Bucs/NFL

League puts limits on TD celebrations

By JOANNE KORTH and STEPHEN F. HOLDER
Published March 30, 2006

LAKE BUENA VISTA - Receivers Chad Johnson and Steve Smith are sure to find a loophole, but the NFL is cracking down on end zone celebrations that many believed crossed the line into taunting last season.

League owners voted 29-3 to prohibit players from going to the ground or using the ball as a prop. Violators will receive a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

That means Johnson, the Bengals receiver who turned celebration into performance art, no longer can propose to cheerleaders on bended knee or use a pylon to putt the football but can Riverdance. Smith, the Panthers receiver who often tailored his end zone antics to opponents, cannot row a make-believe boat or change the football's diaper but can hula dance. Players are permitted to spike the football, dunk it over the goal post, spin it on the ground, jump into the stands to celebrate with fans and anything else they can think of within the rules.

"I'm looking forward to seeing what Chad Johnson will come up with," Colts coach Tony Dungy said. "It's going to make people think, be original, make people celebrate without props."

Though the celebration rule created the biggest stir, others were approved that likely will have a bigger impact.

Coaches will be able to use instant replay to challenge down-by-contact plays to determine if the ball came out before the ballcarrier was down and who recovered it. Those plays were not reviewable when officials ruled the whistle had ended the play.

Also, officials will have 60 seconds to review a play, down from 90.

Three rules regarding safety were approved:

Quarterbacks will have added protection while in the throwing motion with their feet planted. Players will be penalized for avoidable hits below the knee. The definition of an illegal horse-collar tackle was expanded to include pulling a player down from behind by the inside collar of his jersey.

On field goals and extra points, a player no longer can line up directly across from the long snapper. The long snapper won't be driven backward while his head is down immediately after the snap.

NO PROGRESS: The meeting adjourned with little progress in the search for a successor to commissioner Paul Tagliabue, who hopes to retire by July. Tagliabue said he likely will appoint a search committee next week. It will comprise 6-8 people from teams diverse in revenue and geography.

NO SUPPORT: The Bucs' proposal to open all penalties to review received little consideration. Titans coach Jeff Fisher, who co-chairs the competition committee, said it was voted down almost unanimously. Before the vote, Mike Pereira, NFL supervisor of officials, called it "an extreme measure promoted by an extreme team."

MORE TIME: Owners tabled a proposal to expand the playoffs from 12 to 14 teams to allow for additional research into television implications.

HE'S BAA-AACK: With Keyshawn Johnson signing with the Panthers last week, he'll be back in the same division as Jon Gruden. The two clashed during Johnson's stint with the Bucs. That's fine with Gruden.

"I personally think they should throw the ball to Keyshawn on every play and not throw it to Steve Smith," Gruden said. "I'd do it if I was them. Throw him the ball. There's no question he's a hell of a player."

CHANGE OF HEART: Free-agent offensive tackle Brad Hopkins, last with the Titans, might not end up with the Bucs ... or anyone else.

In an interview on Sirius NFL Radio on Wednesday, Hopkins, who is being pursued by the Bucs, said he is "leaning more towards retirement. I am just for the simple fact that I live here in Nashville and I've never done the free agency thing, going from city to city.

"It was interesting and fun going to see some other teams and see how they ran things. But ultimately it's about my family, my kids ... and I don't really think they'd understand me not being around all the time."

Hopkins, 35, said he hasn't made up his mind.

"I just said I'm leaning toward it," he said. "I didn't say I was going to do it."

QUARLES RESTRUCTURE: Linebacker Shelton Quarles recently restructured his contract, reducing his base salary from $3.1-million in 2006 and $3.75-million in 2007 to $1.3-million for both.

[Last modified March 30, 2006, 02:15:33]