Comments on: Goodell sends “strong and lasting message” via discipline of Saints

By: tdk24

tdk24 — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 22:55:37 +0000

“mgfred says:
Mar 21, 2012 1:53 PM
For anybody thinking this is too harsh….
Kurt Warner had his career ended.
Bret Favre was physically ruined by this.
There’s players that in the future will have their quality of life diminished by these practices.
Football is a tough and sometimes cruel sport, what has happened here crossed the line and has become criminal behaviour.
Nobody wins in this, as football fans we have all lost………”

1. they were both old as hell and can’t play forever.
2. get a better offensive line.

By: MossMoon2Packers

MossMoon2Packers — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 22:44:55 +0000

As a Vikings fan, you can call me biased, but I think it would be fair for the Saints to forfeit a future 1st round pick to the Vikings, because it’s pretty safe to say that, with a non-targeted, non-cheap-shotted Favre at QB, the Vikings would have won the 2009 NFC CG. After all, the Saints directly benefitted, and the Vikings directly suffered, from the cheap shots on Favre.

Also, the refs — Pete Morelli & Co. — should have been fired on the spot after their disgracefully incompetent or biased officiating of that game.

By: hairpie

hairpie — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 22:36:04 +0000

theandy59 says: Mar 21, 2012 3:14 PM

I know this is a waste of time but here goes anyhow. I want one of you knuckleheads to explain, in specifics, how the Patriots gained competitive in-game advantages using video-taped signals. I want you to explain the mechanics, not just make stupid, blind comments like “they knew all the plays”. Tell me how, in-game, any information gleaned from video taping could ever be used in the game going on. (By the way, the fact that they did it is not evidence of it’s value. If you know Belichick at all, you’d know that they practice situations that may come up once all season long – but if it does, they’re prepared. That’s the Belichick way.) And also be aware that stealing signals is not illegal – using a camera from unauthorized locations is, which is what New England was guilty of. Period.

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I’ve posted this for 5 years. Not one hater has been able to answer.

By: hairpie

hairpie — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 22:33:39 +0000

wtfpft says: Mar 21, 2012 4:45 PM

“how did taping 6 plays of a Jets game in 2007 help the Pats wil any Super Bowls since they preceded that date? The rule about taping wasnt enforced until the 2007. That doesnt make sense.”

Yeah the time they got caught was the first time they ever filmed anything i’m sure, how naive are you? You seriously think they only filmed 6 plays and that’s it???
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the rule wasnt enforced until 2007 thats why the memo was sent out to ALL teams to stop. How can some of you “fans” expect to carry on a conversation if you are so incredibly uninformed.

By: devikesfan

devikesfan — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 20:49:00 +0000

What’s the Patriots did isn’t even close to what the Taints did.
There’s a HUGE difference between misplacing a camera, and putting out contracts to intentionally injure opposing players.
The Pats got hammered for what they did. The Taints need to get hammered FAR worse.
So far, it looks like the punishment is fitting…

By: wtfpft

wtfpft — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 20:45:03 +0000

“how did taping 6 plays of a Jets game in 2007 help the Pats wil any Super Bowls since they preceded that date? The rule about taping wasnt enforced until the 2007. That doesnt make sense.”

Yeah the time they got caught was the first time they ever filmed anything i’m sure, how naive are you? You seriously think they only filmed 6 plays and that’s it???

By: tsenator

tsenator — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 20:09:36 +0000

Not even really a Saints Fan — but this is kind of BS. 1 year !? While The Belicheck Pats cheated for Years and didn’t even miss a day off – just a fine (which Kraft can just pay by giving Belicheck a new contract and raise). Its apparent that Goodell has different standards/rules for his “favorite” franchises like NE. These guys were doing what every football player does – try and knock the snot out of the opposing player — penalize the Saints yes – but this is excessive

By: crip2nite

crip2nite — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 19:58:22 +0000

Oops sorry folks I meant– What is better…?

A frugal owner that is attracted by the bargain he can get for a pretty good player, but may have some “off the field issues”

or,

a team /organization that cheats the NFL by intentionally injuring key offensive players of opposing teams?

Thumbs up for bargain chasing (Bengals)

Thumbs down for cheating (Saints)

By: bigjdve

bigjdve — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 19:55:31 +0000

I want to know what James Harrison has to say now.

If he is smart, he won’t say anything.

By: howiegtr

howiegtr — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 19:48:29 +0000

I’m sorry but Spygate is way worse than what the Saints did and the Pats got off easy compared to this. The NFL is saying that it’s ok to video tape your opponents closed practices before a superbowl to gain a competitive edge, but it’s not ok to play the game at full speed and giving it your all? So now any time some player get’s hurt, you know, playing football, there will be an NFL investigation into whether or not there is a bounty on said player?
The Saints should protest this by only playing their home games this year
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Really? What do you think is worse? I beat you in a game of cards by seeing your hand or I purposely break your legs so I can see your cards. Don’t be a moron.

By: crip2nite

crip2nite — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 19:42:48 +0000

So to vote, what’s worse…?

A team /organization that cheats the NFL by intentionally injuring key offensive players of opposing teams

or,

a frugal owner that is attracted by the bargain he can get for a pretty good player, but may have some “off the field issues”?

Thumbs down for cheating (Saints)

Thumbs up for bargain chasing (Bengals)

By: footballfan292

footballfan292 — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 19:27:31 +0000

The reason Belichick’s was much less was:
1. Did not involve player safety.
2. HE DIDN’T LIE TO THE LEAGUE! When confronted Belichick admitted what he did. The whole Saints organization lied for 3 years. It was like a conspiracy for nobody to say anything. One league official said it was ran “like the Nixon White House.”

By: theandy59

theandy59 — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 19:14:13 +0000

By: hairpie

hairpie — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 19:13:49 +0000

fsf7 says:
Mar 21, 2012 3:03 PM
wtfpft says:Mar 21, 2012 1:25 PM

Yet cheating is okay, you’ll just be fined
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Goodell doesn’t care as much about competitive advantage as he does image, marketing & advertising and fear of future lawsuits.

Examples:
Suspend a man not accused of sexual assault but never charged with a crime 4 to 6 games because he is he profile while another is arrested for sexual assualt, charged, taken to trial but because he is not a high profile guy and the media does not follow – he is ignored.

The Broncos manipulated the Salary Cap to win 2 Super Bowls
The 49ers manipulated the Salary Cap to win 1 Super Bowl
The Patriots used illegal video taping practices to tape opponents signals to win 3 Super Bowls
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how did taping 6 plays of a Jets game in 2007 help the Pats wil any Super Bowls since they preceded that date? The rule about taping wasnt enforced until the 2007. That doesnt make sense.

By: encroachmentor

encroachmentor — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 19:08:31 +0000

Funny how all the Saints haters seem to forget that the Saints were two minutes away from playing for the NFC Championship last season with a bad defense. It’s the defensive players that are probably going to be suspended, not the offense. Drew is going to get a contract before the season and Carmichael does just as good a job calling plays.

By: fsf7

fsf7 — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 19:03:45 +0000

wtfpft says:Mar 21, 2012 1:25 PM

Yet cheating is okay, you’ll just be fined
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Goodell doesn’t care as much about competitive advantage as he does image, marketing & advertising and fear of future lawsuits.

No one was suspended, only fines and draft picks.

But the Saints have bounty program which has been around NFL for years. Ravens were caught with it in 2008, and Mendenhall who was on their bounty list, was injured for season. No penalty.

However, because there are lawsuits pending against the league about concussions, the Saints pay the price.

That’s the reality.

By: managod777

managod777 — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 19:01:47 +0000

Goodell is nothing but a dishonest hypocritical bag man for the owners. All I have to say is this…Since the NFL “knew” the Saints had this going on 2 years ago, why was there no punishment done then? You mean, Goodell knew the Saints were purposefully trying to hurt other players and you NEVER check them out to ensure the protection of the players he cares sooo much for, for 2 years? All this amounts to is grandstanding because the NFL, on his watch, is going to field the most lawsuits of former players any sport has ever seen…so I wonder how Goodell is going to improve investigative abilities, since they apparently lack severely…Goodell is a phony a** and it seems very obvious to me…this isn’t about player safety, it’s about NFL liability!!!!

By: drewsylvania

drewsylvania — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 18:57:39 +0000

Also: “See that horse over there? We’ve beaten it around 1.5 billion times. But a few years ago we saw some evidence it might still be alive, so we’ve scheduled another decade of whippings.”

By: drewsylvania

drewsylvania — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 18:54:18 +0000

So, if you’re scoring at home:

Saints fans: Our bleep don’t stink.

By: hairpie

hairpie — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 18:53:51 +0000

fsf7 says:
Mar 21, 2012 2:47 PM
hairpie says:Mar 21, 2012 1:27 PM

Karma about the SB in the Dome. Same karma that hit the lying and cheating Colts last year.

Just proves how completely overblown Spygate was. As most reasonable fans already know.
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hairpie definition of “most reasonable fans” = New England Patriots fans.

Lying and Cheating? Colts manipulate crowd noise. Patriots tape opponents signals via specialized hidden cameras for 7 years to obtain competitive advantage.
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This should read Colts manipulate crowd noise to gain unfair competitive advantage over visiting teams while Pats tape 23 seconds of a Jets game in plain view of 70,000 people.

By: ken1313

ken1313 — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 18:53:12 +0000

This just in……….. John Lennon assassinated by Mark David Chapman………some clueless NFL fans are seeking punishment for John Doe…..claiming his punishment for a Central Park purse snatching incident…was not severe enough.

IDIOTS

By: doubleogator

doubleogator — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 18:52:45 +0000

Goodell made the Saints a scapegoat, and turned a blind eye by not taking it a step further by investigating other teams….Oh, I forgot, they’ll be on an honor system and sign something saying they play fair….right!!

By: sg419

sg419 — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 18:51:51 +0000

The Message being sent:
Filming offense and defensive signals is ok
A bounty program that didn’t hurt anyone not ok

By: ken1313

ken1313 — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 18:50:00 +0000

Lying and Cheating? Colts manipulate crowd noise. Patriots tape opponents signals via specialized hidden cameras for 7 years to obtain competitive advantage.
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I love how these putzes keep changing the story…..no hidden cameras Einstein…..the cameraman was on the field with PERMISSION to record …..he just recorded the coaches along with the scoreboard and players………you really should read up on this….because you seem to be either making it up as you go…or you just don’t want to understand the truth.
Either way…you look like an idiot every time you speak about it

By: rocketdogsports

rocketdogsports — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 18:50:00 +0000

Good and proper move from Commissioner Goodell. I applaud his actions to protect the integrity of the game.

By: coolzog

coolzog — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 18:49:28 +0000

I guess Sean Payton has some time to heal his ACL then…

By: tobiasjodter

tobiasjodter — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 18:49:11 +0000

I know I am in the minority but I think this punishment is way too severe. I believe the NFL and the media had a pretty good idea of what was going on and looked the other way. Now all of a sudden it’s a big deal. Did I read anything about the Redskins getting any punishment?

By: pmars64

pmars64 — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 18:48:48 +0000

As a Saints fan, I’m biased, of course, but this reeks of hypocrisy. Football is a violent sport played by, coached by, owned by, and managed by violent people. It’s the nature of the game itself. Bounties are as old as the league itself and players are coached that if they can get an opposing star player out of a game, then do it. Every team in every league does this. And the NFL has made a lot of money from its violence. Vicious hits are cheered by fans and get the heart pumping. ESPN will replay nasty hits all the time and it helps them rake in increased advertising dollars.

What this is really about is PR and money. The league still wants an 18 game season and it would be a lot harder to sell it to the fans if the bounty issue was still alive and well. If the league was really serious about player safety, they should increase player and coach suspensions for some of those obvious hits and head-first launchings. Why aren’t there automatic game suspensions, and multi-game suspensions, when a player launches or makes an obvious attempt to injure? This happens in virtually every game. Why aren’t coaches suspended when players do this? This would put a stop to some of the violence right away.

Why doesn’t the NFL take care of players and provide life-time health coverage and increase retirement benefits 10-fold for former players? Why did the Goodell and the owners stage a lock-out if they cared so much about players? But they really don’t care. All the NFL cares about is perception – PR – because bad PR hurts profits.

Do I want players to get hurt? No, but I’m not above being glad if the QB for the other team goes down. I’m not a violent man. I don’t believe in guns and I believe wars are about nothing but 1% greed. I feel bad when I watch a game from 25 years ago and see that half a dozen of those starts are now dead. But I still love the game and I can appreciate a good hit, especially when it helps my team. And I yell when the other team does it to my team. But to make an example of the Saints at this time, when bounties and inflicting injuries to gain an advantage has been part of the game since the beginning is hypocritical. It’s not about protecting players. It’s about protecting profits. It’s always about protecting profits.

By: fsf7

fsf7 — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 18:47:11 +0000

hairpie says:Mar 21, 2012 1:27 PM

Karma about the SB in the Dome. Same karma that hit the lying and cheating Colts last year.

Just proves how completely overblown Spygate was. As most reasonable fans already know.
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hairpie definition of “most reasonable fans” = New England Patriots fans.

Lying and Cheating? Colts manipulate crowd noise. Patriots tape opponents signals via specialized hidden cameras for 7 years to obtain competitive advantage.

Spygate overblown? It’s clear you have no idea what this is all about. Quick clue – its not about competitive advantage, its about preventing future lawsuits.

Karma?

Patriots – lost a chance at the greatest season in NFL history – 19-0, after a miracle play and then Tom Brady tears his ACL in first game of 2008.

Colts – have the #1 pick and will be able to replace their 36 year old legend QB with the most prized QB prospect since John Elway.

Patriots fans are delusional and trying to use this to justify 3 Super Bowls they won but obviously did not earn.

By: vtopa

vtopa — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 18:44:10 +0000

How can the NFL claim to have parity if they compltely hamstring one of their 32 teams like this. Talk about harming your own product. Suspending Payton a whole year handicaps them and makes a mockery of the competitiveness illusion in the NFL. Goddell is an idiot.