The first four weeks of each season that make little sense (see Buffalo Bills 2011 recap)

Gimmick schemes that work for 6-8 weeks each year and result in the gimmick teams out of the discussion by mid December(see Ronnie Brown running the Wildcat...or that idiot Tebow)

The obvious thin level of talent on the overwhelming majority of teams

Inconsistent play by even middle of the road talent teams

Bad games & bad scheduling virtually every Mon. night, most Sunday late games, and virtually all Sat. night games

The piss poor defense...until every offense has been placed on IR

Inconsistent & bad officiating

Worse broadcasting (especially when sanctimonious types rail against sins against the hallowed game)

Idiot fans

ESPN

Virtually every team guaranteed a national TV game....Cleveland I'm looking at you

The horrendous in game coaching (except for NYG)

Discussion of salary caps/labor peace/...or why an entire season was compromised as a result

_________________
There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.

Caleb Hanie starting games. Curtis Painter starting game.

Other late season matchups featuring 2 back up QB's.

I see why Kreutz took less to play in NO.

Now the ESPN guys are asking if this Taints the Saints SUper Bowl win, and of Course Skip Bayless says it does.

I would say no, as much as the Saints hit Favre, with all the mistakes the Vikings made that game, of the Top 10 Worst Losses in Vikings History, that's Number 1. The Vikings had about 5 turnovers, some big penalties late and if I remember right outgained them by about 200 yards.

this is maybe the biggest non story/story i have ever seen... so i assume not one of you would have a problem if williams was not the one dishing out the cash..what player would make an illegal hit only to get fined 25-50 k to get a 1500 dollar bonus from williams?..none

_________________

Is this really a big deal?

_________________

Yes, ESPN keeps telling me it is so I have to believe them.

_________________
2018
#ExtendLafleur
10 More Wins

I think it is. What if a bounty was put on Derrick Rose and defenders were told that if they knocked him out they'd get money and then someone was intentionally putting their foot in a position where they'd have a chance of Rose coming down and injuring his leg? At most, they'd be risking a foul similar to a tackle being too rough and getting a penalty.

I guess it comes down to how you view sport and whether or not intentional injuries are considered valid strategy. I think it is the duty of all players to not intentionally do things to injure others regardless of how legal or illegal it is. Things can happen but the #1 priority should be making a play to stop the opponent. These bounties changed the equation as the goal became to knock a player out of the game.

_________________
You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

did you type this with a straight face?

_________________

If the play is clean, then there's not really anything to argue. If it's a dirty play, then it should be ruled on properly and suspensions/fines should be handed out. In sports like basketball, it would be very easy to spot things like this. In football, there's definitely some gray areas. Aren't you supposed to hit someone as hard as possible so they get tackled? How do you determine if a hard hit was made to cause injury, or to just make a tackle?

_________________

the goal is to knock the shit out of the opponent in football...retarded to try to compare to basketball

_________________

A dirty play is often ruled that way because of a guess at intent.
If a bounty is paid for injuring someone then you have to assume it was done with the intent to injure. That's why the bounty stuff is an issue.

_________________
You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

I understand, but the goal of the bounty system is to knock a player out of the game so your team has a better chance of winning. If the Pacers can knock Derrick Rose out of the game/series they have a better chance of winning.

_________________
You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Bigger than Roger being all up inside of George's box?

_________________

I still think the whole thing is pretty silly. The NFL is acting like this never went on before in the history of the league. Goddell is just as much at fault as anyone else (if fault is being thrown around), and he’s a moron if he expects us to believe that he had “no idea this sort of thing was going on”.

They aren’t illegal hits (and if they are, then they’re being fined for them)…. So what we’re talking about is completely legal hits as defined by the NFL. With that said, are we to believe that some players are NOT hitting everyone as hard as they can on every play? Doubtful, they hit anyone they see as hard as they physically can on every play because that’s they’re job. Bounty or not. They’re going to hit that guy right in the mouth no matter what.

It’s like all of a sudden football isn’t allowed to be football anymore. Just because there is a spotlight on something that undoubtedly goes on all the time, everyone is all upset. Doesn’t make much sense to me.

You are aware that the bounties were not for hard hits but for physically injuring someone? Those two things are not interchangeable.

_________________
You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

So?

That makes it ok for coaches to encourage and financially reward illegal hits?

Also part of the problem is that some of the $$$ was coming from people outside of the team.

_________________

Would it be any different if the coaches provided something else as an award? Say, free dinners at a fancy restaurant or something?

Are coaches no longer allowed to reward their players for doing their jobs?

Pretty sure all of your examples are illegal. They circumvent the salary cap.

_________________

THAT is definitely an issue, yes. I agree with that. But the act of hitting someone hard enough to knock them out of the game? Happens every down, on every team.

Here's a question for you: didn't the Packers have some agreement among their WR's that for every dropped pass the receiver owed money to the others on the corp?

Does that circumvent the salary cap, too?

I'll ask again. Do you not understand that hard hits are not the issue here? It's that people were making hits with the expressed intent to injure. The strategy was literally to do whatever they could within the rules to knock them out of the game.

The bounties were not for hard hits. They were for injuring someone and players were actively attempting to injure to get them.

_________________
You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

I didn't hear that one, but if they are taking $$$ away for bad play (agreement among players) that would be different than paying them for play outside of their contract.

The NFL has only one course of action here - they can't preach player safety/concussions/etc, and then allow teams to reward players for intentionally injuring other players.

_________________

But isn't that the same thing, though? If a linebacker is paid money from an established pool among players for knocking out the star QB, how is that different from a receiver paying his teammates for a dropped pass?



That is definitely a mixed message, yes. All I'm saying is that these agreements among players undoubtedly happen all the time. I still refuse to believe that Goodell had no idea this sort of thing went on in the locker rooms.

If it's within the rules, then there's nothing wrong. Maybe the rules need to be changed. Should the NFL go to two-hand touch?

Looking at it morally, this whole situation is certainly bad, but if it's within the rules, then what is the problem?

I can agree you can punish a team because it circumvents the salary cap, and they should be punished accordingly for that, but if you knock a player out of the game while following the rules of the game, what is there to punish?

_________________

Exactly. I don't think there is anything shocking about the notion that if a defense takes out the other team's best player, they have a better chance at winning the game.

I'm confused by this.

You agree Williams/team should be punished, that what they did was illegal, but you just want to make sure they are being punished for the illegal stuff and not the legal stuff?

_________________

So you guys think that with money on the line, you arent encouraging players to break the rules and get away with it?

I don't get your argument. Bounties are against the rules so what they are doing wasn't within the rules.
The intent to injure and providing incentives is what is wrong. If this was legal, then there would be injuries all the time. It's actually really easy to injure someone legally in the NFL especially the closer they play to the line.

_________________
You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!