Ben to Brown: Ditch the Flip

Pittsburgh Steelers superstar wide receiver Antonio Brown thrilled the crowd with another par-for-the-course performance last Sunday, torching the Cleveland Browns secondary to the tune of 10 catches for 139 yards and 2 touchdowns.

His second score, a 56-yard catch-and-run to put the result beyond doubt, was capped off with a perfect somersault into the endzone, but not everyone was pleased to see Antonio’s acrobatics.

Brown stated that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said not to pull off the flip anymore, and Brown claims that in the future he will be “smart” and “disciplined” about his post-score celebrations.

Brown has performed the aerial aerobics in the past, but never stuck the landing. Instead, he landed flat on his back, earning him a stern talking to from head coach Mike Tomlin.

A no-nonsense figure that prefers to restrict the celebrations to the sidelines, Tomlin also forbade the move under fear of seeing his star get hurt. Goodness knows on-field celebrations haven’t been kind to NFL players in the past, and the last thing the Steelers need heading into the final six weeks of the season is an injury to another of their Killer Bs.

But surprisingly, Tomlin was cool with Brown’s flip, simply telling the media to “judge it.” Well someone was listening, because former gold medal-winning gymnast Mary Lou Retton gave AB a “perfect 10.”

“[Coach] said it’s better to stick the landing than land on my back,” Brown smiled. Flashy as their celebrations may be, all touchdowns in the NFL are created equal. Big Ben would be just as happy to see his man nab the six points and jog back to the sideline, ready to do it all again on the next drive.