Pats: Undeniable talent on that team. No question. But you can’t say that you also didn’t have an unfair advantage going into those games.

I have kept my mouth shut during this entire scandal, but remind me again when the Ravens and Packers were “caught running a pay for performance” system? I’ve been a fan of both teams for a while and the only thing I can even construe as remotely regarding “bounties” on either team is that Terrell Suggs jokingly told the media in ’08 that “there’s a bounty out on (Hines) Ward” to which he immediately received a nice letter from the Commish. Get your facts right before making the same kind of accusations you are trying to defend against.
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from NFL.com news:

…After those comments made waves, former Ravens coach Brian Billick confirmed that there had been bounties during his nine seasons leading the team.

“Every team does it,” Billick said on “The Dan Patrick Show.” “Now, to go out and talk publicly about it is about as foolish a thing as I’ve ever heard.”

Billick, who previously denied there were bounties on the Ravens in 2001, recently said that money routinely changes hands among players for great plays and big hits, which is against NFL rules. Billick has not said that the Ravens had any rewards for injuring other players.

In regards to the Packers in 07,

…After the NFL investigated, the league said that the Packers would not be punished and released the following statement: “The club has handled the matter with the players and the incentive pool has been discontinued.”

Great post. Don’t forget the Steelers team doctor in the 1970 injected players with steroids.

And for all those people saying that spygate would have been the difference in either of the Giants Super Bowls, BHA Okay. Show me the playcall for a helmet catch. Show me.

Make sure your team is perfect before you judge another.

I have been a fan of the Saints for a lotta years and I just realized that since the Aaron Brooks era this team has been growing in skill and ability.

The destruction of the Old Dome and most of the city serves as the death, the year spent on the road the burial, and finally coming home to the New Dome and eventually a SUPER BOWL …. the resurrection.

The fact that fans of other teams are so harsh towards the Saints and call them names is funny to me at times because this never use to happen. we were always those loveable losers.

However, now that they are “THAT MAN AT DA DOOR” (ask somebody) the other fans are scared and jealous that for almost a decade this organization has rewritten itself. with no signs of wearing down. uh oh NFL!

As a Saints fan, i’d be more than happy to stand next to the Patriots organization.

Can you imagine how awesome the party would be in New Orleans for the Super Bowl if the Saints and Pats played????

- 68-20 record
- 2 AFC Championships
- 2 Super Bowl Ls- to one of the only teams in the NFL to consistently have the Pats #. I hate it, but yes Eli is our daddy.
- An 11-5 season WITHOUT Tom Brady, only 11 win team to miss playoffs in current playoff format
- Most significantly, a completely rebuilt, inexperienced and inconsistent defense from 2009 on
- Double digit wins every year since 2002

One of these days you naysayers are going to have to acknowledge Video Hunt had no impact on the Patriots success from 2001-2006 and that Belichick and Brady are the greatest coach-QB combo of all time. Clearly there has been no dropoff in consistency since 2007 despite the major defensive dropoff, so give credit where its due or expose yourself as an ill-informed hater.

Paying players to take out or injuring other players is dirty and against the rules. The Saints DC already confessed to it and Payton wants to act like he didn’t know. Yeah right a HC don’t know what his DC and players are doing?

Everyone knows the Patriots where cheating well before the Jets blew the whistle on them. LOL Mangini busted you guys because he used to work for you. He knew damn well what was going on and taped New England cheating and sent it into the commissioner. The Pats got off lightly, at least they where not trying to end players careers like the Saints were doing.

2, the Saints are not the only team or the first team to be found to have a pay for play system. The Packers have been caught and so have the Ravens.

I have kept my mouth shut during this entire scandal, but remind me again when the Ravens and Packers were “caught running a pay for performance” system? I’ve been a fan of both teams for a while and the only thing I can even construe as remotely regarding “bounties” on either team is that Terrell Suggs jokingly told the media in ’08 that “there’s a bounty out on (Hines) Ward” to which he immediately received a nice letter from the Commish. Get your facts right before making the same kind of accusations you are trying to defend against.

Yes but how did this help them on the field, it just like saying I’ll buy you a coke if you sack this guy. If you don’t no coke for you, but if you get him hey a free coke nice. Sure you are violating the salary cap, but do you really think a $1000 is worth anything to these guys who make millions. If you do and think that is cheating or giving the Saints an unfair advantage then you have been drinking the kool-aid, because that is what all this is about. The Saints did not try to injure any oposing players.

It was nice to skip all the infighting for once and just get choked up, teary, and sentimental over the game. Thanks, Mike.

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that 10,000 dollar payment was “allegedly” coming from the players, therefore NOT a salary cap violation. and that was the most extreme accusation.

Fine, if it was a salary cap violation then teams are fined. draft picks are not taken away, and coaches and players are not suspended. I didn’t hear anyone calling the cowboys and skins cheaters when they were fined for going over the salary cap.

Do you really think “under the table bonus payments” have an impact on the salary cap?Seriously? We’re talking peanuts here. $1,500 to a guy who makes $2 million a year is the same as $37 for a guy making $50,000. Peanuts.

Despite the fact that Goodell has no evidence of illegal hits or payments for illegal hits, the penalties were assessed because of a “bounty system” and NOT a pay for performance system.
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For an undrafted rookie making the league minimum of $250K/year, Vilma’s $10,000 bounty on Brett Favre would account for 4% of that players salary for one hit. Pretty motivating pay increase for a 22 year old kid who came from nothing and is dying to pull up to his old neighborhood in a Benz. The point of my post was to explain to the original poster that there was an element of “cheating” in BountyGate. Cheating the salary cap, and cheating the CBA that prevents this type of pay-for-injury program As spygate has shown, the Patriots BROKE A RULE which everyone wants to say was “cheating” so what’s good for the goose is good for the gander.