NFL Two-fer Thursday

Thank you, NFL for providing us with bloggable topics as we wait for baseball spring training to wind down !!! It's been a wild offseason week in the NFL, and next week proves to be quite the interesting one as well with Manning on the market! Lastly, happy birthday to my wonderful wife! Enjoy.
 
Un-canonized Saints? 

Yet another story of greed, coverup, and corruption in the Catholic Church. The feel good (for some) rise of the New Orleans Saints in the wake of Hurricane Katrina - behind the lovable Drew Brees - has been dealt a significant blow. Confirmed reports of defensive player bounties have hit the airwaves this week, as they have found themselves in the middle of a brewing controversy.

See...the Saints aren't the only bounty hunters with religiously-driven intentions. OK....I know I sold out by going with the obvious pop culture reference (a picture of Dog), but sometimes you just take what's given. Got it brah?

 To most, the big issue arises from the payment of bounties related to injuring opposing players. It's one thing (albeit illegal) to offer up incentive for a player with the most tackles, most sacks, or defensive play of the game. It's another to offer up money for a player to go out and mess with someone's career.

Viewed with an objective critical lens, this flies in the face of everything that unions have ever stood for. Unions are predicated on the collective strength of a unified membership that operates in the best interests of the group. Members look out for each other....they ensure that others are able to perform their work as effectively as possible for as long as possible.

Imagine if the United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters hung its members out to dry like the NFLPA did? Who would be there to watch over these guys?

 The NFL Players Association actually defended the Saints players involved.... (?!?!?!) I guess because they didn't want any of them to get in trouble? That's got to be it. What about protecting the players who they went after? An interesting piece of this whole argument.

The Vibe's Take

Listen, I'm not going to overblow anything here and flip about this being so incredibly terrible. If the Saints defense had a bounty program, it failed with flying colors this year. That said, I can't get on board with those (some even ex-NFL players like Mike Golic) who are completely minimizing this. Imagine the precedent it would set if no action is taken. Open season on defensive bounties around the league. The "boys will be boys" and "it's a warrior's game" arguments don't hold any water here.

Gregg Williams penalty? He has to fish-hook himself for 8 hours straight while watching re-runs of Mr. Belvidere.

I can almost see some playful non-injury-related bounties adding to team camaraderie and helping a defense unite. However, bounties that promote going after someone's livelihood are just not right....even if it is against Brett Favre. That said, I'm also not on board with a complete decapitation of everyone involved. NFL disciplinary action should be taken against Sean Payton, Gregg Williams, and any other coach deemed to have involvement or knowledge of the program....but no one should lose their job over this. Fine them, strip them of draft picks. Make it harder for them to have success. That's appropriate. Meanwhile, the NFLPA should make it a point to advise its members to avoid this type of practice in the future.

The Vibe coming to the defense of Brett Favre? What's next...props to Jay Cutler?

Pey-ment Delinquency 


Peyton Manning is no longer a Colt. Not to have a predictable, cookie-cutter opening...but I still can't believe it even as I type. I watched the press conference yesterday in disbelief as the most skilled (carefully stated....not "greatest") quarterback in the history of the NFL was cast aside at the not-so-old age of 35. The team that turned from a laughingstock for most of the 1980's and 1990's, into a viable Super Bowl threat in the 2000's has turned its back on the man who carried them there.

From 1977 to 1999 (21 seasons), the Colts had ZERO seasons of 10 wins or more. From 1999 (Peyton's second season) to present day, they had ELEVEN. Sometimes when a team has success, you are able to say "Well, he's pretty good...but they could have done well without him too." This is not one of those cases. Peyton Manning WAS the Colts for 14 years. No team's success (Pats included) was more closely tied its quarterback than the Colts. So, I ask you...where's the loyalty?

Cut that meat! Cut that meat! ...One of Peyton's best commercials. Kind of ironic given the current situation, no?

 You can tell me that they have paid him over $150 million in his career. You can cite the money he's made on endorsement deals. You can use these to try to tell me that he's been handsomely taken care of by the Colts, and that he should be on his way.

And, you'd be dead wrong.

The Vibe's Take

They go 2-14 with him on the path to recovery all year. They happen into the first overall pick. And, all of a sudden...they panic.  They see a blue chip, "can't miss" (really?!?!) QB prospect available, and they cast aside the best quarterback they have ever had (apologies to Johnny Unitas...it's fact).

He's injured you say? He's getting old you say? For all the success, media attention, and goodwill he's brought them over the years...doesn't he deserve a chance to find that out with the Colts. Shouldn't he get to leave the team on his own terms? They'd owe him a $28 million dollar roster bonus? So what!

There's a sap willing to overpay at every NFL draft!

Furthermore, they could have likely gotten a team to mortgage its entire draft (Ditka-style) for the chance to take Luck. They could have built a young, talented foundation and added some pieces to help right the ship. Instead, they are going to roll the dice with Andrew Luck. Yeah, it's definitely rolling the dice, no matter what you saw from Luck in college. The Colts have been down this road before....twice! They've seen both sides of it. In 1990, they took "can't miss" Purdue QB Jeff George with the top pick. The consensus was that the Indiana native would lead the Colts to the promised land. How'd that work out? In 1998, they were on the good end of things, taking "can't miss" Peyton over another "can't miss" named Ryan Leaf. Many teams had Leaf projecting as a better NFL player.

Who can forget Jeff George's 1991 "No Trim 'Til the Colts Win" campaign that saw the team go winless through Week 10. Seriously, if there is any consolation prize for the Colts for drafting him, it has to be the super-mullet and porn 'stache that George brought to the fold.

My angle isn't about the money....Obviously not. I realize that Jim Irsay went to that press conference and stated that he "wanted to keep" Manning, instead of cutting him loose. They just "couldn't afford" him. I just don't buy that whole "we're loyal to Peyton, but he's off our team" angle, regardless of what the financial factors are. What if Andrew Luck is Jeff George? (or worse....Ryan Leaf) How ridiculous will the Colts look?

It's a humbling dose of reality for NFL fans everywhere. Peyton Manning sent packing.