Kevin Byard channeled his inner Terrell Owens following a first-quarter interception during the Titans' 28-14 win Monday night.
After picking off Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott in the end zone, the Tennessee Titans safety ran out to the Cowboys star in the middle of the AT&T Stadium field. Joined soon after by his teammates, Byard was confronted by Cowboys defensive back Byron Jones and heard it from the Dallas faithful, who are all too familiar with the provocative celebration.
"I just ran to the star to celebrate," Byard said after the game. "I was actually expecting somebody to knock my head off. Then we just started dancing. I was like, if we get to the 50, if we get enough guys to the 50, we are just going to start dancing on the star. It's just like every game, before every game, we go to the middle of the field and we break it down, just let everybody know we are here to play ball. That's kind of how I thought about it."
Byard said the celebration was premeditated -- provided he made a big enough play to warrant such a celebration in his mind.
"It was just something I thought about at the hotel, just thinking about Monday night in Dallas," he said. "Thinking what can I do if I make a play. And it was really just to show the team that we are not scared. We are here to play ball. We are here to win the game. I made the play and I ran straight to the 50 yard line. It was kind of off the wall a little bit."
The "off-the-wall" celebration might conjure a fine for Byard:
As a member of the San Francisco 49ers in 2000, Owens scored twice against the Cowboys and twice sprinted to the middle of the Texas Stadium field to celebrate. The first time, he spread his arms wide and looked to the sky. The second time, he slammed the ball to the turf, before being leveled by Cowboys safety George Teague.
Early-aughts celebrations must be in vogue this week. Saints wideout Michael Thomas did the Joe Horn-cellphone celebration following his game-sealing touchdown on Sunday.
