Actually, that quote came from a player well aquainted with showboating-Deion Sanders. It was his response when asked about Leon’s aping of Ray Lewis’ dance a few weeks ago.
Pat Summmerall said last night that “a wide receiver celebrating is like the guy at the end of the assembly line celebrating when he puts the finsihing touch on a car.”
Superdude said
I may be wrong but I think it started with the Bengals of all teams, the play was already mention earlier Icky Woods, with the icky Shuffle.
Billy ‘white shoes’ Johnson is the first NFL’er that I remember to dance after scoring.
I don’t know if anyone else noticed this, but i was watching the Eagles and the Cowboys on MNF, and it seemed to me that not only did TO do his usual celebrations when he scored a touchdown, but he also seemed positively annoyed if the Eagles (his own team) scored a touchdown without him. Twice after Eagles rushing TDs, the camera cut to TO on the sideline, and he was glowering as if the Cowboys had scored.
I may be misinterpreting the whole thing. It would certainly take a heretofore unknown level of selfishness to actually dislike the fact that your own team could score a TD without you on the field.
Yes, there is indeed something very specific to the wide receiver position that lends itself to being a prima donna. Quite frankly, I’m stunned that nobody has come up with it yet.
The vast majority of wide receivers are failed basketball players. Basketball players, as a rule, are the biggest prima donnas in sports.
That’s all there is too it. They were too short to make the team, so they fell back on football. Occasionally, they are the heavier sort who would have played as forwards. These become tight ends, like Tony Gonzalez.
But it’s pretty much accepted wisdom in the NFL: Show me a wide receiver, and I’ll show you a failed basketball player.
The Fun Bunch certainly deserves some mention here.