LT just called out Bellichek!

[SeaChicken]

Players have mocked the dance on several occasions, when they sack Rivers or score a touchdown on our defense. No one really has a problem with that, since that's an accepted thing to do in the NFL these days and basically Merriman does bring that to himself.

However it's taboo to taunt and disrespect the other team when the game is over and everyone is showing good sportmanship to shake hands with the other team.

You won the game. Go shake hands and celebrate in the locker room. Don't pull a T.O. and disrespect the other team by dancing or posing on their logo.

All due respect but since when did we have rules around the proper way to be disrespectful? I'm sure that QB that has just been sacked doesn't appreciate Merriman's dance anymore than LT appreciated it from Samuels. We tend to look at things in the most convenient way for us. When Merriman is in another team's stadium, sacks a QB, then jumps up and does his little act, is he not disrespecting the home team and their fans? Of course he is. I'm not trying to be argumentative but the reality is if you're going to disrespect people in any fashion, you don't get to cry and quote some "ethics of taunting" when they do it back. IMO, it's like slapping someone in the face and then crying because their return slap was harder than you slapped them in the first place. If Merriman "acted like he'd been there before" when he sacks someone, this wouldn't be an issue. This is no different than when Hines Ward mocked Terrell Owens last year. You dish it, you need to learn how to take it. If you can't take it, cut the crap and play ball.

The real question is, I wonder how many times LT, Schottenheimer, or anyone else associated with the Chargers has told Merriman to stop doing his act because it's disrespectful and low class. Of course I have no way of knowing but I have a strong suspicion that I know the answer... Never. I like LT and I honestly don't have a problem with Merriman's little dance but in this case, I feel their very obviously in the wrong.

 

[Renz]

More hilarity from The Brushback...

Jason Taylor’s ‘Lights Out’ T-Shirt Already Out Of Style

MIAMI--Two weeks ago, Chargers linebacker Shawne “Lights Out” Merriman sent the Dolphins’ Jason Taylor a free “Lights Out” t-shirt, along with the suggestion that he wear it while watching the Chargers in the postseason. Unfortunately, the Chargers were eliminated after just one game and the shirt went out of style just as Taylor was starting to enjoy it.

“Oh, that’s disappointing,” Taylor told the Miami Herald on Monday. “I just got this great t-shirt from Shawne, and I was totally starting to love it, but now it’s kind of obsolete. It’s too bad, too, because it fit me perfectly. It was one of those shirts you could wear to bed then wake up the next morning and wear it to breakfast. Oh well. I guess I can still wear it to bed. Or maybe I can use it to clean up after I…well, I don’t want to get too graphic here, but let’s just say I can finally stop wasting all those towels and Kleenex.”

Merriman sent the shirt to Taylor in response to Taylor’s questioning of whether he should win Defensive Player of the Year honors after testing positive for steroids. Merriman told Taylor, whose team missed the postseason once again, to wear the shirt “while watching [the Chargers] in the playoffs.”

Taylor was planning to do just that, and was shocked at how quickly they were ousted.

“Amazing. I really thought this team would go all the way,” he said. “They were 14-2 during the season, undefeated at home, they had the MVP in LaDanian Tomlinson, and they had a guy who was one of the best pass rushers in the league. Then it was over just like that. I enjoyed it while it lasted, though. They played a spirited game that could have gone either way. It’s just a shame that Merriman had to sit out with an injury. Oh…he was playing? Oops. Looks like I put my foot in my mouth again. Maybe I should just stop talking.”

To make matters worse for Merriman and the Chargers, Patriots players celebrated their victory by mocking Merriman’s “Light’s Out” dance after Nate Kaeding’s missed field goal. Several Chargers, most notably LaDanian Tomlinson, took exception to the childish display.

“You don’t disrespect us like that on our home field,” said Tomlinson, who ran for 123 yards against a stout Patriots defense. “You don’t do that ‘Lights Out’ dance. That’s Merriman’s dance. He invented that. He shoved it in everybody’s face all year. He made t-shirts and hats. He told everybody that he was ‘Light’s Out’ Merriman. Then he came into the biggest game of his life, after all that bluster, and laid an egg. So it stands to reason that the opponents would want to poke fun at him. Wait a minute. What argument am I trying to make here?”

Outside linebacker Shaun Phillips also had some choice words for certain Patriots players.

“That was totally classless, man,” he said. “I am not going to forget that. Next time we play them I will get my revenge. I will tackle them extra hard. I will say mean things to hurt their feelings. I will commit back-breaking personal fouls! You can print all this stuff, too, so they can read it and become paralyzed by fear. Listen up, Patriots! Shaun Phillips is coming for you! Also, I’m a restricted free agent, so keep that in mind if you’re in the market for a pass rusher.”

In the end, the Chargers high-octane offense and aggressive defense were not enough to overcome the mental errors that plagued them on Sunday. Their quick exit was hard to swallow for the players, who thought they were headed for the Super Bowl.

“One and done. That’s not something you plan for,” Merriman said after the game. “We thought we were going to Miami. But that’s football, I guess. You never know what’s going to happen. I still think it was funny when I sent that t-shirt and hat to Jason Taylor. I wish I could have been there to see the look on his face when he opened that package. Talk about putting someone in their place. It’s even funnier because that shirt is about as relevant as a Mondale-Ferrera bumper sticker right now. So he’s walking around in an obsolete t-shirt like a total dork! Ha! That’ll teach him to voice a totally valid opinion about one of his peers.”

http://www.thebrushback.com/lightsout_full.htm