All I can think of are the Vikings-Saints games where Favre got annihilated. He should have a ring right now fuck the dirty Aints.
I'm not surprised at all. Player safety has always been what Goodell hangs his hat on, how can he fine players for illegal hits regardless of intent and not be much stronger on Coaches who give monetary incentives for deliberate attempts to injure. Especially with the lawsuits coming from former players alleging the league inadequately handled injuries in the past. Beyond that all the other owners (who the commish really works for) are behind him 100% as injuries to their premiere players (especially QBs) is their worst nightmare, it costs them tens of millions if not more. The only people I've seen who seem really upset are the same douchey defensive players who complain about safety measures, but then turn around and bitch about cut blocks and blindside blocks. Anyone reasonable has no interest in seeing other players targeted for dirty hits with intent to injure since what goes around comes around in this league. As to the Saints, I assume GM duties will be handled by one of the assistant GMs, and Payton's duties by one of his assistants likely the OC.
Ever hear of promoting within? Just name either the OC or DC acting coach. Why shouldn't the owner be fined? It's his team, he hired all of them. They were warned multiple times.
Yes, I've heard of promoting within. That has nothing to do with what I said. It's just an awkward situation if you're going to hire a guy and then tell him he only has the job for one year.
Benson was very upset when he was informed in 2010 by the NFL that they were looking into the Saints bounty program. Benson ordered Loomis and Payton to make sure it stopped immediately... Loomis and Payton ignored Benson, who thought that was the end of it.
Then why are you saying hire? It's a interim coaching gig while still keeping your own job, it's a promotion there is no hiring. I doubt the coordinator is going to hate getting NFL coaching experience and the chance to potentially get pay raise and a full-time coaching gig in 2013. As for Benson, he didn't stop it did he? Just because he asked them to stop doesn't absolve him from any punishment since it still happened.
this is an absolute joke of a penalty for something that is really not that big of a deal... yet another thing that goodell is doing that will do nothing but harm the league.
To me it's clear the Saints basically lied about the bounty system and just ignored the league for 3 years. I personally think the penalties fit the offense. The NFL's official announcement http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...ial-announcement-regarding-bounty-discipline/ 3. Coach Williams acknowledged that he designed and implemented the program with the assistance of certain defensive players. He said that he did so after being told by Saints Head Coach Sean Payton that his assignment was to make the defense “nasty.” Coach Williams described his role as overseeing record keeping, defining payout amounts, deciding on who received payouts, and distributing envelopes with cash to players who “earned” rewards. 5. Coach Williams now acknowledges that when he was first questioned about this matter in early 2010 he intentionally misled NFL investigators and made no effort to stop the program after he became aware of the league’s investigation. 6. Coach Williams further confirmed that the program continued during the 2010 and 2011 seasons, and that he occasionally contributed funds to the pool in each of those seasons. 7. Assistant Head Coach/Defense Joe Vitt acknowledged that he was aware of the program in 2009-2011. He admitted that, when interviewed in 2010, he “fabricated the truth” to NFL investigators and denied that any pay-for-performance or bounty program existed at the Saints. 8. Coach Vitt said one of his primary roles was to monitor the activity of Coach Williams. This was based on the direction of Coach Payton, who apparently had less than full confidence in Coach Williams. Despite Coach Vitt’s knowledge of the bounty program, his understanding of the terms “knock-out” and “cart-off,” his witnessing Coach Williams handing out envelopes that he believed to contain cash, and his acknowledgement that the defensive meeting preceding the 2010 NFC Championship Game may have “got out of hand” with respect to Brett Favre, Coach Vitt claimed he never advised either Coach Payton or General Manager Mickey Loomis of the “pay-for-performance/bounty” program. 9. A summary prepared following a Saints preseason game included the statement, “1 Cart-off – Crank up the John Deer (sic) Tractor” in reference to a hit on an opposing player. Similar statements are reflected in prepared documents or slides in connection with other games in multiple seasons. A review of the game films confirms that opposing players were injured on the plays identified in the documents. 10. When interviewed in 2012, Sean Payton claimed to be entirely unaware of the program, a claim contradicted by others. Further, prior to the Saints’ opening game in 2011, Coach Payton received an email from a close associate that stated in part, “PS Greg Williams put me down for $5000 on Rogers (sic).” When shown the email during the course of the investigation, Coach Payton stated that it referred to a “bounty” on Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers. 11. In early 2010, Mr. Loomis advised Coach Payton that the league office was investigating allegations concerning a bounty program. Coach Payton said that he met with his top two defensive assistants, Coach Williams and Coach Vitt, in advance of the interview with league investigators and told them, “Let’s make sure our ducks are in a row.” Remarkably, Coach Payton claimed that he never inquired of Coach Williams and Coach Vitt as to what happened in the interviews, never asked them if a “pay-for-performance” or bounty program was in fact in place, and never gave any instructions to discontinue such a program. 12. In January 2012, prior to the Saints’ first playoff game of the 2011 season, Coach Payton was advised by Mr. Loomis that the league office had reopened the investigation. Coach Payton made a cursory inquiry but took no action to ensure that any bounty program was discontinued. 13. General Manager Mickey Loomis was not present at meetings of the Saints defense at which bounties were discussed and was not aware of bounties being placed on specific players. Mr. Loomis became aware of the allegations regarding a bounty program no later than February 2010 when he was notified of the investigation into the allegations during a meeting with NFL Executive Vice President-Football Operations Ray Anderson. He was directed to ensure that any such program ceased immediately. By his own admission, Mr. Loomis did not do enough to determine if a pay-for-performance/bounty program existed or to end any such program that did exist. 14. Saints owner Tom Benson notified Mr. Loomis in January 2012 prior to the team’s participation in the playoffs that the league’s investigation had been reopened. Mr. Benson reiterated his position that a bounty program was unacceptable and instructed Mr. Loomis to ensure that if a bounty program existed at the Saints it would stop immediately. By his own admission, Mr. Loomis responded to this direction by making only cursory inquiries of Coaches Payton and Williams. He never issued instructions to end the bounty program to either the coaching staff or the players.
From the article above, it also looks like the NFL told them multiple times to stop so to keep on ignoring them is obviously not the right move. I do find it interesting that no teams really complained about the Saints, or the NFL kept the complaints well under wrap so nothing leaked. Also, sounds like the NFL was aware of it and there was no snitch.
We are all homers about spygate but yeah it was worse than this. Especially, since we don't have a clear indication of how long it went on for and how many games/championships cheating helped new England win. Why the tapes were destroyed I will never understand? Also, traveling today, started reading the USA today story about Peyton suspension. In the article it lists every sports crime except for spygate. How New England get off so easy we will never know. Even the writers let them off the hook? Love taking a shot at the Jets locker room and character issues Rex yatty yatty. Meanwhile, Grownkowski getting ripped on the dance floor after super bowl loss, nothing. Fuck you New England! Ya fuckers!
It was obvious he was aware of it anyway (this was not a small thing confined to a few players. Any head coach would know), but this is a head scratcher. He says he's unaware and then during the investigation says an e-mail he was sent referred to a bounty? The first complaint came from Minnesota, after the NFC Championship Game. Minnesota also alleged that the Saints had put a bounty on Kurt Warner earlier in the playoffs.
The Vikings got the ball rolling in 2010 when they told the league they had heard Favre was the target of a bounty in that playoff game. That's when the league started to investigate. At that point Payton told his coaches they needed to have their "ducks in a row" when they were interviewed, and the team claimed there was nothing going on.
And Favre ended up getting hurt that game too, right? It's amazing how much of a good story the Sains and Payton were 2 years ago and now they got themselves in this mess. I can't believe nobody stepped up and said we can do this without money. But I guess the higher paid players didn't care, and the lower paid players could get sizeable amounts of money from going for injuries
:deadskins: Not sure if serious. Carmichael, McGinnis or Spagnuolo will be the head coach this season. They could even go with co-coaches which is something we haven't seen regularly in the NFL in about a half century. I disagree.
