The Ringer: Lions’ end-zone antics worth celebrating
The NFL season is only through its first six weeks. We don’t know if the Detroit Lions will get back to the playoffs, and we don’t know if they’re good enough to win the NFC North, no matter who’s quarterbacking the Green Bay Packers.
We apparently do know, though, that the Lions know how to celebrate touchdowns.
The Ringer gave the Lions their due Friday in its list of the eight best touchdown celebrations of the NFL season so far, with a pair of end-zone performances making the cut — the only team to have more than one.
Robert Mays of The Ringer called the Lions “kings in this arena,” calling Golden Tate’s “People’s Elbow” celebration last week against the Saints — a move that drew praise from its creator, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson — “the best individual celebration I’ve seen that wouldn’t have been possible under the new rules.”
And, it didn’t even make The Ringer’s top eight.
Tate had a hand in the two that did make The Ringer’s list, forming one-half of the Lions’ ping-pong celebration following a touchdown against the New York Giants in Week 2, while offensive lineman Graham Glasgow adds unintended awkwardness.
The celebration is No. 7 on the list.
"Tate and (Marvin) Jones volleying the ball back and with perfect timing was undeniably impressive,” Mays writes, “but what truly sets the ping-pong celebration apart is left guard Graham Glasgow. The awkwardness of it all is so perfect. ... Glasgow walks over, doesn’t realize Tate can’t see him, waits for a second, considers turning around, and then finally just pats Tate on the head. It’s a universal moment that we can all relate to. They should hang this video in a museum.”
Checking in at No. 5 was the Lions’ attempt at curling following a touchdown against the Falcons. It apparently earned a spot for how disastrous it turned out.
“To start, the toss by Tate has way too much on it,” Mays writes. “He may be the early front-runner for Team Celebrations MVP, but Tate looks like he would be terribly at pushing that rock thing down an ice rink. Kenny Golladay and Theo Riddick, the pair doing the brushing on the left ..., barely have time to get their brooms down. And poor Marvin Jones. What’s he even supposed to be doing here? He turns into a 6-foot-2 bowling pin.
“The exciting part about these celebrations going forward is that as they start to escalate, there are going to be some epic, flaming disasters. Those are going to be the most fun.”
The Lions are off this week, giving them some extra time to fine tune something new when they play host to the Pittsburgh Steelers in front of a national audience Oct. 29 on Sunday Night Football.