The NFL has been dubbed the “No Fun League” for restricting the things players can do to demonstrate excitement upon making a good play. And if “fun” consists of demonstrations that possibly delay the game while a key piece of equipment is repaired, it’s a label the NFL may soon be gladly wearing.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the NFL currently is considering banning the practice of dunking the ball over the crossbar.
While not a formal proposal of the Competition Committee or any of the 32 teams, the topic is expected to be raised during the NFL’s annual meetings, which open Monday in Orlando.
When the NFL banned the use of props during celebrations, an exception was made for the goal post dunk and the Lambeau Leap. Last year, however, Saints tight end Jimmy Graham knocked the crossber askew when jamming the ball over it with both hands during a Thursday night game against the Falcons. Play was stopped so that maintenance workers could return the crossbar to its proper position.
If the NFL extends the uprights by five feet (as the Patriots have proposed), it becomes even more important to avoid applying extra force to the apparatus, given laws of physics that I once learned and then quickly expunged from my brain. (Maybe it was the Iron City Beer.)
Until the owners decide what to do, we’ll put the issue to a vote. But before casting your ballot, ask yourself if you really want to have games delayed while, as Dan Patrick put it yesterday, Bob Vila comes out with his toolbox and fixes the crossbar.
[polldaddy poll=7902856]