'No Fun League' lives up to its name

TheOak · 03-26-2014, 07:30 AM

(Mike Triplett)

The “No Fun League” strikes again.

The goal-post dunk will now be prohibited by the NFL -- a deflating rule change that might only be considered a victory for helpless crossbars around the country. As for the players and fans around the league, the rule elicited a resounding groan.

No team will be more affected by the rule than the New Orleans Saints. Not only will Saints fans miss out on Jimmy Graham’s trademark touchdown celebration roughly 12-to-15 times a year, they’ll also miss out on those fun occasions where Graham goads his buddy Drew Brees into proving he can still slam the ball over the crossbar despite Brees' 6-foot frame. Graham tweeted out a photo of an in-season dunk being blocked by a ghostly ref with the comment, "I guess I'll have to lead the @nfl in penalties next year! #funpolice," but subsequently deleted the tweet.

Listen, I do understand the reason for this particular rule. I was there in Atlanta last season when one of Graham’s power jams tilted the crossbar and forced a delay of game while workers came out with a super-sized level. Maybe that’s not the kind of drama that football fans are looking for.

But how about this? Let’s only penalize the players when they actually bend the goal posts. Make it a dunk-at-your-own-risk rule.

Really, I’m not that worked up about the rule change (my personal campaign for the last decade has been to remove the archaic chain system for measuring first downs). But I'm more surprised than anything by the NFL's hasty reaction to last year's "goalpost malfunction."

I find it almost shocking that a league that spent weeks promoting its new Pro Bowl format by trying to show off the personalities of stars such as Brees and Graham is now trying to mute those same personalities.

Of all the positive rule changes being discussed at the league meetings this week -- including a much-needed revamp of the replay system -- this is what’s getting the most attention?

This rule change can’t be a top priority for the NFL, can it?

I’m not sure where I’d draw the line with touchdown celebrations. Personally, I got a kick out of Saints receiver Lance Moore’s rendition of the “Hingle McGringleberry” touchdown celebration from the comedy show “Key & Peele” last season. But I know others whose opinion that I respect were turned off by it.

I also covered Terrell Owens in San Francisco while he was raising his arms through the hole in the roof on the middle of the Dallas Cowboys’ field and when he pulled out the Sharpie from his sock in Seattle. I covered Joe Horn in Louisiana shortly after he pulled out a hidden cellphone from behind a goal post.

I’ll be the first to admit that some of those were more clever than others. And I understand the league doesn’t want to start reviewing them on a case-by-case basis. They’d have to hire Simon Cowell to work in the league office. (Would Cowell’s decisions be reviewable?)

So I’m well aware that there should be some limit to the theatrics.

But the NFL is the most popular, most booming sport in America. They do a lot of things the right way when it comes to marketing their game. And it’s remarkable that they keep allowing that “No Fun League” critique to ring true time and time again.

Someone should throw a flag.
'No Fun League' lives up to its name - New Orleans Saints Blog - ESPN

hagan714 · 03-26-2014, 07:47 AM

goal post has nothing to with it i bet. i am sure this is all about protecting the investment and all the rest is window dressing.

10 more years of this type of crap and they may just wreck the game all together.

Srgt. Hulka · 03-26-2014, 10:55 AM

They didn't say anything about lay-ups.

Euphoria · 03-26-2014, 11:13 AM

Now here is what concerns me... The Packers Lambeau Leap.

Aren't they aware that a player jumping into the stand opens them up to being stabbed by a so called fan. Look what happened at that tennis match years ago.

Hell a fan could get hurt and sue.

I mean delay a game penalty if the goal post needs to be adjusted and it delays the game... I get and understand that but what about these other risky celebrations???

TheOak · 03-26-2014, 11:28 AM

A 30 second block of advertisement during an NFL game costs roughly $500k.

How long did it take to fix it? 5 minute minimum? That's $2.5m in air time.

What did it expose? No one thought Grahams dunks would tilt the goal post, when it did the possibility that the next one could have the goal post go over and hit a player became plausible.

Its all about $ and liability.

TheOak · 03-27-2014, 11:13 AM

Originally Posted by teddybarexxx

all you people that keeps talking about liability is full of crap! players have been lambeau leaping for decades and no one thought enough about the players liability or health! like one other person said in their post what if he leaps and gets hurt either leaping into the stands or jumping down? let me tell you the fail-cons goal post wasnt secured in the first place! how many times have j graham dunk the football after a td? how many goal posts were tilted? oh i thought so none, zilch, natta and any other word associated with the #0. this is ridiculous on sooo many levels and everyone is trying to find justification for this hidious rule.

Mr. Potty Mouth, for 23 years players didn't have to wear a helmet, for 40 years football helmets didn't have face masks, then one day someone realized that was not a good idea. Then 16 years after the face mask was implemented someone decided that allowing players to grab it (except for the ball carrier) was not such a good idea. Six Years later someone decided ball carriers should be protected also.

You may consider rethinking your logic and approach.

Halo · 03-27-2014, 05:14 PM

Originally Posted by teddybarexxx

player safety and player celebrating is a total different beast! like i said before if dunking a football is such a health risk to the nfl and the nfl players then stop players from leaping into the stands where you're more at risk to harm not only yourself but to the fans in the stands. so again this is not about you (the fan) nor the health and safety of the player this is about finding a way to undermind the players individuality! for years end zone celebration has caused controversy especially when the league became more and more african american dominated. hate to use the old race card but since you brought up history that's a fact. the league first started with the taunting rule that's where the t.o and chad johnson's of the league was penalized because the antics they did some felt were taunting so players dont do what i like to call the extreme celebration any more. now its more of a 5 sec dance or a football spike or a lambeau leap or the dunk. maybe this is one more thing to some how undermind the saints organization. idk but no one can explain to me how one incident i repeat one incident where j graham dunked the ball and tilted a goal post cause a rule change?? again why not investigate whether the fail-cons had the goal post secured in the first place because if your saw the dunk it wasnt like he shaquil oneal the darn thing. c'mon!

I agree the penalty on dunking is ridiculous compared to jumping in the stands. The NFL is inconsistent at best when it come to player safety and discipline, along with a slew of other issues and problems.

But I disagree with your argument that this is racially motivated per se. The NFL has consistently poo-pooed touchdown celebrations going back way further than T.O. and Ocho Cinco. A lot of modern celebrations date back to the "Fun Bunch" and so many others from late 70's and early 80's. They were mixed race groups celebrating TD's. The NFL killed them which led to the short surge in the USFL years ago.

Without race involved, the NFL has consistently poo poo'd post scoring celebrations for a long time. Personally, when I saw the Graham dunk in the Georgia Dome last year I asked myself "I can't believe they still let him and others do that."

Papa Voodoo · 03-26-2014, 12:10 PM

Barry Sanders' TDs were fun to watch and he didn't do any of this crap.

Srgt. Hulka · 03-26-2014, 12:54 PM

Originally Posted by Papa Voodoo

Barry Sanders' TDs were fun to watch and he didn't do any of this crap.

That's because Barry Sanders was just fun to watch, touchdown or no touchdown. Jimmy Graham is not that fun to watch run. It's fun to watch him catch a ball three feet over the defender's head, but running...meh.
I have to agree though, a good old fashion spike is good enough for me.

Euphoria · 03-27-2014, 09:23 AM

Originally Posted by Srgt. Hulka

That's because Barry Sanders was just fun to watch, touchdown or no touchdown. Jimmy Graham is not that fun to watch run. It's fun to watch him catch a ball three feet over the defender's head, but running...meh.
I have to agree though, a good old fashion spike is good enough for me.

I totally disagree... once he has the ball and makes a turn I can't wait to see who he is going to try and run over...

03-26-2014, 07:30 AM	#1
TheOak 10000 POST CLUB Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Cypress Tx. Posts: 19,039	'No Fun League' lives up to its name (Mike Triplett) The “No Fun League” strikes again. The goal-post dunk will now be prohibited by the NFL -- a deflating rule change that might only be considered a victory for helpless crossbars around the country. As for the players and fans around the league, the rule elicited a resounding groan. No team will be more affected by the rule than the New Orleans Saints. Not only will Saints fans miss out on Jimmy Graham’s trademark touchdown celebration roughly 12-to-15 times a year, they’ll also miss out on those fun occasions where Graham goads his buddy Drew Brees into proving he can still slam the ball over the crossbar despite Brees' 6-foot frame. Graham tweeted out a photo of an in-season dunk being blocked by a ghostly ref with the comment, "I guess I'll have to lead the @nfl in penalties next year! #funpolice," but subsequently deleted the tweet. Listen, I do understand the reason for this particular rule. I was there in Atlanta last season when one of Graham’s power jams tilted the crossbar and forced a delay of game while workers came out with a super-sized level. Maybe that’s not the kind of drama that football fans are looking for. But how about this? Let’s only penalize the players when they actually bend the goal posts. Make it a dunk-at-your-own-risk rule. Really, I’m not that worked up about the rule change (my personal campaign for the last decade has been to remove the archaic chain system for measuring first downs). But I'm more surprised than anything by the NFL's hasty reaction to last year's "goalpost malfunction." I find it almost shocking that a league that spent weeks promoting its new Pro Bowl format by trying to show off the personalities of stars such as Brees and Graham is now trying to mute those same personalities. Of all the positive rule changes being discussed at the league meetings this week -- including a much-needed revamp of the replay system -- this is what’s getting the most attention? This rule change can’t be a top priority for the NFL, can it? I’m not sure where I’d draw the line with touchdown celebrations. Personally, I got a kick out of Saints receiver Lance Moore’s rendition of the “Hingle McGringleberry” touchdown celebration from the comedy show “Key & Peele” last season. But I know others whose opinion that I respect were turned off by it. I also covered Terrell Owens in San Francisco while he was raising his arms through the hole in the roof on the middle of the Dallas Cowboys’ field and when he pulled out the Sharpie from his sock in Seattle. I covered Joe Horn in Louisiana shortly after he pulled out a hidden cellphone from behind a goal post. I’ll be the first to admit that some of those were more clever than others. And I understand the league doesn’t want to start reviewing them on a case-by-case basis. They’d have to hire Simon Cowell to work in the league office. (Would Cowell’s decisions be reviewable?) So I’m well aware that there should be some limit to the theatrics. But the NFL is the most popular, most booming sport in America. They do a lot of things the right way when it comes to marketing their game. And it’s remarkable that they keep allowing that “No Fun League” critique to ring true time and time again. Someone should throw a flag. 'No Fun League' lives up to its name - New Orleans Saints Blog - ESPN Attached Thumbnails
	It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see. ~ Henry David Thoreau Last edited by TheOak; 03-26-2014 at 07:33 AM..

03-26-2014, 07:47 AM	#2
hagan714 LB Mentallity Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 15,870 Blog Entries: 68	Re: 'No Fun League' lives up to its name goal post has nothing to with it i bet. i am sure this is all about protecting the investment and all the rest is window dressing. 10 more years of this type of crap and they may just wreck the game all together.

03-26-2014, 10:55 AM	#3
Srgt. Hulka 1000 Posts + Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Shreveport, LA Posts: 4,417	Re: 'No Fun League' lives up to its name They didn't say anything about lay-ups. Halo, saintfan and B_Dub_Saint like this.

03-26-2014, 11:13 AM	#4
Euphoria 5000 POSTS! + Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Hollywood, CA Posts: 7,601 Blog Entries: 5	Re: 'No Fun League' lives up to its name Now here is what concerns me... The Packers Lambeau Leap. Aren't they aware that a player jumping into the stand opens them up to being stabbed by a so called fan. Look what happened at that tennis match years ago. Hell a fan could get hurt and sue. I mean delay a game penalty if the goal post needs to be adjusted and it delays the game... I get and understand that but what about these other risky celebrations??? RailBoss, OldMaid and SaintsBro like this.

03-26-2014, 11:28 AM	#5
TheOak 10000 POST CLUB Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Cypress Tx. Posts: 19,039	Re: 'No Fun League' lives up to its name A 30 second block of advertisement during an NFL game costs roughly $500k. How long did it take to fix it? 5 minute minimum? That's $2.5m in air time. What did it expose? No one thought Grahams dunks would tilt the goal post, when it did the possibility that the next one could have the goal post go over and hit a player became plausible. Its all about $ and liability. OldMaid likes this.

03-27-2014, 11:13 AM	#6
TheOak 10000 POST CLUB Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Cypress Tx. Posts: 19,039	Re: 'No Fun League' lives up to its name Originally Posted by teddybarexxx all you people that keeps talking about liability is full of crap! players have been lambeau leaping for decades and no one thought enough about the players liability or health! like one other person said in their post what if he leaps and gets hurt either leaping into the stands or jumping down? let me tell you the fail-cons goal post wasnt secured in the first place! how many times have j graham dunk the football after a td? how many goal posts were tilted? oh i thought so none, zilch, natta and any other word associated with the #0. this is ridiculous on sooo many levels and everyone is trying to find justification for this hidious rule. Mr. Potty Mouth, for 23 years players didn't have to wear a helmet, for 40 years football helmets didn't have face masks, then one day someone realized that was not a good idea. Then 16 years after the face mask was implemented someone decided that allowing players to grab it (except for the ball carrier) was not such a good idea. Six Years later someone decided ball carriers should be protected also. You may consider rethinking your logic and approach.
	Last edited by TheOak; 03-27-2014 at 11:15 AM..

03-27-2014, 05:14 PM	#7
Halo Site Donor MONTHLY Join Date: May 2002 Location: New Orleans, LA Posts: 20,854 Blog Entries: 45	Re: 'No Fun League' lives up to its name Originally Posted by teddybarexxx player safety and player celebrating is a total different beast! like i said before if dunking a football is such a health risk to the nfl and the nfl players then stop players from leaping into the stands where you're more at risk to harm not only yourself but to the fans in the stands. so again this is not about you (the fan) nor the health and safety of the player this is about finding a way to undermind the players individuality! for years end zone celebration has caused controversy especially when the league became more and more african american dominated. hate to use the old race card but since you brought up history that's a fact. the league first started with the taunting rule that's where the t.o and chad johnson's of the league was penalized because the antics they did some felt were taunting so players dont do what i like to call the extreme celebration any more. now its more of a 5 sec dance or a football spike or a lambeau leap or the dunk. maybe this is one more thing to some how undermind the saints organization. idk but no one can explain to me how one incident i repeat one incident where j graham dunked the ball and tilted a goal post cause a rule change?? again why not investigate whether the fail-cons had the goal post secured in the first place because if your saw the dunk it wasnt like he shaquil oneal the darn thing. c'mon! I agree the penalty on dunking is ridiculous compared to jumping in the stands. The NFL is inconsistent at best when it come to player safety and discipline, along with a slew of other issues and problems. But I disagree with your argument that this is racially motivated per se. The NFL has consistently poo-pooed touchdown celebrations going back way further than T.O. and Ocho Cinco. A lot of modern celebrations date back to the "Fun Bunch" and so many others from late 70's and early 80's. They were mixed race groups celebrating TD's. The NFL killed them which led to the short surge in the USFL years ago. Without race involved, the NFL has consistently poo poo'd post scoring celebrations for a long time. Personally, when I saw the Graham dunk in the Georgia Dome last year I asked myself "I can't believe they still let him and others do that." TheOak likes this.
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03-26-2014, 12:10 PM	#8
Papa Voodoo 1000 Posts + Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 1,634	Re: 'No Fun League' lives up to its name Barry Sanders' TDs were fun to watch and he didn't do any of this crap. TheOak likes this.

03-26-2014, 12:54 PM	#9
Srgt. Hulka 1000 Posts + Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Shreveport, LA Posts: 4,417	Re: 'No Fun League' lives up to its name Originally Posted by Papa Voodoo Barry Sanders' TDs were fun to watch and he didn't do any of this crap. That's because Barry Sanders was just fun to watch, touchdown or no touchdown. Jimmy Graham is not that fun to watch run. It's fun to watch him catch a ball three feet over the defender's head, but running...meh. I have to agree though, a good old fashion spike is good enough for me.

03-27-2014, 09:23 AM	#10
Euphoria 5000 POSTS! + Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Hollywood, CA Posts: 7,601 Blog Entries: 5	Re: 'No Fun League' lives up to its name Originally Posted by Srgt. Hulka That's because Barry Sanders was just fun to watch, touchdown or no touchdown. Jimmy Graham is not that fun to watch run. It's fun to watch him catch a ball three feet over the defender's head, but running...meh. I have to agree though, a good old fashion spike is good enough for me. I totally disagree... once he has the ball and makes a turn I can't wait to see who he is going to try and run over...

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