Are You Ready For Some Football?

[girl_dee]

Originally Posted by Julien

What a sad day to be a Saint's fan. I don't know if the suspensions are too harsh or not, but I hope that other teams will be looked at for doing the same thing the Saint's got caught doing. It taints the Super Bowl run of 2009. I am a Saint's fan and am disappointed in Sean Payton and the Saint's organization for letting the bounty system get started in the first place. I am not surprised that Greg Williams got banned from the NFL. My question is what will happen to the players and how can the Saints rebound from their suspensions when they come down. 2012 is the year that the Super Bowl will be played in the New Orleans Superdome. Can the Saints even get there? The Saints need to sign Drew Brees soon so that something good can come from this season. Geaux Saints, bummer.

This whole thing is breaking my heart and i wonder if the Saints were the only team investigated.

[Queerasfck]

Originally Posted by Cajun_dee

This whole thing is breaking my heart and i wonder if the Saints were the only team investigated.

That's a really good question. I think the focus was on the Saints because someone gave the NFL offices the info. The "someone" is rumored to be ex Saint Jeremy Shockey. You may want to check out this article by Peter King of SI. It was written several weeks ago before the league handed out the punishments today.

Some interesting points here by King:

The league said there was an initial investigation, after the 2009 season, into a bounty system led by Williams that could not be corroborated. Then, Goodell said "significant and credible'' new information was forthcoming late in the 2011 season that led to the findings the league acted on Friday. Those conclusions found that Saints players were paid off-the-books incentives for some outstanding performances such as interceptions -- obviously in violation of the league's salary cap -- as well as $1,000 and $1,500 payments for injuring opposing players.


The league, led by director of investigative services Joe Hummel and chief league security officer Jeff Miller, discovered these violations:

• Players pooled their own money to fund the bounty club, and players were paid $1,500 if a foe was knocked out of the game, and $1,000 if an opponent was carted off the field.

• Between 22 and 27 players contributed to the bounty pool over a three-year period, with amounts guaranteed if a certain opposing player was knocked out of the game.

• Ex-Saints Coach Gregg Williams (now defensive coach for Rams) occasionally reached into his own pocket to contribute to the bounty pool.

[The_Lady_Snow]

I just want to express how fucking HAPPY I am that TeBLOW did not end up in Jax!!!

That would of been the straw.....

[Hollylane]

Word...On what Snow said, but insert "Pittsburgh"...

[Cin]

I'm just wondering do people believe that most or even many NFL teams have bounty systems in play that pay players not just for outstanding performances, like interceptions and such, but for actually purposely injuring opposing players and getting them at least knocked out of the game and hopefully carted off the field?

I mean I get extra bucks as incentive for outstanding plays but purposeful injury is a bit much. Maybe I'm just too naive.

[girl_dee]

Originally Posted by Miss Tick

I'm just wondering do people believe that most or even many NFL teams have bounty systems in play that pay players not just for outstanding performances, like interceptions and such, but for actually purposely injuring opposing players and getting them at least knocked out of the game and hopefully carted off the field?

I mean I get extra bucks as incentive for outstanding plays but purposeful injury is a bit much. Maybe I'm just too naive.

i have noticed in games what i felt like was an a attack on a single player.

i always thought it was just me but i know i saw Tom Brady being targeted in one game. If there is a bounty for a players head they sure won't care about a silly roughing the kicker or late hit on the QB.

What is sad is have so many times often though each game was fixed.

[Cin]

Originally Posted by Cajun_dee

i have noticed in games what i felt like was an a attack on a single player.

i always thought it was just me but i know i saw Tom Brady being targeted in one game. If there is a bounty for a players head they sure won't care about a silly roughing the kicker or late hit on the QB.

What is sad is have so many times often though each game was fixed.

I think they do attack a single player. Especially someone like Brady. But that's part of the game. A clean hit is one thing. I mean it's football not golf, people are supposed to hit each other...and hard. But not in ways that are bound to cause injury. Accidents happen, but if you do it on purpose it's no accident. And if somebody is paying you to purposely end someone's season or career then that just sucks. And it's cheating. If you can't beat someone fair and square then I don't care what the score says, you didn't beat them period. Winners never cheat and cheaters never win even when they walk away with the Lombardi Trophy. But then as I said, I'm a bit naive.

About games being fixed, you know I've wondered that sometimes. But logistically I don't think it's possible to fix games. I mean when you consider the only way to keep a secret is not to tell anyone or to kill them immediately after you tell them, something like the entire NFL fixing games would be one hell of a secret to keep. I imagine you can pay off individual refs or even individual players to throw a game, but that's really not a guarantee. And as long as some refs or some players are blissfully unaware the fix is in, the game can end up playing out almost fairly. Especially with instant replay and the red flag. Also I have a hard time imagining that elite athletes like these guys are would want to play fixed games. It's not like they don't make pretty good money already. What would be the motivator?