Since I don’t follow much of what happens in the NFL in the off-season, I was a bit surprised after the Rams scored a touchdown and started doing their “Bob ‘N Weave” dance in the end zone that John Madden commented the celebration was illegal and would get the Rams players fined by the league.
Sure enough, ESPN’s John Clayton reports the players involved got $2,500 fines apiece per celebration,
You remember the “Bob ‘N Weave,” the symbol of last year’s Rams Super Bowl run. After a touchdown last season, five or six Rams offensive players formed a circle, bent over, pumped their arms and shouted their motto, “Gotta Go To Work.” It was innocent. It was fun. The Competition Committee, led ironically by Vikings coach Dennis Green, treated it as a punishable offense, fining players $2,500 a “Bob.” Five Rams received those fines after a touchdown in Week 3 against the 49ers, so they stopped.
“This team is about emotion,” Warner said. “When we show and play with emotion, that’s when we play our best. I called the players in the other day and told them that we need to get that back. I could care less if we do the Bob ‘N Weave, but I told them if we do the Bob ‘N Weave and get fined, it’s on me.”
This is insane. The throat slashing maneuver? I could see why the NFL wanted to put a clamp on that. The sort of excessive celebration that Terrell Owen did earlier in the year at Dallas? Absolutely uncalled for. But doing the Bob ‘N Weave in the end zone after scoring a touchdown? Why should that draw a $2,500 fine? Seems like good wholesome fun to me.
(Or to put it another way, if I’m going to be taking pain killing shots on Monday after getting knocked around by 250-300 pound, 6’6″ guys on Sunday, I’m definitely celebrating in the end zone if I score a touchdown).