5 Quick Thoughts on the Saints Bounty Scandal
- The punishments from Bounty Gate are very harsh, but Sean Payton got his just desserts. Yes, the Commish threw down the hammer in ways few imagined last week, ways that absolutely pain this loyal Saints fan. But Payton & co. had a Get Out of Jail Free card they refused to exercise two years ago. What better way to take advantage of a gimme warning from the NFL than to lie flagrantly and perpetuate a foolish system that clearly had little impact on defensive performance beyond 2009?
- There are underlying motives for the Saints' punishment beyond player safety. I don't doubt for a second that Commissioner Goodell's bounty sanctions are a reflection of the league's priority on player safety and, in part, a jab at what Goodell has termed Payton's arrogance. But I also suspect that the unprecedented severity of the sanctions is also the NFL's way of [hopefully] mitigating potential lawsuits and a public demand for deeper investigations into other teams' locker room pay practices. By making an example of the Saints' follies, the team may be atoning for potential further public or player outcry.
- Payton's ACL hiatus last season will be a good window into this season's expectations. Et tu, Jimmy Graham? He might have brought on the nastiest injury of any Saints player when he accidentally took out Coach Payton during the first half against the Buccaneers last season. The team was left almost entirely to the devices of Pete Carmichael and Joe Vitt in his absence and fared okay minus one inexplicable loss to the St. Louis Rams. Unless this Parcells rumor shakes out, we can probably expect a 9-7 season, give or take, with the possibility of a Wild Card appearance. Having Curtis Lofton around makes me feel a little better though...
- Drew Brees needs to get paid now, especially since he'll be coaching the team. Yes, as many have pointed out since the Bounty story broke, all of the cards are in Drew Brees' hand for negotiating a long-term deal now. Given that Mickey Loomis has a lot more cement in his head than many of us realized, I'm not nearly as confident that he'll do what is necessary to keep the Saints' best asset around past this year. But if he does, it is Pay Day.
- The Super Bowl home team curse [apparently] continues. 46 years into this thing, not one of the NFL's 32 teams has been able to secure a Super Bowl bid in their home stadium despite many promising opportunities. One need only look to Peyton Manning's perfect attendance (and neck stability) disintegrating last year, or the dumb Cowboys' immediate performance collapse two years ago to see a shadow might be cast on the Super Dome this year, just as the Saints seemed to be finding their peak offensively speaking and looking for a home team spot in XLVII. Economic conspiracy for tourism dollars? Probably not, but sucks just the same.
3 Quick Thoughts in Other NFL News, QB Edition
- I shudder to think what Mark Sanchez is going to "teach" Tim Tebow about quarterbacking in New York. Talk about the blind leading the blind.
- Peyton Manning's move to Denver is a big gamble on the Broncos' part. $96 million to a 38-year-old quarterback with known serious injury risks? Even if only a quarter of it is guaranteed money, I don't see Manning having a Favre-esque comeback in Mile High. Shoulda come home to Tennessee.
- Prediction: Alex Smith is going to slump with his fat contract. There's a great Freakonomics bit on the NFL Network about declining player performance following big long term contracts. Given how much of a jealous cry baby Smith was when San Francisco started flirting with Manning, I'm guessing he's heading for a corresponding pout-fest on the field in 2012.
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