Greg Williams

alanr824 · Post by **alanr824** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 12:03 pm

Sure, it probably happens on every team - d coordinators and coaches telling their players to take out the other teams best player. I get it. But offering monitary rewards for doing so will not be tolerated by the league. With the Redskins saying he did the same thing while a coach there, it definitely warrants a suspension but I think the saints will escape from penalty since he has shown he had done it elsewhere. Too bad he forgot about covering Vernon Davis while trying to take out Alex Smith.

[ March 02, 2012, 06:11 PM: Message edited by: Al R G ]

Shrink Attack · Post by **Shrink Attack** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 3:39 pm

Originally posted by Al R G:
Sure, it probably happens on every team - d coordinators and coaches telling their players to take out the other teams best player. I get it. But offering monitary rewards for doing so will not be tolerated by the league. With the Redskins saying he did the same thing while a coach there, it definitely warrants a suspension but I think the saints will escape from penalty since he has shown he had done it elsewhere. Too bad he forgot about covering Vernon Davis while trying to take out Alex Smith. I disagree. Goodell has been fanatical about player safety, or at least feeling the need to look that way. Don't forget that the Saints' GM (Loomis) was made aware of the practice and did nothing to stop it, so the Saints organization is culpable. Plus, Goodell cares less about being "fair" than he is about being perceived as doing the right thing and scoring PR points.

I predict a loss of at least one draft pick (I think their first pick this year is a 2nd rounder), heavy fines on both the Saints and Williams, and Williams will serve a multi-game suspension.

alanr824 · Post by **alanr824** » Fri Mar 02, 2012 4:13 pm

Maybe you are right on the fines, but I think that the "bounty" pool that was similar in Washington proves it was a Greg Williams birthed policy. I think, if the Saints are penalized by this, it will be money rather than draft picks. If it was proved only to be a Saints action, I would agree on the draft picks. But, since the Redskins have shown this is a Williams trend, it increases Williams' penalty and decreases the Saints culpability. Maybe they do make an example of the Saints that it won't be tolerated. I look at Drew Brees and Sean Peyton and the type of guys they are and it just makes you wonder.... Williams being suspended from football for an extended period of time would be the largest action I would take, but you may be right.

[ March 02, 2012, 10:15 PM: Message edited by: Al R G ]

Jersey Dawg · Post by **Jersey Dawg** » Sat Mar 03, 2012 5:08 am

This needs to be addressed firmly. Suspension of Williams is a must. I can also see a penalty, like losing a pick, on the Saints for going along with it. Williams should be out of football for a long time, if not forever. Total BS in a sport that is this brutal to begin with.

CoMoHusker · Post by **CoMoHusker** » Sat Mar 03, 2012 6:27 am

Originally posted by Jersey Dawg:
This needs to be addressed firmly. Suspension of Williams is a must. I can also see a penalty, like losing a pick, on the Saints for going along with it. Williams should be out of football for a long time, if not forever. Total BS in a sport that is this brutal to begin with. Couldn't agree more. The Saints should be on the hook for an extremely stiff penalty that includes loss of picks and fines, especially if the reports are true that members of the organization were made aware and continued to let it happen.

I can only imagine what the Rams are thinking right now after bringing Williams in to run their defense. If I were them, I would seriously consider letting him go even after what should be a lengthy suspension by the league.

alanr824 · Post by **alanr824** » Sun Mar 04, 2012 10:54 am

Add the Bills to the list of teams that Greg Williams promoted "bounty" awards.

Greg Williams is in HUGE trouble.... I don't think he will be coaching again, anytime soon in the NFL.

Shrink Attack · Post by **Shrink Attack** » Sun Mar 04, 2012 11:56 am

Originally posted by Al R G:
Add the Bills to the list of teams that Greg Williams promoted "bounty" awards.

Greg Williams is in HUGE trouble.... I don't think he will be coaching again, anytime soon in the NFL. He'll be made an example of, no doubt. It'll be interesting to see if (more like when) the Rams let him go. Not only will he come with a suspension, but why put up with that PR nightmare?

At least Williams could then put on his resume, "Never gave up a single point as DC of the St. Louis Rams".

There could even be criminal charges, because players are not necessarily protected from battery/injury claims if there's evidence of a premeditated intent to injure on the field of play.

I still think the Saints get punished in a way the others don't, because it's clear that the Saints management knew what was going on and did nothing, while there's no indication that was the case with other teams. We shall see...

Shrink Attack · Post by **Shrink Attack** » Sun Mar 04, 2012 11:35 pm

Wow...now there's talk that the Commissioner might be handing down suspensions of up to half a season to EVERYONE involved, including players who participated and Head Coach Sean Payton. I guess it makes sense that if you punish the coaches, the players shouldn't get off scot-free because they knew it was wrong, too. The issue, though, is that if this practice is widespread, how can you just punish one team? It would require a massive, league-wide investigation. This could be crippling to the Saints.

This would really be a curve ball for Fantasy.

But as a die hard Falcons fan, this doesn't bring a tear to my eye...

[ March 05, 2012, 05:40 AM: Message edited by: Shrink Attack ]

Ted's Cracked Head · Post by **Ted's Cracked Head** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 9:00 am

The whole goal of playing the game on the defensive side of the ball is to hit the other team as hard and as clean as possible with the INTENT being: to intimidate, punish, strike fear into, wear down and yes, injure them if possible.

This does not include late hits or malicious hits on players but within the context of a live play you are taught at the earliest level of play that if that whistle hasn't been blown, you better be looking to hit someone or risk being hit by someone.

In 6th grade at a Catholic school they called us the "Bloody defense" because if you left the field with a bloody jersey, you played well. Whether it was yours or their's, blood meant you were playing to win. We were rewarded for big clean hits even at that level of the game. It could have meant an easier time at practice or a star on a helmet or you name it, at every level of the game, football players are rewarded for making "the hit" when it presents itself. When you made that hit you got to bask in the glory of that moment the whole next week whether it was by your friends coaches or parents, you were The Man. This included while watching film from the previous week, they did everything but pass out popcorn to review the highlight reels. When we would watch film for the upcoming games they always put a traget on those key players that could hurt us. We were told that if those players were taken out of their game, for the fear factor or due to injury, that our team had a better chance of attaining our goal and that means winning. This was true at every level of organized football up to HS.

This IS the nature of football. Hit or be hit!

Now were the Saints wrong for not stopping the program after being advised to do so? You betcha. Are they going to be made examples of and punished severely? You betcha but let's not over react to a practice that is bred into every level of the game.

[ March 05, 2012, 03:03 PM: Message edited by: Silver and Black ]

TamuScarecrow · Post by **TamuScarecrow** » Mon Mar 05, 2012 9:01 am

As a long-time Saints fan and former season ticket holder, it was good riddance to Gregg Williams when he left as his defense pretty much sucked. Only a healthy Darren Sharper made him look good in 2009 so whatever he was doing didn't work.

As for Roger Goodell the man is an ***hole and needs to be removed as commissioner. it has been obvious for the last few years now the man doesn't understand football is a contact sport and to make the Saints the fall guys for a practice that has been going on for years and will continue after the fines and penalties are dished out is insane. I heard Mike Golic talk this morning about how "bounty payoff" was a regular Monday practice when he played and how this has been going on since the beginning of the league. He also made a very good argument that anyone who has played football at least at the high school level knows as a defensive player you are taught to destroy everyone and anyone on the other side of the line of scrimmage. The "pocket change" from the bounty program isn't going to change the way the NFL player goes about playing the game. I heard Darren Woodson say this morning on Mike and Mike this practice will continue even after the fines and suspensions come down on the Saints, but because they are the first to get caught at it they will feel the most pain regardless of the fact Williams did this at Washington, Buffalo, and probably Tennessee before he did it in New Orleans.

Bottom line on Goodell, if you can't produce statistics proving the Saints committed more illegal hits over the last 3 years than the rest of the teams in the NFL you have no argument or case that the bounty system was detrimental to the NFL and you need to go back to your office in NY and wait for your much-greater-than-you-are-worth pay check like you normally do.

But the best thing Darren Woodson said today is how now the focus will turn on who the "snitch" was. In listening to the sports shows, this guy had better hope he stays anonymous or there may soon be a bounty out on him.