There was plenty of creativity on display during the Patriots’ in-stadium practice Friday night — especially when it came to touchdown celebrations.
Players took the opportunity to have fun with each score. And head coach Mike Vrabel is fully behind the enthusiasm, so long as it doesn’t cost the team.
“Sure, I want to encourage celebrating touchdowns,” Vrabel said Monday before practice. “I want to encourage doing it with teammates. We don’t want to sit there and taunt the opponent. We don’t want to point the ball or the finger or whatever, anything that’s going to cost us 15 yards. We’re certainly not going to give the other team 15 yards and we want to try to make sure that we’re celebrating as a team.”
Touchdown celebrations have long been part of the entertainment of the NFL, though not always without controversy. For years, the league penalized excessive celebrations, citing sportsmanship concerns.
But in 2017, the NFL relaxed its rules, allowing more expressive and choreographed celebrations — as long as they’re not directed at opponents or considered unsportsmanlike. Since then, they’ve become a fan-favorite aspect of the game.
Vrabel, a former player himself, understands that emotion is part of football. But his focus is on making sure players keep it clean and team-focused.
“We put a lot into it,” he said. “When plays work and guys make plays, they should be excited. To think they should just walk off the field? That’s not realistic.”
He added, “As long as they come back ready to kick the extra point and we don’t lose yards, I’m all for it.”
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
