We can dance if we want to: Lions receivers having a ball in the end zone

Nate Burleson caught another touchdown pass Saturday night. And as promised, he celebrated in style. Last week, it was a little dig at LeBron James and the Cleveland fans. This week, it was a shot at Chad Ochocinco. Only it wasn’t, Burleson insisted afterward. He says his version of Ochocinco’s 2005 “Riverdance” routine in the end zone was meant as a sign of respect. Well, sort of.

“It wasn’t really a dig,” Burleson explained. “It was him doing the Riverance a couple years ago. I just kind of wanted to do a little something. Hopefully he takes it as a sign of respect. I’ve been watching him since I got in the league. I actually went to talk to him after the game but he ran off the field. It was just a little something to say, ‘I see you.’ I’m doing my thing over here. There might be a new king of celebrations in town. But he might not be celebrating no more, you know, (with him) going to New England.”

Burleson doesn’t play for Bill Belichick. But that doesn’t mean his head coach is fine with him incurring celebration penalties, either. Which is what happened after Tony Scheffler’s touchdown later in the first half.

“All right, so Scheffler was doin’ his little thing, and I don’t know what he was doing,” Burleson said of Scheffler’s own dance that was mocked by the CBS announcers. “I just joined in and was excited. I guess the ref flagged me and said it was choreographed. Now, you guys know me well enough. If it was choreographed, it would’ve looked a lot sweeter than that.

“Scheff did his thing; I was just there to celebrate with him. And the ref said we were doing a little bit too much. I told him that I won’t do it again. Actually, Jim (Schwartz) said if I get another flag doing celebrations he’s gonna send me down on kickoffs. So I kept my butt on the sideline the next touchdown.”

Here’s Scheffler’s dance, by the way. Derrick Williams, who had his own bizarre TD celebration in the second half, said it was called “Too Legit to Quit.” (“He said he was doing a rooster at the end, too,” Burleson said, frowning.) I’m not sure MC Hammer would be all that impressed, but whatever…

As for Williams’ routine — which looked like either calisthenics or a “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” children’s dance — he says, “It was called, ‘I’m Tired, and I Really Need to Stretch.’”

So there you have it. If this team keeps scoring 30-plus points per game, these guys are going to need to hire a full-time choreographer.