"Who Dat" Bounty Games...

[AWK]

You had me until right here.  Fuck JoePa.

Agree. Pedobear protector.

[Townhallsavoy]

You had me until right here.  Fuck JoePa.

I was actually referring to the pathetic, weak, paper thin broadcast they did when he was fired.  CNN and some British chick were right smack in the middle of the students, and ESPN had their high school Most-Likely-To-Be-A-Weatherman douchebag hiding out in some faraway bush filling air space because they didn't have the story. 

So with Cam, you get a company that perpetuates lies and fails to do any kind of true investigative research.

With JoePa, you get frivolous bullshit. 

With the Saints, you're getting a fail attempt at rekindling the flame that was started and finished by Goodell. 

There's no reason to watch ESPN.

[GH2001]

I was actually referring to the pathetic, weak, paper thin broadcast they did when he was fired.  CNN and some British chick were right smack in the middle of the students, and ESPN had their high school Most-Likely-To-Be-A-Weatherman douchebag hiding out in some faraway bush filling air space because they didn't have the story. 

So with Cam, you get a company that perpetuates lies and fails to do any kind of true investigative research.

With JoePa, you get frivolous bullshit. 

With the Saints, you're getting a fail attempt at rekindling the flame that was started and finished by Goodell. 

There's no reason to watch ESPN.

Nailed it.

No one is saying JoePa was innocent. But my God, you would have thought he was Charles Manson the way they covered it. Same with Cam.

[AUChizad]

Nailed it.

No one is saying JoePa was innocent. But my God, you would have thought he was Charles Manson the way they covered it. Same with Cam.

Exactly. Not to drudge up the dead horse, but I think there could have been healthy room for debate as to whether or not Joe Pa should have known, and whether or not he could have done more, but the dude was literally in the last days of his life and obviously not all there, and it's not like he was the one diddling boys, and yet from the way it was being reported you'd think he was running a child prostitution ring. Sandusky deserved every bit of criticism and much more. Instead it was all focused on destroying JoePa's legacy. Better story. More sensational.

This 50/50 hindsight, as Dye would say, about the presumed omnipotence of head coaches was my main beef with Sean Payton getting punished and crucified the way he did for Gregg Williams's sins. Not that I expect anyone here to agree, since you've already bought into ESPN's narrative.

[AUChizad]

This is what I'm talking about.

Not only are the polls all assuming the allegations are true, but the results are proof that the general public is lapping it up, and want as much blood as possible.

http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/polls?pCat=46&sCat=2993

If both are true, which would end up being the bigger scandal?

     
    33%
    Patriots' Spygate
     
    67%
    Saints' eavesdropping on opposing coaches

Really? Even assuming the Saints hypothetical cheating is true and comparing it to actual proven violations. So the general manager hearing signals he can't possibly understand or use to any advantage, in real time, that took place a decade prior to the allegation, is more than TWICE as bad as a head coach videotaping opposing coaches' sideline signals and practices for ten years leading up to the day they got caught?

How should the NFL punish the Saints if allegations about eavesdropping turn out to be true?

     
    7%
    Fines
     
    6%
    Additional suspensions
     
    5%
    Lost draft picks
     
    81%
    Some combination of the

SOME COMBINATION!!!1! Plus the death penalty, both for the program, and literally for Drew Brees. I know he had something to do with it!!

How big of an advantage do you believe the Saints would have garnered from their alleged eavesdropping device?

     
    46%
    Big advantage
     
    39%
    Small advantage
     
    16%
    No advantage

HUGE advantage! 84% think it's some advantage, while nearly half of those posted think it was a "big" one. Nevermind the litany of former and present coaches from teams not called the Saints, sports analysts, and even some ESPN analysts saying it makes zero sense and there would be no discernible advantage.

If the eavesdropping allegations against Saints GM Mickey Loomis turn out to be true, how should the NFL punish him?

     
    10%
    Short addition to his extant eight-game suspension
     
    90%
    Season-long suspension or more

90%. If "death by execution" were an option, I guarantee you it would be in the lead.

Which would be a bigger scandal for the Saints if both turn out to be true?

     
    35%
    Bounty on opposing players
     
    65%
    Alleged electronic listening devices used on visiting coaching staffs

This thing that we're talking about now is obviously the biggest scandal of all time evarr!!!

[Townhallsavoy]

So people are sheep and ignorant to reality?

[AUChizad]

Has the Saints' image been permanently tarnished?

     
    81%
    Yes
     
    19%

4evar!!! 81% believe that just the fact that ESPN is reporting this allegation, means that the Saints are beyond salvation. Clearly a team full of child murderer/rapists. Permanently. Until the end of time. In the year 3016, people will say "Remember that time ESPN said the Saints' GM could hear the opposing teams' playcalling? Deplorable, right? You knew they were guilty too, because ESPN said they heard it from a guy."

If you were Drew Brees, would you still want to play for the Saints?

     
    35%
    Yes
     
    65%
    No

Can we say wishful thinking?

[GH2001]

4evar!!! 81% believe that just the fact that ESPN is reporting this allegation, means that the Saints are beyond salvation. Clearly a team full of child murderer/rapists. Permanently. Until the end of time. In the year 3016, people will say "Remember that time ESPN said the Saints' GM could hear the opposing teams' playcalling? Deplorable, right? You knew they were guilty too, because ESPN said they heard it from a guy."
Can we say wishful thinking?

Its doing what they want - getting ratings and page views. That's what it is all about. This is the one thing I agree on with Brooks. ESPN is pure entertainment and ratings now. This is why I really like the Tony Barnharts and Greg Doyels of the media world.

[JR4AU]

4evar!!! 81% believe that just the fact that ESPN is reporting this allegation, means that the Saints are beyond salvation. Clearly a team full of child murderer/rapists. Permanently. Until the end of time. In the year 3016, people will say "Remember that time ESPN said the Saints' GM could hear the opposing teams' playcalling? Deplorable, right? You knew they were guilty too, because ESPN said they heard it from a guy."
Can we say wishful thinking?

You've never jumped to any conclusion based on scant, early reports have you?

[Vandy Vol]

This 50/50 hindsight, as Dye would say, about the presumed omnipotence of head coaches was my main beef with Sean Payton getting punished and crucified the way he did for Gregg Williams's sins. Not that I expect anyone here to agree, since you've already bought into ESPN's narrative.

Or, you know, it could be that Sean Payton himself acknowledged the existence of bounties:

When interviewed in 2012, Sean Payton claimed to be entirely unaware of the program, a claim contradicted by others. Further, prior to the Saints’ opening game in 2011, Coach Payton received an email from a close associate that stated in part, “PS Greg Williams put me down for $5000 on Rogers (sic).” When shown the email during the course of the investigation, Coach Payton stated that it referred to a “bounty” on Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

[Snaggletiger]

Is there someone in or formerly in the Saints organization that's got a huge axe to grind?  Where is all this information coming from?  The alleged wire taps were from the early 2000's...no?  Why now?

[War Eagle!!!]

You've never jumped to any conclusion based on scant, early reports have you?

I see what you did there...

[AUChizad]

You've never jumped to any conclusion based on scant, early reports have you?

That'd be you. I never said anything definitely of the innocence or guilt, just of the facts of the case that he shot the kid and the kid was unarmed. You're the one that knows he's innocent. But I'm not dragging that debate here any further.

Is there someone in or formerly in the Saints organization that's got a huge axe to grind?  Where is all this information coming from?  The alleged wire taps were from the early 2000's...no?  Why now?

Now because the current whipping boy is the New Orleans Saints and the media loves to kick someone while they're down. While I'm sure ESPN's polls showed 99.9% of people thought the NFL should shut the program down, most rational people were, at least, on the fence about the severity and uniqueness about "Bountygate" compared to how it was being portrayed by the media, and whether or not the punishment was equitable. There is a crusade now to push public opinion over that fence. "Quick! Find some parking tickets! See if anyone on the team cheated on any tests!" It's the exact same tactics we saw early in the Cam Newton allegations.

[Snaggletiger]

That'd be you. I never said anything definitely of the innocence or guilt, just of the facts of the case that someone died and the kid was unarmed. You're the one that knows he's innocent. But I'm not dragging that debate here any further.
Now because the current whipping boy is the New Orleans Saints and the media loves to kick someone while they're down. While I'm sure ESPN's polls showed 99.9% of people thought the NFL should shut the program down, most rational people were, at least, on the fence about the severity and uniqueness about "Bountygate" compared to how it was being portrayed by the media, and whether or not the punishment was equitable. There is a crusade now to push public opinion over that fence. "Quick! Find some parking tickets! See if anyone on the team cheated on any tests!" It's the exact same tactics we saw early in the Cam Newton allegations.

So Cam Newton cheated on his exams?  Damn it.  Will it ever stop?

[Godfather]

[JR4AU]

That'd be you. I never said anything definitely of the innocence or guilt, just of the facts of the case that he shot the kid and the kid was unarmed. You're the one that knows he's innocent. But I'm not dragging that debate here any further.

Readiing and comprehension skillz, you have none, and you lie like a motherfucker about shit you have posted.

[Snaggletiger]

Readiing and comprehension skillz, you have none, and you lie like a motherfucker about shit you have posted.

He uses this technique while prosecuting teh criminals.  "Judge, bitch be lyin' like a motherfucker about shit."

[JR4AU]

He uses this technique while prosecuting teh criminals.  "Judge, bitch be lyin' like a motherfucker about shit."

Does this tactic not work in teh civils?

[RWS]

I think the rationale is, if the Saints did in fact have a bounty program with the purpose of intentionally injuring other players (which they did), what else would they do? If they lied their asses off about that over the years, what else would they lie about now? Especially after they now see that the NFL is pretty serious about it? I don't know if the new accusation about the eavesdropping is true, but if it is? I don't know what else the NFL could do to the organization, but I'm sure they could figure out a punishment for that too. Compounded with the bounty scandal, it would be bad news. And if you're a Saints fan, you pray that whoever is pissed off at the organization is satisfied with how fucked the team is.

The new allegations would be worse than the Patriots scandal, imo. The Patriots were simply taping signals that were being signaled in. Which isn't anything to be taken lightly, especially with how long they were doing it. The other side to that is, we have no idea what was on those tapes. We don't know how bad it was. I guess only Goodell does. But the Saints were supposedly privy to actual communications between coaches. We're not talking just signals being signaled in that you would have to go back and watch what play was ran to match a signal with a play, or only cryptic messages. We're talking open communications between staff members of opposing coaching staffs. Real time game situation shit. Coaches talking strategy, what they might do 3 plays from now, situational things, etc.

[AUChizad]

Readiing and comprehension skillz, you have none, and you lie like a motherfucker about shit you have posted.

You are a douche of the highest order.