Jackson, of course, was stunned. “I’m just sitting back there thinking, ‘They’re really not going to kick it to me’,” said Jackson. But he took the gift and, after first fumbling the ball and then recovering, he avoided a tackling attempt by receiver Duke Calhoun, put a move on tight end Bear Pascoe, and out-ran a diving Dodge before showboating his way into the end zone as time ran out.
– Ralph Vacchiano, N.Y. Daily News.
That’s not all — the Daily News actually dedicates a whole section of the game notes to Jackson’s showboating, and after CBS showed the play during the Jets’ game, Jim Nantz called it “disgraceful” or something equally sanctimonious.
First off, there’s nothing worse than a bunch of sports-media types getting all hot and bothered about players celebrating. Sports are entertainment. We watch sports to be entertained. End-zone celebrations are immensely entertaining. Unless they come at a downright terrible time — with the team way down and out of the game or something — they’re awesome.
Second, and most importantly, I’m not sure what Jackson did even constitutes showboating, like, at all. He took a hard left when he reached the goal line to make sure the clock expired. To me, that counts as smart football.
Maybe, I don’t know, the way he slowed up and held his arm up before finally going in was some minor celebration. But even if I were someone who gets broken up over Ochocinco’s end-zone jigs I don’t think I’d find anything too offensive about Jackson’s jog across the end line. He was afforded the opportunity to make sure he ran out the clock by the Giants’ miserable punt coverage on the play, which left him with some 20 yards of wiggle room at the end.
And not for nothing, the play was a last-second punt return touchdown that marked the culmination of a massive fourth-quarter comeback in a game between divisional rivals with major playoff implications. Given the circumstances, I’d say the celebration was pretty reserved.
Tedquarters 
Duke Calhoun and Bear Pascoe?
The Giants are clearly making up names, no?
Agreed. If you don’t want to see him showboating, then keep him out of the end zone. It’s a fairly easy solution.
And not for nothing, but when Brandon Stokley did something similar last year against the Bengals, he was hailed as a visionary (he must play Madden!) who made a smart, team-oriented play to help his team win.
I don’t think I would describe keeping Desean Jackson out of the endzone as a “fairly easy solution.”
The problem is that Jackson wasnt doing it to run the clock out, everyone knows that.
Says who? The clock was right in front of him and this is a well-known play. Don’t ascribe ulterior motives needlessly.
Says who???? The clock that’s who! Why dont you actually watch the game before commenting. If the clock was right in front of him as you say, then he’s clearly saw that the clock already hit zero before he ever passed the 20 yard line. He was being a douche plain and simple.
you have to factor in their histories. Desean is a taunting p.o.s. who’s been doing this kind of crap since high school. Stokley (as far as I know) isn’t. If Stokley had previously fumbled a ball at the 1 yard line (TWICE) while taunting opponents, done a pirouette into the end zone the week before, and just generally had a rep as a scumbag, I’m sure people would have been talking about him a lot differently when he did that last year.
I persoannly dont care for the stuff while the play is still going on. To me there is a difference between taunting and celebrating.
Celebrating is 100% fine with me, taunting for the most part rubs me the wrong way. Yesterday I consider what Jackson did taunting. Slowing up in order to let the defensive player catch up, even though he has not chance to make the tackle to me is rubbing it in, and a D-Bag move, and to me is taunting.
If he would have just run in, I couldnt have cared less what he did after that in the end zone. I have always enjoyed the TO and Ocho Cinco type celebrations in the endzone.
Props to you for getting The Shins stuck in my head.
Matt Dodge should have laid him out after he scored the touchdown. That way Desean gets embarrased by a punter and Dodge gets suspended and we don’t have to watch him be terrible at his job next week.
Very good idea. And what should be noted is that Matt Dodge is pretty jacked. I bet he could straight up kick the sh*t of of Desean Jackson.
Brilliant idea, Scott. And Chris M, you are absolutely correct. Huge distinction between taunting and celebrating. Taunting pisses me off, while celebrating does not (although I prefer a player who acts with class and dignity and just flips the ball to the ref and heads to the sideline). Celebrations can be fun and entertaining, but taunting is nothing more than an attempt to demean and embarrass an opponent.
I have long maintained that the NFL should call taunting from the spot of the foul, which would have meant that last week against the Cowboys, the Eagles would have had first and goal from 16 instead of a TD on Jackson’s 91 yd play. That would put an end to taunting.
And please, Jackson was not being smart and trying to run the clock out. He’s a punk, and the clock ran out when he was barely to the 20 yd line.