Who is the NFL's Superman? Panthers and 49ers disagree

San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh compared his quarterback Colin Kaepernick to Superman after the team's Week 1 win against the Dallas Cowboys, but the Carolina Panthers jumped on twitter with their own candidate.

Author:
Extra Mustard
Publish date:
Sep 10, 2014

San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh compared his quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, to Superman after the team's Week 1 win against the Dallas Cowboys, but the Carolina Panthers jumped on Twitter with their own candidate.

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The Superman feud dates to last year's playoff battle between the two teams, when Kaepernick borrowed Cam Newton's signature Man of Steel touchdown celebration.

Hopefully this can be settled in a more civil manner than the Dwight Howard-Shaquille O'Neal Superman battle.

GALLERY: TRADEMARK LOOKS, MOVES IN THE NFL

Trademark Looks, Moves in the NFL

Griffining

Robert Griffin III took little time to live up to the hype that surrounded him as he entered the NFL. Even before he did that, he gave birth to a trademark celebration that spread virally among RGIII fans. After throwing the first touchdown pass of his pro career, Griffin, sitting up on the Superdome turf after getting knocked down on the play, pointed with both hands of outstretched arms. The pose caught fire, as did the quarterback, who won Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Johnny Manziel's "Get Money" pose

Johnny Manziel hasn't even played an exhibition game in the NFL yet and he already has a trademark look, which he made sure to flash at the NFL draft. The "Get Money" pose drew scorn from his haters and simply laughs from his admirers.

Victor Cruz's salsa

What began as a way to note Hispanic Heritage Month and honor his grandmother quickly became among the most defining features of Victor Cruz's game. Since Cruz debuted the dance with his pair of touchdowns against the Eagles in 2011, he has salsaed his way to 19 touchdowns.

Arian Foster's bow

Among the most respectful forms of celebration in the NFL is Arian Foster's bow. Derived from Hindu origins, it is meant to show the Houston Texans running back's respect for the game of football. Maybe Foster is on to something. The football gods have favored his display of respect for the game by giving him 52 opportunities to show it over the past five seasons.

Jim Harbaugh's angry look

The man has been a gift to GIF makers everywhere. Unable to control his rage at times, San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh is not shy about expressing his displeasure with a call or non-call. Flailing arms, flung playcards, spiked headsets and a barrage of language are all par for the course.

Clay Matthews' hair

Clay Matthews is nearly as famous for his long blond mane as he is for his ferocious play. Matthews won the battle of big hair in Super Bowl XLV when his Green Bay Packers beat Troy Polamalu's Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25. Off the field, Matthews parlayed his locks into an endorsement deal with Suave, so apparently it pays to be prodigiously coiffed.

J.J. Watt's salute

When J.J. Watt exploded onto the national scene with a dominant 2012 season, his salutes after sacks became famous thanks to the 20.5 sacks he racked up (not sure how he half-saluted). After Watt won the Defensive Player of the Year Award, Houston Texans fans returned the favor, posting photos saluting Watt for his incredible season.

David Wilson's touchdown flip

The New York Giants running back demonstrated his athleticism by performing a backflip in the end zone after his touchdowns. Although Wilson has been backflipping since he was three, the Giants -- after Ahmad Bradshaw was slowed by an injury -- asked him to spare them a heart attack and stop the flipping. Wilson complied for the remainder of 2012 season.

Bill Belichick's cut-off hoodie

For anywhere from $45-$95, you, too, can buy the right to cut the arms off a brand new Patriots sweatshirt. Naturally, thousands of fans have done exactly that. Belichick's cut-off sweatshirt has become its own cottage industry. There's a special technique to cutting the sleeves, too -- not too high, not too low.

Peyton Manning's forehead

Some people say it has its own gravitational pull. It's a popular topic on football forums. Manning's forehead even has its own Facebook page. But, hey, it's mostly jealousy. That big football brain has to go somewhere, doesn't it?

Aaron Rodgers' title belt

Aaron Rodgers' signature touchdown celebration is a case when imagination met reality. Since becoming the starting quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, Rodgers has celebrated touchdowns by miming putting on a championship belt. The belt celebration became so synonymous with Rodgers' touchdowns that he received his own actual belt, a replica of the World Wrestling Entertainment championship belt, which Clay Matthews put on him while celebrating the Packers' Super Bowl XLV victory.

Alfred Morris' home runs

Born from a promise to Little Leaguers he met during OTAs, Alfred Morris' touchdown celebration has made him the greatest home run slugger in the NFL since Bo Jackson. After meeting some young baseball players at an offseason workout, Morris promised the kids he'd hit a home run for them. The Washington Redskins rookie running back made good on that promise, knocking an imaginary pitch out of the park at FedEx Field after scoring his first touchdown in a preseason game against the Colts. Thirteen more homers followed the during the regular season, giving Morris quite the productive dual-sport rookie season.

Andrew Luck's neck beard

Plenty of players have grown beards whether playoff-related or just because. Andrew Luck's facial hair has become famous for its isolation to just his neck. Although Luck has admitted it's not a great look, he continues to sport the neard (that's shorthand for a neck beard to the non-facial hair experts) in all its straggly glory. As long as Luck continues to get the Colts into the playoffs, Indianapolis fans will likely give him a pass on whatever facial hair he chooses to sport.

Drew Brees' birthmark

Especially after winning the Super Bowl, it's the most recognizable birthmark since Marilyn Monroe's mole. Brees' parents reportedly thought of having the birthmark removed when he was a child, but reconsidered.

Kaepernicking

Colin Kaepernick rose to stardom with his record-setting 181-yard rushing game against the Green Bay Packers in the San Francisco 49ers quarterback's first career postseason start. So of course a trend to commemorate his newly found celebrity quickly followed. The heavily-tattoed Kaepernick kisses a tattoo on his right bicep, a move that launched imitations from 49ers faithful during the team's 2013 postseason run. San Francisco came up one demonstration of the move short in Super Bowl XLVII.

Jared Allen's bomb engineer

Jared Allen leaves a path of destruction behind him wherever he goes in the NFL, and his sack celebration, which mimics an explosion, certainly reflects that.

Wade Phillips' blank look

He's been called "stumbledoofus" and "goofy" and "dumb." His supporters call him, "dumb like a fox," whatever that means. When things go wrong on the field, Phillips gets a trademark confused look on his face that cameras love. His move from Dallas to Houston did nothing to change that confidence-inspiring expression.

Mike Shanahan's stare

You only thought Capt. Quint was talking about a great white when he uttered the famous Jaws line, "He's got lifeless eyes. Black eyes. Like a doll's eyes." He was actually talking about Shanahan.

Maurice Jones-Drew's thighs

He's made the term `thunder thighs' cool. Some say they measure 32 inches in circumference. Some say 34 inches. Some have said as much as 42 (which is a stretch). No matter. When they go pumping down the field, there's no mistaking who it is.

Tom Coughlin's frost-bitten red cheeks

One of these days, Coughlin's cheeks are bound to show up on an injury report. That is, "Coughlin. Red cheeks. Doubtful." Really, now, somebody get this man a muffler and some ear muffs. Come winter games, it hurts to look at him.

Jeff Fisher's mustache

It makes women swoon and adult film stars jealous. Titans fans swore the Fisher 'stache had magical powers before the powers seemed to run out in 2010. Mike Ditka may have had a famous one, but none have been as cool as Fisher's.

Troy Polamalu's locks

Steelers safety Troy Polamalu locks were once covered for $1 million through Lloyds of London. Like his game, his hair hasn't been quite as flashy of late, but in their heyday they were a sight to behold.

Ray Lewis's dance

Every player in the league tries to come up with some kind of something that could compare to Lewis' now-retired fist-pumping, slide-stepping, shoulder-popping trademark "krunk" dance. No one has succeeded. Neither will anyone. Ever.

- Brendan Maloy