style.
Steve Largeant said it best when he (paraphrased) said that WRs are simply the last link in the chain of scoring. How about that offensive line that allowed the QB to not be sacked? The RBs who set up the defense to be vunerable to the long ball? How about the special teams and/or defense that got them good field position in the first place?
If I were Commish, I would fine the hell out of those excessive displays of poor sportmanship, whether it be TO standing on the star, or Romanowski spitting on his old team mate, Shannon Sharpe. Some emotional displays are to expected. Adreneline highs and all that. But this shit head stuff needs to stop.
One too many Gs.
Irvin = ASS
A few years back there were rules against all the end zone dances. They called it taunting. The rules must have been changed since what TO did last night with the star bit would have to be classified as a taunt to the Nth degree.
Personally I would have fallen into fits of laughter if one of the cowboys decided to attempt to knock him into the third row of the seating area.
I love pro football,(however the cowboys are NOT my favorite team),but this kind of showboating is ruining the game!
I am afraid that if it is left to go unchecked somebody is going to get hurt really bad! Go ahead and taunt a 300 pound lineman. or a 250 pound linebacker.
I imagine Butkus woulda had a few things to say about Prima Donna end zone antics!
I have to agree with TO on this one - if a linebacker doesn’t want him doing a little dance in the endzone when he scores, don’t let him in the endzone.
I think the taunting rule only applies of two or more players are celebrating together. Of course, if a guy scores and runs up to another player and spikes the ball in his face, that might be taunting as well.
I believe you’re right. A few weeks ago, Daunte Culpepper and another player (Kelly Campbell?) got penalized for celebrating together following a touchdown. Apparently Daunte can only get his roll on with his own bad self, and nobody else’s.
I find this discussion interesting. I often wonder what non-Vikings fans think of Randy Moss. I personally think he has grown up a lot in the past couple of years and settled down considerably. From what I’ve seen, he’s taking on more of a team leadership role. Just my opinion, of course. Call him an a-hole if you want. I say the same thing about Terrell Owens and Keyshawn. Particularly Keyshawn. Can’t stand that guy. I think it has more to do with hard feelings than anything, though.
Gregg Easterbrook once offered the hypothesis that WRs are disproportionately insufferable because, with the way football is covered on TV, they can get away with the “I’m always open” canard. If Tiki Barber said “I can run for 20 yards any time they give me the ball,” he’d get laughed at because everybody can see that his success is so dependent on the performance of the rest of the offense, particularly the linemen.
Wide receivers, on the other hand, are usually only shown when a pass is thrown their way, and even that usually happens when they’re more or less open. This allows – and perhaps even promotes – the fantasy that the receiver is an extraordinary athlete who can dominate a game by himself if given the chance, and need not share credit when he has success.
Put another way, what is on the screen when a football player is succeeding? When a RB succeeds, you see half a dozen huge gentlemen going all out to knock the defenders out of his way in front of him. Yet when a WR succeeds, you see him sprinting and juking all by his lonesome. It must stroke the ego.
Actually, I think what they look for are cases of choreographed celebration, regardless of how many are involved. Hence, when a player scores and his teammates jump on his back and give him high-fives, that’s not a penalty. However, when Icky Woods did the same end-zone dance week after week, that was taunting.
As an Eagles fan who hasn’t usually had many high-powered offenses to cheer about through the years, I have very much enjoyed watching Mr. Owens before during and after the TDs. One person’s obnoxious is another’s enjoyment, depending upon which end of the celebration you’re on.
And when it comes against Dallas in Texas?
Just wait til “First Down” Freddie Mitchell finally grabs a TD this year… as it is, he already “puts on the championship belt” after every first down… Owens might be the second showiest Eagles WR.