TheOak

Lets step back and look at rewards for performance in football, a few comparisons and questions to make you think.

PeeWee, High School and college football dole out stickers for "good plays".
No biggie I am sure but it is still a reward system for a good tackle.

Whats a "good tackle"? Ill bet Bear Bryant and Vince Lombardi would say one which leaves the opponents teeth on the ground....

How would Al Davis define a good tackle? Some people are discussing "dirty hits".... Think again about Al Davis's Raiders..... Didnt the NFL praise him for his accomplishments after he passed?

Nearly 90% (except our Defense.... we know how they tackle) of all tackles at the pro level are made with 100% effort. How would $5k make someone tackle harder than 100%?

So what is the real problem here? Or is there one?

Too physical?
No one puts someone 6'7' 350 lbs on the line of scrimmage and says "do not hurt the quarterback. Fundamentally the NFL is built on crushing the opponent. They pay them for this.

Pay for performance?
See previous statement.... They get paid to crush the opponent.

Is it the issue that monetary gains can cause someone to go above and beyond 100%? This is the most interesting issue for me. While the media is trying to crucify the Saints and GW, aren't they the biggest culprits in all of this? What would motivate someone to try and knock the helmet off of an opponent more... $10k or making the highlight reel on all the sports channels? Make enough highlight reels and you'll sooner or later see an endorsement worth possibly millions. Maybe make the cover of a video game?

Wasn't the issue last summer GW and doling out meds? Seems every year since our Super Bowl we are getting slammed for some thing everyone else does.

Lets face reality. The New Orleans Saints have now become the "persona-non-grata" of the NFL. Because we did what everyone said we couldn't do.... Our QB is more productive than theirs.

Ill bet nearly 95% of all locker room pregame speeches ends with something along the lines of " now lets go out there and kick their azz". Should ALL coaches be fired or fined for promoting violence that could cause a player to get injured?

FinSaint

There's a difference in principle and practice from the perspective of the NFL when it comes to actually handing out monetary rewards for intentionally injuring an opposing player, and for handing out extra rewards to players in general.

The Saints apparently wrote it all down, which makes them more stupid than the rest of the teams in the league, and that is why they're now being targeted for this practice that violates NFL rules.

To me it's really as simple as that really.

TheOak

Rewarding intentionally hurting someone goes back to leather helmets and no face-masks.

I agree a hard copy was pretty f-in stupid.

Who was the last player we actually put out of the game?

Danno

Its a high five with a few hundred dollars exchanged.

Off-season sensationalism targeting the uninformed.

FinSaint

From the NFL standpoint it doesn't matter whether or not players were actually injured because of this "pay for performance" system, the intent behind it is enough, and its existence in itself violates NFL and NFLPA rules.

No amount of history or tradition can change that fact.

Rugby Saint II

Writing it down??? Documentation???? It doesn't sound at all like my FO, which we all know has a tendency to push the envelope. Our Brain trust is smart and efficient. Gamblers? Yes. But down right stupid? NO!
EDIT: I forgot about Williams..........dang!!!!!!!!!!

TheOak

Redskins coach George Allen had a bounty on Cowboys QB Roger Staubach, former player says | HamptonRoads.com | PilotOnline.com

Lets shut the whole NFL down, and fine everyone who has played since 1974.

$200 bounty on Starbach.

Where is the reality people?

Cruize

It's all about the Benjamins!

QBREES9

Yup it is. He has his ring now he wants his money ! Suckers !!!!!

alleycat_126

What we fail to realize is this a billion dollar business, built on a subculture of violence yes, but not a subculture of premeditated vigilante violence ( Big difference ) Everything they do to the Saints now is for the greater good in their eyes. To protect themselves from further harm. Here's what they don't want. They don't want former players filing lawsuit siting the fact that their careers were cut short because they were the victim of bounties.