Did San Francisco 49ers' DE Aldon Smith's Anti-Celebration Diss Roger Goodell?

San Francisco 49ers defensive end Aldon Smith sacked St. Louis Rams quarterback A.J. Feeley in his team's 26-0 Week 13 win. While that's nothing new for Smith, who has 9.5 sacks to his name this season, what he did afterward warrants comment.

Instead of celebrating the traditional way—dancing, perhaps, or bumping chests with teammates—after sacking Feeley when the Rams decided to go for it on 4th-and-12, Smith ran to the Niners' sideline, took off his helmet and sat down primly on the bench, allowing the act and a simple sigh of satisfaction to speak for itself.

Considering NFL commissioner Roger Goodell's crackdown on celebrations of all kinds since he took over the post, many think that Smith's reaction to the sack was a type of "anti-celebration," drawing attention to what the game would look like if players weren't allowed to display any expressions of joy resulting from personal achievements on the field.

However, I am of the mind that Smith's deliberately muted response to his sack of Feeley was in fact not a dig at Goodell's extremely rigid celebration guidelines. Instead, I see it more as a response to actions in recent weeks by other players around the league who have taken the celebration too far, costing their teams yardage—and wins—as a result.

In Week 12, Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stevie Johnson scored a touchdown and launched into a celebratory dance that mocked opposing wideout Plaxico Burress' unfortunate discharge of a loaded weapon that was lodged in the waistband of his jeans, shooting himself in the leg and going to jail for nearly two years.

That celebration cost the team 15 yards for taunting and immediately led to a New York Jets touchdown that ultimately won them the game.

Whether you think Johnson's mocking dance was hilarious or in poor taste, it did in fact set up his team for a loss. No one wants to put their own personal achievements or interests above those of their team to the point that it harms their chances to win—or no one should, that is.

I think that's the point that Smith was trying to hammer home with his "anti-celebration" move—that he was simply doing his job, and that his on-field actions should serve singly to help his team and nothing more.