In an article yesterday, I discussed the Eagles' Brent Celek, who used a third quarter touchdown against the Cowboys last Sunday to let the nation know that he had a little captain in him; of course, according to ensuing news reports, it may have also been a bit of guerrilla marketing on the part of Celek and the makers of (delicious) Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum.
For that reason, the NFL put a quick and decisive kibosh on any such commercially-inspired pirate-like behavior in the future. For Celek, it was a slap on the wrists; for the Cowboys, according to a post on the Dallas Morning News website, it was a chance to discussthe potential trouble in celebrating a touchdown.
Surprising, given the way Dallas opened the season with respect to penalties, but insisted upon by the DMN's Gerry Fraley in the report, Dallas has only one post-play penalty this season, last week against Philadelphia. (Terence Newman booted the ball after dropping an interception.)
While penalties are an omnipresent concern for any football coach (and particularly one with Flozell Adams on his roster), head coach Wade Phillips said on Thursday that the Cowboys have done well to keep their noses clean in this regard.
"We talk a lot about post-play and pre-snap penalties," Phillips said. "Those kind of things can hurt you. But our guys are pretty good at it. They score, celebrate and give the ball to the ref."
