For all those who think that Chad, T.O. and Plaxico invented wacky wideout syndrome, think again.

It goes back 73 years, long before television and the Internet could show every move, dance, popcorn throw and sharpie signing. And two decades before rock 'n roll, which prompted Chad Johnson Ocho Cinco (and other names) to say of receivers: "We're the rock stars of the NFL."

The original (somewhat) wacky wideout was Don Hutson, by far the best receiver of the NFL's Paleozoic Era. His 488 receptions in an 11-season career that ended in 1945 were 200 more than anyone else in that era and he invented routes that are still used today, including the out-and-up.

But he wasn't your conventional football player.

In 1935, when Hutson came out of Alabama there was no draft. And no agents. And, apparently, no real rules.

So when a scout from the Green Bay Packers approached him with a contract, he signed it. Then he did the same when a scout arrived from the Brooklyn Dodgers, apparently figuring that two paychecks were better than one at a time when NFL salaries barely reached four figures a season.

When the contracts arrived in the NFL office, there was considerable head scratching. The league president, a man named Joe Carr, made the only logical decision: The Packers' contract was postmarked 8:30 a.m., while the one with the Dodgers was postmarked at 8:47 the same day.

Hutson was a Packer.

Not everyone who catches the ball in the NFL these days is wacky. In fact, the ones that act out are a decided minority.

There are plenty of classy receivers without ego. The best ever, Jerry Rice, never posed for cameras or acted up. Pittsburgh's Hines Ward, the MVP of the 2006 Super Bowl, is known for his work ethic and lineman-like blocking.

The conventional theory about why receivers are individualistic is that they often are separated from their teammates when they line up. And because they need someone else — usually the quarterback — to make sure they get the ball.

The first chronicled showboating by a wide receiver was by Elmo Wright, who did a jig after scoring a touchdown. He played in the NFL from 1971-76.

But the more remembered end-zone dance was by Billy "White Shoes" Johnson, who entered the league in 1974 and played 14 years, many of them as a punt returner.

The shoes, obviously, were his trademark and when he scored, he would hold the ball high in the air, roll it up his arm and then down his neck.

Johnson and Wright, however, never caused much trouble for their coaches.

The same can't be said for some of the current showboats — all in different ways.

Burress, for example, does nothing untoward on the field, played all of last season on
a sore ankle and still caught 70 passes for
12 TDs in the regular season, then the Super Bowl-winning touchdown pass for the Giants. But he also has been fined a reported 40 to 50 times by coach Tom Coughlin for various infractions during his four years in New York, and was suspended one game this year for failing to show up on the first day of the team's bye week.

Moss, now a solid citizen with the Patriots, was known in Minnesota for saying "I play when I feel like it," and walking into the locker room before games ended.

Owens, who always has played hard on the field, left San Francisco after squabbling incessantly with coach Steve Mariucci, offensive coordinator Greg Knapp and Garcia. He played brilliantly, but the trouble prompted the 49ers to trade him to Philadelphia.

He helped the Eagles get to a Super Bowl, coming back from a severe ankle injury to catch nine passes for 122 yards in the big game.

But the next year, he feuded with coach Andy Reid and McNabb and ended up suspended by Reid for the season's final nine games. He signed with Dallas in 2006 and now acts as "team spokesman" on a dysfunctional underachieving squad.

And finally "Chad," who has pulled a variety of "look at me" stunts, including kissing coach Marvin Lewis twice this season, the second time last week when the Bengals won their first game of the season.

For those who think the trend will end ...

In Philadelphia's game with Dallas, rookie DeSean Jackson pulled a Chad, dropping the ball at the 2-yard line as he was about to score on a long pass play. Fortunately for the Eagles, one of his teammates recovered and they went on to score.

And then there's Brandon Marshall, who caught 102 passes for Denver in his second season last year and has 57 more this year despite being suspended for the first game by the league for off-field problems.

Last week, he got into a trash talk contest in a loss to Miami with Joey Porter, the Dolphins' linebacker with the mouth of a wide receiver.

"He's definitely one of those guys who all those muscles are popcorn muscles. He's soft," Marshall said of the man who leads the NFL with 111/2 sacks.




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