Owens back to end-zone antics
Terrell Owens, the Cowboys’ controversial receiver, paid homage to Bill Belichick and SpyGate after a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
BY PATRICK DORSEY
A look at five of Terrell Owens most flamboyant touchdown celebrations:
1 The Star: One of his first attention-grabbing stunts, Owens, while with the San Francisco 49ers, ran out to the Cowboys’ midfield star — not once, but twice — during a 2000 game.
2 The Sharpie: In a 2002 game against the 49ers, Owens scored a touchdown against the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football and pulled a Sharpie out of his sock, signed the ball and handed it to his financial advisor.
3 The Pom-Poms: Later in 2002, during a home game against the Green Bay Packers, Owens took pom-poms from a 49ers cheerleader and did his own touchdown-celebrating routine.
4 The Sit-Ups: While with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2004, Owens scored against the Chicago Bears, then did six sit-ups to commemorate the six touchdowns he had scored to date that season.
5 The Nap: In a 2006 game against the Washington Redskins, Owens used the football as a pillow and pretended to take a nap.
Was that Bill Belichick hiding behind the goal post?
Nope. Just another Terrell Owens touchdown celebration, debuted in the fourth quarter of the Cowboys’ 37-20 victory over the Dolphins on Sunday.
Owens caught a 34-yard touchdown pass from Tony Romo on fourth-and-5. Then, lampooning the embattled Patriots coach — who was fined $500,000 and cost his team at least one pick in next year’s draft after a Patriots employee was caught videotaping the Jets in the season opener — Owens hid behind the goal post, held up the football and pretended to crank it like an old-style camera in order to film the Dolphins’ sideline.
”I hope they don’t give me a hefty fine like they gave Belichick,” joked Owens, who finished with five catches for 97 yards.
The refs penalized the love-him-or-hate-him receiver, docking the Cowboys 15 yards for unsportsmanlike conduct and ”using the goal post as a prop.” A fine could be pending — especially because the stunt was premeditated, alluded to on a Miami radio station two days earlier.
Taking suggestions from listeners on 790-The Ticket, Owens on Friday said fake-filming the Dolphins’ sideline was ”very likely to happen” if he scored.
Then, after scoring, he sprinted to the goal post and erased all doubt.
”I try to pay tribute to all my fans out there, and they give me suggestions throughout the week,” Owens said. “That was one touchdown celebration that was high on the list.”
Owens almost didn’t get to use that list Sunday.
Similar to his zero-catch first half last week against the Giants, the five-time Pro Bowler caught just four passes for 63 yards in the first three-and-a-half quarters.
He also dropped three balls, including one sure touchdown that brought back memories of Owens’ sun-related drop during a 1999 playoff game between the Packers and Owens’ 49ers.
”The sun was really tough today,” Owens said.
As the sun descended, the Cowboys offense began its ascent.
Owens’ touchdown made it 30-13, and a late 40-yard run by Marion Barber brought the score to 37-20.
But Barber — dubbed ”Marion the Barbarian” by Owens after the game — didn’t match Owens’ dance. In fact, chances are he didn’t even know about it before it happened.
After the game, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he ”didn’t notice [the celebration] that much” and asked what it was.
Fellow receiver Patrick Crayton, meanwhile, said he knew nothing beforehand of the stunt. In fact, he didn’t even think Owens was filming.
He thought, with the game in hand, Owens was fishing.
”I thought he was saying we reeled in the Dolphins and had ‘em hooked,” Crayton said, adding with laughter, when he learned Owens’ real intentions: “He’s a damn idiot. Oh boy, that’s a good one. I’m going to have to ask him about that one on the plane.”
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