Style points may not show up in the box score, but they do in our weekly NFL celebration grades. Showmanship is as much an art as football itself, so it’s important to appreciate the celebratory displays that we’ll see every weekend during the NFL season. It’s also important to roast the players who clearly need to work on their celly game.
Week 7…let’s do it.
Fitz misfire
I always appreciate it when a player incorporates or rewards the crowd during a celebration, so I like where Larry Fitzgerald’s head was at following his touchdown against the Broncos on Thursday. He tossed his TD ball into the crowd, and he even managed to arc it over the rising field goal net behind the end zone.
However, that ball plummeted into the hands of a Broncos fan, who had one more reason to celebrate that night. I think if you’re Fitz, you gotta make sure that ball gets to one of your own fans, especially when it’s a home game, and especially when your team is getting its butt kicked.
Grade: D-
Where’d you go?
Demetrius Harris capped off his touchdown by running to the electric box beyond the end zone, jumping in and disappearing from sight. It brought shades of Ezekiel Elliott’s Salvation Army bucket celebration from the past few years, but this one was more fitting for the Chiefs considering their offense is so …electric. Also, he kind of looked like Super Mario going down one of those pipes. It was funny, but I only wish some of his teammates would have volunteered to be Koopa Troopas.
Grade: C
The Macarena
The Macarena is an absolute classic and I will rank it highly every time because it deserves a comeback. (Seriously, go listen to that song again right now; you won’t regret it.) I am very happy that C.J. Uzomah agrees with me, but someone needs to tell Joe Mixon to brush up on his classic dance knowledge or get the hell out of the way. Generation Z kids, amirite?!
Grade: C+
The Carlton
Another classic dance! This was a big week for playing the hits, and the Carlton is up there with the best of them. This wasn’t the most inspired effort I’ve ever seen, but I’ll cut Kenyan Drake a little slack considering the Dolphins were losing in the second half. It’s Not Usual…to tone down celebrations while down on the scoreboard.
Grade: C+
Eagles’ free kick
Alshon Jeffery’s soccer free kick celebration is a very good idea in theory, but it left a lot to be desired in execution. First of all, it took too long to come together. You can’t see it in the clip below, but there was too much standing around and organizing before the celebration actually took place. And despite the time that it took, nobody involved seemed to be on the same page. The setup was jumbled, the timing was off and it was very sloppy execution.
Nelson Agholor, who volunteered to be part of the wall, seemed to forget what sport he was playing when he raised his hands in the air like he was attempting to block a field goal, not a free kick. On top of that, Jeffery didn’t even kick the damn ball! Such an anticlimactic, unsatisfying end to what could have been a great celebration. Still, points for the idea.
Grade: B-
Row, row, row your defense
It’s rare you see a defensive unit come away with top honors in the celebration department, but here we are. This rowing celebration from the Bucs’ D was tremendous. It was quick, organized and effective — three crucial components for a defensive celebration. Sure, there’s room for improvement on the synchronization of the rowing, but it’s a winner nonetheless.
Grade: A-
Source: Read Full Article