Teams Combat NFL's Stupid GIF/Video Policy with Crappy Puppet-Aided Recreations

EXCLUSIVE highlight of Malcolm's pick. #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/AiP7FYe3Nf
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) October 16, 2016

Not long after defensive back Malcolm Jenkins of the Philadelphia Eagles scored a pick six in the second quarter of Sunday's game, the team's social media unit got creative in posting a highlight of the play to Twitter. Unwilling to risk a certain fine by the NFL—which for some reason is cracking down on league members that post "unauthorized" highlights to their social media accounts—the Eagles re-created a "replay" GIF of Jenkins interception and score against Washington's Kirk Cousins.

The re-creation appears to be a tabletop football game of some sort with a little puppeteering work to show the flight of the eventually-picked-off football. Not long after the Eagles posted Jenkins' play, the Cleveland Browns' staff did them one better by showing a recreated highlight of Terrelle Pryor scoring a touchdown:

TOUCHDOWN BROWNS! pic.twitter.com/RjRt9DVlpB
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) October 16, 2016

"Bravo," the first comment said, if this is your way of trolling commissioner Roger Goodell.

To bring home the action, the Browns used Electric Football, a game where electricity, magnetism, vibration, and imagination coalesce; the game was invented by Norman Sas in 1947, which coincidentally is also where and when the NFL's head is at in terms of rationing its internet highlights. The league does authorize highlights it chooses, sometimes while games are still going on, but it keeps control at the league level, whether for reasons of protecting falling TV ratings, corporate paranoia, or just generally being the short-sighted league we all know and love. As placeholders on the internet, teams have resorted to showing graphics like this:

Dee Ford with the strip sack and @TambaHali91 recovers the fumble. #KCvsOAK pic.twitter.com/SonkMKV5fB
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) October 16, 2016

Most of the GIFs aren't even that sophisticated:

Howard with the 1st down across midfield.#JAXvsCHI pic.twitter.com/wFbDIrxx5X
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) October 16, 2016

Riveting.

It appears that the Eagles and Browns are the only teams who took the extra step of making a special animated film in order to re-create their highlights. It's uncertain if the league will censure the Eagles or Browns for their apparent GIF trolling. Here's hoping the home movie-looking simulations, in the long run, get the league to change its mind.

Also the Eagles lost to Washington 27-20 and the Browns lost to the Titans 28-26.