2012 NFL Season

[Maxx]

Williams being banned for life will send the message to any coordinators, and Payton being banned for a whole year will send the message to head coaches. 5 years is excessive when no coach in modern NFL history has ever been suspended for one game. Fines? They got fined $500,000, Payton loses something like 8 million and they would have lost their first round draft picks, in the next two years, but they don't have any.

[naiwf]

If they really want to punish Sean Payton, just make him work for the Browns.

[Cactus Drags]

The best thing is people trying to justify it by saying "it happens everywhere".

You can only punish the people who are caught, but make an example of them and it might stop others doing it.

Not only would I ban Williams for life, I'd ban Payton and anybody else involved for at least 5 years and fine them to the moon, as well as possible criminal charges.

Don't be stupid.

The "it happens everywhere" bunch probably weren't expecting to find out that Williams was goading players to target specific guys and injuries as that audio that came out this week revealed.

Mike Vick didn't get a lifetime ban for being involved with dog fighting (which is, y'know, actually a crime), Williams won't get a lifetime ban for this. He might essentially be blacklisted, however.

[livid]

That's not a dirty hit. They hit helmets but that doesn't mean it was dirty because he didn't lead with his helmet. There wasnt a flag thrown and he wasn't fined at all.

And come on, are you really implying that nobody on the Saints offense knew about any of this?

Still doesn't make it okay. Were the Saints offensive player out there trying to injure people? No, they weren't. Stop trying to justify eye for an eye.

Make what okay? It was a legal hit, there's nothing to make okay. The 49ers didn know what Williams said, they were just playing as hard as they always do.

Unless you're referring to me but I wasn't justifying anything, just found it amusing that Williams makes this big, sweeping (and despicable, I should clarify how much I hate him now) speech about injuring 49ers and then that happens in the first quarter against a Saints player.

And let's not act as if the offense is entirely unaccountable. Were they targeting players? Maybe not but they were aware of the defensive culture and didn't do anything about it (that we know of, at least) If Payton is accountable, then the entire team is. Obviously not to the extent of some others, but accountable nonetheless and karma came back and bit them....thus amusing.

[Dan]

The best thing is people trying to justify it by saying "it happens everywhere".

You can only punish the people who are caught, but make an example of them and it might stop others doing it.

Not only would I ban Williams for life, I'd ban Payton and anybody else involved for at least 5 years and fine them to the moon, as well as possible criminal charges.

Don't be stupid.

The "it happens everywhere" bunch probably weren't expecting to find out that Williams was goading players to target specific guys and injuries as that audio that came out this week revealed.

Mike Vick didn't get a lifetime ban for being involved with dog fighting (which is, y'know, actually a crime), Williams won't get a lifetime ban for this. He might essentially be blacklisted, however.

Dog fighting has nothing to do with football though.

[Cactus Drags]

I was referring to your criminal charges line.

[Dan]

http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2012-04-06/gregg-williams-saints-audio-recording-bounty-criminal-charges

Hardly "stupid".

[Cactus Drags]

If Todd Bertuzzi couldn't be locked up for assault on Steve Moore, there is no possible charge that should stick to Gregg Williams.

[SeanDMan]

It's a criminal conspiracv with large amounts of money involved. It's both much easier to argue and prove in court and much more of a real world crime as opposed to an on field incident, which courts hesitate to police.

[The Buscher]

A record 26 players have been invited to the NFL draft. Yay for another year of every 1st round pick being shown talking on the phone to the team before the announcement! Takes a lot of the fun out of it.

[gunnar hendershow]

Here's hoping we get the Brady Quinn/Aaron Rodgers round 1 plummet too. That's always compelling TV as they sit there with their family cancelling their celebratory vacation to Rio and instead settling for Orlando, FL.

[Lint]

"Ok everyone...The Bahama's are done. We're off to...Branson!"

[Damian WayLNKe]

I haven't seen a full list, but everyone mentioned in the ESPN article was a Kiper mock draft first round pick...except for Rueben Randle who is slated 50th overall. This could be awkward.

[Dan]

I'd imagine he's getting first round interest.

[The Buscher]

And also they usually send camera crews to the houses of projected 2nd rounders/players with compelling stories. They've always invited the top 5-6 projected players to the draft, and they should have just stuck with that. All of the first round suspense disappears with camera crews everywhere.

[JStarr]

It adds a little more poignancy to the wait when some poor schmuck has to go trundling back to the hotel overnight, eh?

[Cactus Drags]

Preemptive fuck you to everyone; I love the Steelers throwbacks.

[thatshortguy]

I don't mind the new unis one bit.

This is what Bee Girl looks like now, in case you started wondering that like I totally just didn't do.

[Dan]

Preemptive fuck you to everyone; I love the Steelers throwbacks.

I like it too, looks like a rugby kit.

In Jags news Blaine Gabbert has cut his hair:

http://lockerz.com/s/202091814

And a fantastic artcle I just read about him by Pete Prisco.

Really hope the kid can improve over last year, espcially after the lockout last off season, and the fact he went from third choice to starting QB in a matter of 2 weeks, along with him being the youngest player to start 14 games in a season.

[gunnar hendershow]

Ravens schedule is a nightmare this year. Bengals for MNF in Week 1, @ Philly in Week 2, New England on SNF in Week 4, @ Houston in Week 7, @ Pittsburgh on SNF in Week 11, @ San Diego in Week 12, Pittsburgh again in Week 13, then the Manning brothers come to town in Weeks 15 and 16, and finally closing out @ Cincinnati. The entire AFC North fortunately has some tough matchups, Pittsburgh opens at Denver on SNF, has 3 games in 14 days (hosting Philly and then going to Tennessee and Cincinnati), the aforementioned Ravens in Weeks 11 and 13, they also have to go to Dallas and New York. Baltimore technically has the harder schedule, but with the way the road matchups worked out I think both teams have it just about equally.

If they both stay healthy the Week 13 game in Baltimore probably decides the division. I'm looking forward to this year though, much better than the cupcake schedule last year that both teams had.