The 11 games was all about the money. That gives him six games and the year counts toward his contract term.

https://twitter.com/FO_ASchatz/statu...00578726617089

That just proves this was very premeditated on Roger Goodell’s part. He set it up so the exact length of suspension Watson would have to accept resulted in a last minute settlement of Watson not facing the Saints most important rival and only facing the Saints. He could have scheduled Tampa week 13. He could have put the Browns bye later. He could have scheduled the Saints week 10. He could have refuses to settle and instead suspended Watson for the season. He did none of these things. He never wanted a year suspension, that was all show. The victims dont matter to Goodell any more than his own victims matter to him when he is digging shallow graves. What matters to him is the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to him with his clothes on, being overruled by the evidence when he allowed a truly neutral judge in Paul Tagliaboue to get overrule his bountygate suspensions. There is no way all this comes to an 11 game supension with Tampa the 11th game, a few games of action to warm up, and then Watson at full speed against the Saints, unless Goodell planned it this way from the start.

Goodell doesn't make the schedule. There's a whole team of analysts with a computer simulation that generates workable schedules based upon venue availability and other factors. After weeks worth of simulations they narrow the choices down to a couple of possibilities. Even at that point they have a favorite and it is then blessed by Goodell after seeing it for the first time. There's a whole documentary covering the entire process that I am sure you can find via Google.

Apparently even with the distractions of the extensive soundproofing of his basement and his efforts to revive Jerry Sandusky's charitable foundation, Roger Goodell still had time to think of new ways to screw the Saints. There has never been an 11 game suspension in the history of the nfl. Its an odd number and makes no sense. But who is Cleveland’s 11th game against, post bye, week 12? Tampa Bay and Tom Brady! So Watson misses games against Atlanta, Carolina, and Tampa Bay, then plays against the Saints! Clearly it was no accident that Roger Goodell put the Saints last in their division on the Browns schedule, but making sure he only played against the Saints was no easy task. Has he been suspended all season there would be no way to particularly harm the Saints. Had be been suspended 10 games or less he would have played Tampa too. But had the settlement offer been 12 games or more he might have refused and ended up suspended all season or only 6-10 games. So 11 games was a specific message to the Saints. I hope one of the kids escapes and points the cops to Goodell’s house!

Gotta screw the Saints when you can.

With the way Watson looked in last week's game, not letting our NFC South opponents face him would be a good thing. He looked like total crap.