NFL Football - 2012 Season Thread

[demonbinder]

And curse that player with a season ending injury? I weep for that player.

If it was last year I would agree. I'm hoping that the new admin will do better. WR in FA and OL in draft.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Holy crap! News is coming out today that when Gregg Williams was D.C. for the Saints, had a bounty program on other teams' players.

From Adam Schefter:

NFL security determined between 22 and 27 defensive players on the Saints, as well as at least one asst. coach, maintained a bounty program. Investigation reviewed 18.000 documents totaling more than 50,000 pages. Commissioner Goodell will determine the discipline. NFL determined that former Saints DC Gregg Williams administered the program with knowledge of other defensive coaches. Discipline for the Saints could include fines, suspensions and forfeiture of draft choices." (pieced together tweets)

[EPW]

I think that calls for a season long suspension for the players and a lifetime ban for Gregg Williams...Send a message that that won't be tolerated.

[Al B. Sure!]

The Eagles did this under Buddy Ryan. Why is this a problem now?

[Imran Siddiqui]

The world has evolved since those days. It is not tolerated anymore.

Just because the Eagles & Buddy Ryan were scumbags who paid players to hurt opposing players that doesn't mean the rest of us have to be.

[Al B. Sure!]

I'm opposed to intentionally injuring players and rewarding players for doing so, obviously, but I wonder how prevalent this is and what took the league so long?

Interestingly enough, Gregg Williams is now the DC of the Rams... under head coach Jeff Fisher. That's going to be one nasty defense.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Depends on how long Williams is suspended. If the Rams don't fire him, of course.

[SlowwHand]

Farrior joins Ward at the soup line.

[-Jrabbit]

Williams was DC at Washington before New Orleans.

This is going to be wide-ranging and nasty. Goodell is on a crusade for player safety, and this is just the excuse he needs to drive home his point.

Williams has basically admitted it went on. He will certainly be heavily suspended, and may be out of the league for life.
Saints? Looks like the GM and Coach Payton were aware. If so, the punishment could be as big as the Patriots spygate.

opcorn:

[H Tower]

The fallout from spygate was 750K in fines and a forfieted 1st round pick. Only the draft pick really matters. Less than a million bucks is peanuts to a team.

[Al B. Sure!]

Yeah the Pats got off lightly from spygate.

Where else this could be problematic for the Saints is in resigning Brees, Colston, and G Carl Nicks. I think this gives those guys a little leverage, at least in public perception.

[-Jrabbit]

Saints don't have a 2012 first-rounder. There's now chatter of a more "creative" punishment from the league -- like reducing their salary cap number. Which could be really painful while trying to retain Brees, Colston, et al.

[-Jrabbit]

The franchise tags are coming fast and furious this year. We already have 11, and deadline's not until Monday...

QB - Drew Brees, NO (opens door for both Colston and OG Carl Nicks to leave)

RB - Ray Rice, BAL (RBs are way cheaper to franchise than WRs, and easier to replace. Expect more.)
RB - Matt Forte, CHI

WR - DeSean Jackson, PHI (Iggles weighing diva attitude vs talent for long-term deal.)

TE - Fred Davis, WAS

DE - Calais Campbell, ARI

CB - Brent Grimes, ATL

S - Tyvon Branch, OAK (I believe this means Oakland is officially out of cap space. Michael Bush will walk.)
S - Dashon Goldson, SF (Safeties are cheap to franchise and are reasonably repleaceable.)

K - Phil Dawson, CLE (Weird decision, as Dawson is 37 and didn't have a great year.)
K - Mike Nugent, CIN (Kickers are like safeties, only way cheaper.)

No LBs or O-linemen yet.

Possible additions to the list:

RB Marshawn Lynch, SEA
RB Arian Foster, TEX
WR Dwayne Bowe, KC
WR Wes Welker, NE
WR Stevie Johnson, BUF
WR Vincent Jackson, SD
DE Cliff Avril, DET
LB Anthony Spencer, DAL
NT Sione Pouha, NYJ
DB Cortland Finnegan, TEN
K Matt Prater, DEN

[Al B. Sure!]

What happened to the franchise tag existing to allow teams to keep superstar talent (FRANCHISE players)? What are kickers doing getting franchised?

[-Jrabbit]

You have to remember that a majority of these franchise tags will never happen for real. It's a placeholder for contract talks more than anything.

That said, the Dawson tagging is kind of stupid. He's 37, had a mediocre year, and doesn't produce touchbacks on kickoffs.

[Al B. Sure!]

Phil Dawson has been a Brown for 13 years and he's solid. We've seen some bad young kickers lately so I imagine the Browns want to mitigate the risk of trotting out the next Graham Gano next year.

[-Jrabbit]

I have no problem with the Browns doing Dawson a solid. But that's all it is. Any kicker who can only produce 10 touchbacks in a season does not have the leg to compete under current rules. Certainly no one would be trying to sign Dawson away from Cleveland.

[Al B. Sure!]

Really, the most interesting thing about it is that the Browns didn't use the franchise tag on Peyton Hillis.

[-Jrabbit]

The Hillis thing didn't really surprise me. Fumble-prone and had injury issues last year.

[SlowwHand]

Colston may well leave. This bust was just what the Saints didn't need. Still, rich is rich, and he's already rich. Rings aren't so easily acquired.

[Donegeal]

Hmmm... looks like the Steelers are still cap strapped even after letting go of some big name vets. Perhaps, with the Bears being so much under the cap, Emery will be smart enough to realize that not only is Wallace a known elite reciever, but paying a bit more cash and a #1 is well worth the shot at an unkown rookie WR. Push for Wallace, boys! (not that we have that much influence...)

[Al B. Sure!]

The Hillis thing didn't really surprise me. Fumble-prone and had injury issues last year.

I didn't say surprise. I said interesting. Nothing's surprising considering the way he milked his illness, his injury, and was a total headcase. That is to say, I agree with you.

Hmmm... looks like the Steelers are still cap strapped even after letting go of some big name vets. Perhaps, with the Bears being so much under the cap, Emery will be smart enough to realize that not only is Wallace a known elite reciever, but paying a bit more cash and a #1 is well worth the shot at an unkown rookie WR. Push for Wallace, boys! (not that we have that much influence...)

Not happening

I don't even know why you want Mike Wallace. He's undersized and primarily a deep threat. Don't you want a big-bodied, possession-type like Brandon Marshall?

[-Jrabbit]

Certainly guys like Marshall, Vincent Jackson, and Megatron are what I'm most interested in seeing the Bears pursue.

Sadly, guys like that are in pretty short supply.

[Al B. Sure!]

Vincent Jackson is interesting because he has the body of a possession guy but he's primarily a deep-threat. Only 60 catches in 16 games last year at 18.4 yard a catch. That's Desean Jackson-like. On a per game basis, he's equally erratic as any small, big-play guy... A lot of <50 yard games mixed with a few >125 yard ones.

[-Jrabbit]

He'd be a huge upgrade. The big body is red zone fodder; that's what's important.

[Imran Siddiqui]

This is interesting from the Washington Post's Mark Maske's Twitter:

The NFL is considering severe penalties, including lengthy suspensions, in the Saints bounty case. In some cases, the suspensions under consideration could be a half-season or longer, according to a person familiar with the case. Among those who could face significant suspensions are Gregg Williams, Sean Payton, Mickey Loomis and those players most heavily involved. Some of the penalties could be "unprecedented," according to one person familiar with the case.

[Ming]

Typical over reacting by the NFL to cover their asses... What a bunch of BS

[Al B. Sure!]

They want to make it cost-prohibitive for other teams to get caught doing the same thing.

[rah]

The wussification of America Continues.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Yes, because intending to injure other players makes you a "man".