Sean Payton Banned from any 2012 Contact with New Orleans Saints

New Orleans Saints Defense 'Bounty' Program Paid Players for Injuring Opponents

April 6, 2012 - NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana. Clearly, I’ve been completely foolish regarding how the game of football is played. Even as a casual observer, I assumed that neutralizing certain players was part of the strategy of the game. That would include exploiting the known weaknesses of those players. I don’t believe that ending someone’s career should be a goal, but professional football is a high risk/high reward game and injuries happen whether "planned" or not. Clearly, my perceptions of the game have been wrong. Perhaps the NFL should consider a change to the NFFL……..National FLAG Football League. That would certainly make more sense to someone like me who doesn’t really understand the game.

Randy: Very eloquently put
        April 6 at 11:35am

Anita: I'm with you
        April 6 at 11:49am

Annamarie: I prefer baseball. Football, boxing, wrestling...are all too violent, so I don't watch (thereby supporting) these sports...:( So, I'm in the minority...I would probably like flag football...;)
        April 6 at 7:33pm

Vicki: Very well put Melanie!
        April 6 at 8:56pm

Jim: I think most Americans were shocked hearing the coach talk to the players in that recent video. Don't think he wants to appeal his sentence.
        April 7 at 3:43am

Melanie: I'm shocked that everyone else is shocked. I'm shocked that all of these NFL insiders are throwing the Saints under the bus as if they have never heard such a thing. I think the fact that it was said in the presence of an outsider known to be filming a documentary suggests that it was NOT unusual language. If a player is vulnerable to injury, he shouldn't be in the game. It's not the opposing players' responsibility to protect him and work around his injuries.
        April 7 at 8:13am

Polly: I thought he exact same thing! Wow! Kinda amazing what all has transpired from this!
        April 7 at 10:23am

Mark: And I always thought that there is no crying in football.
        April 7 at 12:16pm

Annamarie: I'm no expert in football ( I confuse the balls: basketball, football, baseball...the small ones are golfballs...or ping pong? Lol!). But, I saw the video clip Jim spoke of earlier post, and I thought the big deal was that the coach was encouraging hurting another player while getting off the "pile up"...("accidentally", presumably) while the ball is not in play. Whether this is done or not as standard play is not the issue, but rather good sportsmanship is...:(
        April 7 at 2:27pm

Melanie: ?@Annamarie......I hear what you're saying, and I agree. I just don't buy that Gregg Williams is the first - or only - coach to behave in that way. The behavior of others in the NFL is, however, conveniently and suspiciously naive.
        April 7 at 10:21pm

March 22, 2012 - NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana. I find it hard (impossible) to believe that the Saints are the only team to utilize this “bounty” system. Why are they being made an example of? Moreover, the multimillion dollar contracts of these players are based on performance. Are they really going to hit harder for a few extra dollars per game? I can understand having some fun with a little spiff money, but believing that it substantively affected the outcome of games – or injuries sustained – is ludicrous. Anyone care to explain this to me???

Laura: I think some of this punishment is an effort by the league to prove that they're serious about stopping bounty systems, and doing what they can to mitigate risk to players. Seems almost silly to me since the whole point of football is to hit and stop the opposition. Apparently there are a lot of pending wrongful injury complaints filed against the leaque by players who've had serious head and nerve damage. It's getting costly and the leaque is trying to downplay its exposure. The Saints, while wrong in their actions, are being used as the whipping post. The whole situation makes me ill.
        March 22 at 8:10am

Melanie: So it's a matter of CYA....
        March 22 at 8:21am

Randy: it USED to be football. NFL = BS
        March 22 at 8:50am

Laura: Yeah Melanie, I think a lot of it is CYA.
        March 22 at 9:09am

Melanie: I totally get that there should be no cheap shots, helmet-to-helmet, etc., but those things are penalized by the officials (IF they're doing their job). Outside of that, anything goes. Who's to say how hard is too hard? It comes down, once again, to personal responsibility. If you can't - or don't want to - take the hit, get the heck out of the game. (Tough talk from the person whose hardest hit has come from a tennis ball ;))
        March 22 at 11:56am

Miranda: I'm with you!!
        March 22 at 12:08pm

Randy: I've only been to one NFL game. It was lame vs SEC football. never again
        March 22 at 2:01pm

Buddy Diliberto (1931 - 2005), the voice of the New Orleans Saints

Buddy Diliberto promised to wear a dress if the Saints ever went to the Super Bowl

Buddy D, the ultimate New Orleans Saints fan, once said, "When you go to Heaven after you die, tell St. Peter you're a Saints fan. He'll say, 'C'mon in, I don't care what else you done, you suffered enough.'" The history of the New Orleans Saints is well-documented. Archie Manning getting sacked. The Aints. The paper bags on heads. No playoff games until 1987. No playoff wins until 2000.

Bernard "Buddy" Diliberto pledged on numerous occasions to his listeners that he would wear a dress on Bourbon Street if the Saints ever reached the Super Bowl. Annually, the New Orleans Saints faithful fans would tease Buddy about his promise to wear a dress if the Saints ever played in a Super Bowl. He never got close to having to make good on that promise, though, as we all know, he certainly wished for that walk on Bourbon Street in a dress.

When Buddy died in 2005, Bobby Hebert, The Cajun Cannon, took over his radio show; he also took over the promise. Now it is up to Bobby Hebert to carry on this tradition. Bobby Hebert has said on-air numerous times that he will fulfill Buddy's promise. If the Saints do get to the Super Bowl, Bobby Hebert would wear a dress and walk down Bourbon Street in honor of the late Diliberto. As Bobby Hebert has said over the airways during the 2006 New Orleans Saint's season, "I will be 'twitching' in high-heals down Bourbon Street."

In mid-January 2007, the New Orleans Saints made it to within one (1) win of going to the Superbowl. Bobby Hebert joked about the challenge, "There's a group called 'Buddy's Broads' and they want to march in the dresses in the Mardi Gras parades, but I told them it was a one time deal. I'll have no problem finding a dress, I'm sure they will have quite the selection. The challenge for them will be finding me some heels to fit my feet."

Well, we didn't see Bobby Hebert in a dress in February 2007 due to the 39 - 14 New Orleans Saints loss to the Chicago Bears in the NFC Championship. Bobby Hebert has said on-air that he is kind of relieved. He had visions in his head about second-lining and twirling the umbrella while doing the jig. Hopefully, Bobby will have to make good on his promise in February 2010!

Note: As of January 2012, the only teams in the NFL that have never been to a Superbowl are the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, and Jacksonville Jaguars.

Buddy's Broads

I pledge allegiance to the Saints, and the great city of New Orleans, and to the Superbowl, for which we will win, one city, below sea level, under God, with Mardi Gras and alcohol for all!

This is the day Buddy D vowed to don a dress

What New Orleans Saints Fans Think

• We think we need to win every game 100-0.
• We need to continue our love/hate relationship with Reggie Bush.
• We don’t want to waste Drew Brees.
• We know you other fans think this shit is funny.
• We want to play in, win, and have sex in the Super Bowl.
• Read More: The Mind of a Saints Fan

Make Some Noise! Who Dat!

• The most important thing for the Vikings offense is to get the play, so if you can disrupt that process when the Vikings have the ball, that creates a huge advantage for the Saints. Don't wait until the Vikings come to the line , make noise when the play and game clock are put into motion.
• When the Vikings offense is at the line of scrimmage; the fans need to scream!
• No matter if the Vikings are winning 100 or losing by 100, cheer as if the score is 0 - 0. At field level when you are cranked up, nobody can hear anything!
• You should not have a voice by the end of the game! It will be worth it: Superbowl & the Cajun Cannon in a dress!