QBREES9

What Would Sean Do,

Saints quarterback Drew Brees even said something the other day that seems prime fodder to be abbreviated and turned into the Saints' unofficial battle cry.

Brees said that when he finds himself at certain junctures in a practice, he can literally still hear Payton's voice in his head, and he thinks to himself, "What would Sean do?"

Brees immediately became the most fascinating man in the bounty scandal other than Goodell the minute all the suspended players and coaches disappeared. Until now, Brees' reputation has been unblemished.

But since Bountygate, Brees finds himself finessing two strands in this saga, too: How does he simultaneously wear the white hat while also leading an alleged "outlaw" team that is vowing to embark on a vengeance-fueled run versus the rest of the league?

Tight end Jimmy Graham says Brees is more involved than ever.

Brees recently made some pointed remarks to Sports Illustrated that nobody trusts Goodell.

He's also acknowledged the 2012 Saints have "a chip on our shoulder."

For now, those seem to be a few of the answers the Saints get when they ask themselves W.W.S.D.?

But for the rest of us, there's also this: If Vilma, New Orleans' starting middle linebacker, is indeed being offered a halving of his suspension as ESPN has reported, will he decide it's the best deal he'll get and grab it? Or is his stated goal of clearing his good name non-negotiable?

Either way, Goodell could find himself shoved to a crossroads, too.

If Goodell backs down on his punishment for questionable reasons -- be it to preserve his personal power as commissioner, or to keep the preponderance of the NFL's evidence against the Saints hidden rather than let it come out in a court case -- it will look like principle didn't drive his punishment decisions. Just PR.

Lawyers have a term of art for compromises that warring sides sometimes reach. It's called an "elegant solution." But the phrase won't deserve to apply to this case. What really happened will remain far too murky. And striking an imperfect truce will just look like one more backroom pay-to-play caper heaped atop the rest.

www.sportsshooter.com/johnjcoleman

" Anyone can take a picture Only a Photographer can take a photograph "

sharke

I'd buy that t-shirt

SmashMouth

Indeed!

Mardigras9

That is awesome for this year. Shirts, hats, and bracelets.

TXGSP

That last sentence paints any agreement a very interesting way...

Rugby Saint II

True.........oh, so true!

skymike

agreed. i'd buy the t-shirt.

The Dude

Id tatoo that on my nut sack

QBREES9

Yup I'd like a T-Shirt as well.

mutineer10

Umm ... I'll take one of those t-shirts ...