FLOWERY BRANCH — If Aaron Rodgers’ touchdown celebration gets under the skin of Falcons players they aren’t saying.
One thing is certain. They don’t want to see the Packers quarterback make his championship-belt gesture Sunday night. The Falcons saw it enough last season when Rodgers accounted for three touchdowns in the Packers’ 48-21 divisional playoff victory at the Georgia Dome on Jan. 15.
“I could care less about it,” linebacker Mike Peterson bristled. “That’s his celebration.”
Fellow linebackers Curtis Lofton and Sean Weatherspoon stated their desire not to witness the celebratory move.
“If you keep him out of the end zone, you don’t have to worry about it,” Weatherspoon said.
One player pled ignorant.
“What belt thing?” offensive lineman Tyson Clabo asked. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him do that before. Does he do that? That’s pretty cool. I wish I’d thought of it.”
Another yields the move to Rodgers, the reigning Super Bowl MVP. Offensive lineman Justin Blalock used to make the gesture coming out of the tunnel in pregame introductions, something he borrowed from professional wrestler Triple H.
“The guy over there, he does and they do, in fact, have the title,” Blalock said. “Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s, so I’ll let him have it. He can have that little celebration for the time being.”
Rodgers said the move originated several years ago when he was running the scout team for the Packers, alongside practice-squad players, as a backup. He figured a little taunting of the defense might induce the starters to play a little harder, move with a faster tempo and inject some enthusiasm into practices.
“That was for myself. Those practice-squad guys and the scout team, that was our opportunity to get a lot of reps because we probably weren’t going to play in the game,” said Rodgers, who also first saw the move as a childhood fan of professional wrestling.
The move made its way into NFL games when Rodgers became the Packers starter — a “spontaneous” reaction after a touchdown.
It continues.
Opponents and their fans can be frustrated by the move, as they see it a lot. The Packers, who are 4-0, lead the NFL in points scored with 148. Rodgers has accounted for 14 of the Packers’ 17 touchdowns, 12 by pass and two by run.
Ironically, Falcons defensive backs have a championship belt of their own. Each Tuesday, player off-days, the group gathers at the team’s practice facility for ball drills. The defender who drops the fewest balls is awarded the “Ball Skills Championship Belt” and its bragging rights for the week. The belt, a mock-up of the wrestling version, currently hangs in the locker of safety Thomas DeCoud. He began the competition several years ago with former teammate Chevis Jackson. The Falcons’ belt could be on the line Sunday.
DeCoud is not a stranger to Rodgers. The two were teammates at California.
“Everybody has their own little swag,” DeCoud said. “He went to Cal, so he has a little bit extra swag. It’s a part of his game. More power to him.”
Don’t look for such a celebratory move from Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. It’s not part of his repertoire now and likely won’t be in the future.
“I’ve got nothing,” Ryan said of his post-touchdown celebration. “I’ve got nothing for you. I’m going to keep doing things the way I’ve done it. Play football.
“My Grandpa told me when I was young, you play with a bat, ball and glove, not your mouth. Those are words that I took to heart as an 8-year-old kid.”
Staff writer D. Orlando Ledbetter contributed to this article.
