DEFENSES DANCE, TOO
Sack celebrations star in highlight reels
Take heed, wide receivers — you’re being upstaged.
During the NFL preseason, defensive players regularly took advantage of a league rule change that loosened restrictions for on-field celebrations.
Dallas Cowboys rookie defensive end Taco Charlton simulated making tacos for his teammates after collecting a sack. Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict dived headfirst into an empty row of seats at FedExField in Washington while enjoying a 62-yard pick-six. A covey of Seattle Seahawks backups danced in the end zone after an interception. And then there was Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller, who unveiled a new sack dance he’s dubbed the “Sexy T-Rex.”
“That’s a sack dance that everybody can do,” Miller said. “I’ve got a lot of sack dances and celebrations planned. I’ve got to get my guys in it, too. It’s better when you can celebrate how soccer players celebrate.”
Apparently creativity and exuberance aren’t only reserved for the receivers and running backs who regularly score touchdowns. In defensive meeting rooms and on practice fields around the NFL, pass rushers and ballhawking corners have spent the offseason scheming in preparation for their own highlights.
Miller, an alum of the reality TV show Dancing with the Stars, suggested hiring a choreographer. Miami Dolphins defensive end Andre Branch has been designat-
ed as the dance master in his locker room. In Seattle, cornerback Richard Sherman said his teammates will come up with some “fancy stuff ” they will unveil when the time is right.
Players are now permitted to collaborate with teammates for rehearsed group celebrations; they can go to the ground, to kneel or make a snow angel, for example; and they can now use the ball as a prop. However, celebrations that officials deem to be sexually suggestive or use violent imagery (such as simulating the use of a weapon) are still illegal, as are acts that can be viewed as taunting.
“If they do anything like that, fine ’ em. But if they’re out there just having a good time, they’re doing snow angels, then let a guy have fun,” Sherman told USA TODAY Sports.
The league’s relaxed stance on celebrations was overdue, players in multiple cities told USA TODAY Sports.
“I was waiting for it. You see it in baseball, with the bat flip. In soccer, they go crazy. In basketball, they’ve got a whole lot of different handshakes and everything. Football was stuck back in time,” Dolphins cornerback Byron Maxwell said.
“I love to see guys that have charisma and can dance and put on a show. That makes the game fun. Fans want to see that.”
Players across the league were given presentations on the new rules from officiating crews during preseason.
In a particularly memorable scene from the HBO NFL series Hard Knocks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Gerald McCoy questions referee Ed Hochuli about what sort of hip and knee gyrations are acceptable. (Any sort of hip thrusts are generally flagged as being too suggestive, even as players such as Miller and Seattle defensive end Michael Bennett try to limit their number of thrusts to an acceptable level.)
Miller was fined multiple times in recent seasons for his celebratory gyrations, which have included a dance inspired by a sketch by comedy duo Key & Peele, and a Michael Jackson-esque crotch grab.
“Sexy T-Rex,” however, has been deemed perfectly legal, while raising the bar for Miller’s counterparts on offense.