HalftimeAdjustment

I don't see grounds for player suspensions unless something else comes out. The players are the employees of the team. They participated or even endorsed this, but if it was just players then it probably would be the same in almost every other team. Even Vilma offering $10K on Favre is borderline, not sure it is something they can nail him on under the CBA... a fine perhaps. Sean Payton's problem is that the NFL apparently has an email from this Ornstein guy to Sean Payton detailing the bounty scheme. The NFL previously tried to get the Saints to distance themselves from Ornstein after he was convicted of fraud, but he was still around in 2011. You know the league is going to be very unhappy with any guy who is convicted of selling non-game worn jerseys as authentic game-worn jerseys, but still is involved with offering cash for players to perform acts in a game (whether interceptions or big hits). Same guy who represented Reggie Bush. Classy situation New Orleans has going on here. Here's a few links to consider on this aspect of the story. http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2012/3/2/2840512/mike-ornstein-new-orleans-saints-bounty-program http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/story/14087531/why-didnt-saints-cut-ties-with-sketchy-ornstein

So, thinking about this and looking at the details. Some of the bounty money was provided not by players, nor by GW, but also by a convicted felon who was a friend/associate of the head coach but was convicted of fraud (in part for selling falsified NFL merchandise). Hypothetically, if following the money trail led back to gamblers, what would the penalties be? Can anyone support OUTSIDE money coming into an organization to pay players to do anything on the field (let alone injure an opponent)? League has to put this down hard or else the scandal will keep growing. Players putting up their own money is one thing ... Coaches paying players is worse (violates the salary cap, etc)... but having non-team employees contributing to bounties is a completely different level and is no different from gambling. Saints have to lose draft picks and be fined, Payton must be suspended for his association with the felon, and GW who is a repeat offender must be suspended 1yr+.

Now the Redskins too. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/football-insider/post/new-orleans-saints-had-bounty-system-that-paid-for-injuring-opponents-nfl-announces/2012/03/02/gIQAPNDDnR_blog.html

So... I think this is really bad. But, it may be "common practice". That's not good. If it is "common practice" then the NFL needs to take actions to prevent it from being "common practice". Here's how I would handle it if I was Goodell: 1) First rule, anyone who lied to league investigators gets a much larger penalty than those who did not cover it up. So, players who participated but never lied to the league office get nothing more than a slap on the wrist. They can use the "everybody does it" and/or "peer pressure" excuse. Players who lied to league office: 1 game suspension. Can't ever condone failure to cooperate with an investigation. 2) Coaches who participated get punished, regardless, by fine. If coach also lied about it - suspension. Personally I think G. Williams should be suspended for 1 year or more, if he ran the program and lied about it as well. If he just ran the program, I might let him off with a big fine. $100K? 3) Head coach and GM: Fines. 4) Team: Give the owner a chance to impose internal discipline. If no discipline... hit them with a loss of 4th round pick. Most likely they will let it slide though.

Aren't bonuses required to be spread out for cap accounting purposes?

You won't? Is there any evidence of this? A cash to cap system should mean that the amount of cash already committed to contracts this year is less than or equal to our salary number, unless there are a lot of roster bonuses this year. If our current cap number is $105 million and the cap is $120 million, what is our current "Cash" number?

His injury history will also be scrutinized by other teams when they consider how much to offer.

Perhaps this is the real meaning of the infamous Chad Kelly tweet.

Can you grab him tightly and pull him out of bounds for his own protection?

It's not a good rule. What would be a better rule? Do we want referees to have to judge the content of T-shirts. Happy New Year is OK. "F You Rex Ryan" is not. "Why So Serious?" is. "I like feet, too" is not. Where do you draw the line?

They should probably change the rule on dunking, but for now it is allowed. The leap however cannot be considered a prop, in my opinion, and is really not just a Green Bay tradition. It should remain allowed.

Sometimes, players are not penalized for holding either. That does not mean it should never be called. Also, wasn't he fined (not penalized), where a fine usually indicates the league thought it should have been a penalty? Sometimes, players are penalized for "driving" Tom Brady into the ground when all they did is shove him. That is a bad call, but does not mean actually driving a quarterback into the ground is OK. The rules actually explicitly allow certain celebrations including jumping into fans (which I think is fine). Apparently, dunking the ball is allowed as well (I think it should not be). If you use a goalpost and ball to simulate filming the Pats, that can be fined. Even though it is funny.

That's an issue for the league, not for Chan. Because SJ had already received one penalty this year (Jets) and there were tweets before the game indicating he knew he might be fined, one has to conclude he knew he was walking the line. Whereas, Clay Matthews having done the same celebration multiple times can be pretty sure he is in the clear. If you are arguing that the league should lighten up on celebrations with a prop, I have mixed feelings. A Happy New Year T-Shirt is not a big deal to me. Neither is Why So Serious for that matter, nor do I think that (for example) someone making a camera motion with the ball is a big deal, nor for that matter signing it with a Sharpie. Pulling out a cell phone and making a call before reaching the sidelines seems like a bit much. On the other hand, the examples of running to the middle of the field and freaking out seem over the top. The main problem is, drawing a line is not that easy. For now, there is a line drawn: No celebrations where you fall down in the end zone and no celebrations using a prop until you get back to the sideline (apparently). Not my favorite rule but it is a rule. Any reason SJ could not have run over to the Bills' sideline, then pulled up his shirt???

And, if any of these drew penalties, do you think that Sean Payton and/or Mike McCarthy would not try to nip it in the bud, rather than allowing it to continue? How many times has Clay Matthews drawn a penalty? Whether the rules are fair or not is a different issue. I agree that the taunting level of the other celebrations is higher than that of a "Happy New Year" shirt. However, if Clay Matthews drew a 15-yard penalty after his sacks, would Mike McCarthy try to stop it from occurring again??

Has Rob Gronkowski or Aaron Hernandez drawn multiple celebration penalties this season for going outside the rules? Yes, Hernandez celebrated - he did not draw a penalty and if he did would it have been premeditated and repeated? How about the Green Bay Packers, do their players celebrate? Yes, they do. Do they draw multiple unsportsmanlike conduct penalties in a single season? New Orleans Saints? Forget the 1970 NFL and preconceived notions. Please identify the teams in the NFL, in the current year, that have both a playoff record and a culture that allows me-first celebration. Please identify the showboats on the divisional leaders. Please point at the coaches of playoff teams that are not known for running a tight ship. That would make a stronger argument that the team should overlook this behavior.

You mean, offer him a contract worth $5M base with options to get to 7.5, then watch him leave as another team offers him at least 6.5 per? Just clarifying.

Agreed about the 49 but it might have helped us answer. Fitz has chemistry with SJ. Might have seen fewer INTs. Would not gave resulted in a win most likely but we will never know.

Yes... 1 TD. Then it went in the toilet.

I think he is a malcontent because he knows they were not ready to pay him so he did not care anymore. He forced the issue and avoids injury.

If they were not signing a deal at 7.5 per year then you have to think Nix and Bills upper management had no intent of bringing SJ back. Chan is on solid ground here.

No, I think he is clearly the best receiver and the offense is suffering without him. But he is a selfish player who cannot be relied on to be part of a winning culture. He will need to be replaced so we shpuld sign someone else with his money. Having said that, if he did not say anything else I would have put him back on the 2nd half. He is under contract now and enough message has been sent to other players. No need to worry about the message to SJ he will never hear it. He will get the message from his agent at 430 today when they discuss whether he helped his market value.

He is headed to Washington, Tampa Bay, Jacksonville, or Minnesota after this. Some other teams will not touch him.

We also do nt know what was said on the sideline. That could be an aggravating factor.

They can put Johnson back after the half and act like he got a stern talking to at halftime.

Let's hope the next kicker is named Lindell.