Fair Play

These days it’s rare (maybe too rare) that either Kev or I (or, heaven-forbid, TJ) do a pure opinion piece on Crooked Straight. Lately we’ve stuck to just sharing videos, stories, and pictures of beautiful women, occasionally adding a thought or two behind why we feel you need to make those things a part of your pop culture consciousness. But as I’m bored and short on funny videos at the moment, I thought I’d take this time to share some levelheaded thought with those out there who need it most: NFL Columnists (fellow bloggers are being lumped into this demographic).

The end of yesterday’s Eagles/Giants game was mesmerizing, to say the least. Michael Vick took control of the game and, for the first time, put his stamp on the Eagles as his team. But soon after DeSean Jackson’s improbable walk-off punt return touchdown brought the New Meadowlands Stadium crowd to its knees, a grumble began emanating from sports columnists and bloggers. It was a whine best exemplified by that of Chris Chase at Shutdown Corner:

But let's say the Giants did walk off without shaking hands. How is that any worse sportsmanship than DeSean Jackson tauntingly holding the ball aloft at the 30-yard line and running parallel to the goal line before scoring?

Several times in the past, I have found many an argument against common sense in Chase’s views on the NFL world. Despite that, I agree with most of what he’s said in this blog about Vick’s riff on the Giants’ sportsmanship. What I disagree with, though, is the vilification of DeSean’s act of trotting parallel to the goal line to run out the clock.

Chase is hardly alone in his unfair castigation of DJax’s clock-killing trot. Even Jason Whitlock, who I more often than not view as the gold standard for truthfulness in sports analysis, tweeted that the act was a taunt. But, as the guy who Whitlock was responding to correctly stated, there is a sad double standard taking place here. Brandon Stokely made a very similar move to erode time from the clock before scoring against Cincinnati last year. Where were the cries from detractors and accusations of taunting from columnists and bloggers after that play?

Now, before anyone mistakenly accuses me of fanning the flames of racism here, let me state that the difference in reaction to these two plays is not in any way based on the fact that Stokely is white and Jackson is black. Skin color has very little, if anything, to do with the unfair criticism of DJax’s actions. No, the reason behind this animosity towards his play is that DJax is, in fact, a taunter.

He always has been. From his days as a star at the University of California, to just last week when he did a trust fall into the end zone following a 91 yard catch-and-run. Jackson even taunts on the very punt return in question. As Chase observes, he holds the ball up in the air in triump as he begins to realize that no one will catch him. But Chase himself correctly asserts, “This sportsmanship thing goes too far sometimes.” And in this case it has gone so far as to allow an incredibly intelligent play be besmirched by onlookers as typical DJax audacity.

You see, Jackson’s not just a bold, taunting, in-your-face talent, he’s also a very young player who, until now, had been prone to acts of stupidity. Moments like the one he had in a game against Dallas in his rookie year, when he dropped the football in celebration before reaching the end zone. But while the bravado of Jackson’s game has only slightly diminished, the mindless actions of a standout rookie have now been replaced by the savvy of a star 3rd year veteran.

This play was a watermark in his career, a heady play that showed his desire to win the day for his team weighed heavier on his mind than any urge to showboat and self-promote. Watch Jackson’s body language as he crosses the 20 yard line. His demeanor visibly goes from celebration to game management. He begins moving away from the sideline, and as he nears the 5 he accelerates past a Giants defender—who could easily have ruined everything had Jackson begun slacking—cutting across the field while scanning the mayhem around him for (1.) a game clock, to try and assure that not a second remained on it, and (2.) other Giants who might seize the opportunity to keep him from crossing into the end zone. And as for Jackson’s postgame claim that he did it for excitement? I’m not buying it. That statement itself is the materialization of Jackson’s showboating nature; the body language coming from the man as he ran laterally across the field spoke more truth than any Willie Beamon-esque self-aggrandizing he wanted to do for the DJax brand. It’s clear in his demeanor that he wasn’t looking to run the goal line in some attempt to attract attention. He doesn’t do jumping jacks or strike a Heisman pose. Instead he keeps his head on a swivel, and keeps the ball and the final seconds away from the Giants.

And even his initial taunt of raising the ball in the air isn’t so arrogant as to warrant condemnation. He didn’t point at any Giants’ player, or at their bench or fans. He simply showed genuine exuberance; and, more than likely, it was probably only a 100th of what he was feeling in that split second Remember, up until that afternoon it wasn’t even certain whether or not Jackson would be playing in the game, as a foot injury had kept him limited in practice for most of the week. Now, at the end of the day, he had helped his team complete one of the most thrilling comebacks in NFL history. I’d say that moment deserved a high step, or a celebratory dive into the end zone. But that clever veteran DeSean realized that over-the-top embellishment wasn’t what would win the game.

Maybe more NFL columnists should realize that, too.