Say It Saint So

The Mayans predicted it and we are seemingly living it.  The end of the world is quickly approaching.  Snooki is pregnant.  Dick Clark, the king of New Years, has passed on.  World Peace is on the brink of suspension after throwing a vicious elbow to the face and beard of James Harden.  And now, the Saints are accused of major NFL sin, again! 

First it was Bountygate, which got head coach Sean Payton a yearlong boot from the Saint’s sideline.  Sanctions also included interim head coach Joe Vitt getting a 6 game suspension and left the team looking for an interim interim head coach.  GM Mickey Loomis got handed an 8 game suspension.   Former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is suspended indefinitely and facing an uphill battle to be allowed to coach again.  The team was also fined half a million dollars and players wait to hear their fate. 

The Saints have since moved on, believe it or not, but not to any better of a place.  Now, GM Mickey Loomis is facing allegations of bugging opposing teams between 2002 and 2004.  Putting them somewhere between Watergate and Spygate, the Saints are once again in damage control mode.  The team maintains that the reports are “1,000% inaccurate” (we will ignore the impossibility of that statement).   

Of course, Bountygate was bad, but NFL Watergate is just as bad.  We are talking about the integrity of the game being put into serious question.  The competitive advantage that the eavesdropping could have provided is said to be minimal, if any, which raises my personal question, why do it?  Yes it is bad to cheat and steal other team’s plays by bugging their lines of communication but at least there is a reason.  Mickey Loomis’s latest offense seems to have little purpose or application which just makes me wonder why he would ever put the team in harm’s way like this.   

Who knows what is going to come out of this for Loomis.  Maybe criminal charges.  Maybe more punishment from the league.  What is definite though is that every move the Saints make for now on will face intense scrutiny.  The Saints now face a slippery uphill slope in rebuilding their image and brand.  Making Drew Brees happy again would be a great start to rebuilding a damaged brand.  We have all seen what he has done for the city of New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina struck.

Unfortunately for now, the Saints have gone from “Who Dat?” to “Who Done It?”. 

The Gregg Williams Fiasco

Gregg Williams has been suspended indefinitely for his role as orchestrator of a bounty program when he was the Saints' Defensive Coordinator. Roger Goodell, the NFL's man-in-charge, handed down the suspension but has said he will review the matter at the end of the season. Essentially, Goodell has suspended Williams for the season and will decide if he wants to bring Williams back next season.

At the tail end of last week, an audio recording of Williams talking to his defense the night prior to the Saint's loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the playoffs was released. In this recording, Williams is brutal. He makes references to injuring specific players on the 49ers, using heinous phrases and sickening remarks.

We must, however, examine the context of these remarks and put them into perspective. As an everyday person, I found the audio recording to be disgusting. But, I am not an NFL athlete. Was this speech, on the eve of a massive playoff game, typical banter in NFL locker rooms? Did Williams cross-the-line or was he behaving in a similar to other coaches? I do not have the answers, however, almost every former NFL great has been asked for their opinion on the matter.

On ESPN's First Take, Cardinals kicker Jay Feely argued the league is coming down too heavily on Williams and that, while he crossed the line in his speech, this is common talk amongst coaches in NFL locker rooms. Just today, former NFL quarterback Fran Tarkenton told ESPN radio in Chicago that Williams should never be allowed to coach in the NFL again.

Still, the jury is out. Williams has been mum on the subject, apparently cooperating with the league office. Perhaps Williams' best strategy at this point. may be to look to the UFL for employment.