If It Ain't Steel's NFL Mid-Season Reports And Predictions

The NFL season is at the midway point and we at If It Ain’t Steel are going to throw our predictions out there at the midway point along with some others. Week nine is in the books and we're now at a crucial point for a lot teams. This is the time of year when the cream rises to the top and the men separate themselves from the boys.

Starting off, we are going to talk mid-season MVP. The clear cut winner right now has to be Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons. Matty Ice, or the “Matural” as he has been called as of late, has the Falcons sitting at 8-0 and has been playing rather well a fifth year starter. Do we think that he will win the MVP hands down, if it was decided today? Yes, but it's not being decided today, so time will tell. There are some very viable candidates out there who could make a case for having their names mentioned in this discussion.

One who could emerge from the rubble as the 2012 NFL MVP is "The Sheriff”, Peyton Manning. He is playing extremely well coming of a neck injury (and four neck surgeries) that sidelined him for all of 2011, so I would not stick the fork in him just yet. There is also his little brother Eli who is having a very good season as well. Then there are also ones like Drew Brees, Percy Harvin, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger who are leading for their teams in the right direction. So, as of right now there is no clear cut winner.

If It Ain’t Steel's Prediction: Peyton Manning

As of right now, the Defensive Player of the Year is clearly J.J. Watt's to lose. He is playing lights out on defense and leads the league in sacks (10.5) and has been batting down passes like a wild man (10...as a DEFENSIVE END). He is helping this Texans defense show why they are to be feared and one of the most complete defenses in the league. Bears cornerback Tim Jennings is making a good case for consideration as well with a league-leading six interceptions, one for a touchdown, and 15 passes defended. Clay Matthews is making a good case, as is Demarcus Ware, but I again say it is Watt's to lose.

If It Ain’t Steel's Prediction: J.J. Watt

Comeback Player of the Year is also Peyton Manning’s to lose. He came back this season under the cloud of “can he play like the Peyton that we are all used to?” It turns out that the answer is a resounding "yes!" He sat out all last season and a lot of people, including myself, thought he would never be the Peyton of old. But, he proved me and a lot of others wrong. He is playing very well and, just like always, is making no-name receivers household names. Adrian Peterson is also a consideration as he leads the NFL in rushing (957 yards) through eight games after missing most of last season with a devastating knee injury. Matt Schaub’s name could also be put into this mix, coming off a foot injury last season and having the Texans poised to take the first seed in the AFC. Time will tell.

If It Ain’t Steel's Prediction: Peyton Manning

Rookie of the Year is still up for grabs in my opinion. Yes, right now Robert Griffin III is the front runner, but don’t count Andrew Luck out of this race just yet. Luck has been impressive so far in his rookie campaign as well, including setting a single-game rookie record Sunday for passing with 433 yards. He does not have the running yards that RGIII has, but he is playing well and has the Indianapolis Colts already at a better record than they had at this point in the season last year and is slowly making the people of Indy forget about that other guy. Russell Wilson is also playing well, but I believe this one will be a tight two-man race until the end.

If It Ain’t Steel's Prediction: Andrew Griffin 1.5

Coach of the Year is a tough one in my opinion. These guys are responsible for what goes on with their teams. If their team is having a bad season, then it is their name that gets tossed around as being on the proverbial hot seat. If the award was given today it would go to Mike Smith. The Falcons are playing perfect ball right now, but won't go undefeated.

Another coach that sticks out to me who should be in the conversation is Gary Kubiak of the Texans. The Texans are 7-1 and playing almost as well as the Falcons. They had one bad game against the Green Bay Packers, but that happens to teams. How did they respond? They came back and knocked the feathers off of the Baltimore Ravens, a team they had never beaten. They scored the most points in a single game in their franchise history and controlled the game almost from start to finish.

Another that could be in this conversation soon is John Harbaugh of the Ravens. If the Ravens manage to take the North and the second seed in the AFC with the injuries they have piled up, then he very well should be. He probably won’t be, however, because Mike Tomlin was not named coach of the year when he led the Pittsburgh Steelers to a 3-1 record without their starting quarterback, to a 12-4 overall record and to the Super Bowl again in 2010. But, I do not personally see the Ravens keeping the second seed, but just some food for thought.

If It Ain’t Steel's Prediction: None yet. It can still be any one of several coaches.

OK, now that we have those predictions out of the way, we want to touch on another prediction that everyone will start making now: which team will go to the Super Bowl and win it all. The NFC is not as much of the jumbled mess right now that the AFC is. There are several teams right at or above .500 that could very well make a late season push, so things are not completely written in stone yet in the AFC. I think the only team that is close to set in stone is the Texans. They're currently the #1 seed, are the most complete team in the AFC and I just do not see them going into any sort of spiral.

So, this is what I like to call my spin on this, or what my partner-in-writing calls “Jaydenisms." We do this a lot when coming up with ideas for our blog, we bounce off each other ideas and then the pieces take life. This one was no different. So, here goes some food for thought, so to speak.

There has not been a team to repeat as Super Bowl champions since the New England Patriots did it in '03 and '04, to find the next team to do it goes back to '97, '98 Broncos. So, to be a repeat champ is even harder than taking it all the first time. There have only been three teams since the 2003 season to represent the AFC and those were the Patriots ('03, '04, '07, and '11), the Colts ('06 and '09) and the Steelers ('05, '08 and '10). We predict that will change this year, but we will touch on that a little later.

The NFC on the other hand has only had one team to make a repeat appearance in that time frame - the New York Giants. Every year since '04 there has been a different NFC team represent the conference. So, the Giants being the current SB champs and representatives of the NFC does not assure them of going to the big dance.

For instance, in 2010 the New Orleans Saints went marching in to Seattle as the reigning champions. They were to play a team that was 7-9 and had won their conference. I'm sure they were thinking that this would be an easy win considering they were 11-5 and, again, the reigning champs. They thought wrong. Marshawn Lynch went Beast Mode on them with a 67-yard touchdown run by mowing down a supposedly good Saints defense. He made them look like a high school defense. Junior varsity. Similarly, last year the Packers, coming off a SB win and a 15-1 record got sent packing despite hosting a 9-7 Giants team on the (in my best John Facenda voice) frozen tundra of Lambeau Field.

Recently, though, the team that gets hot at the right time seems to be the team to take the championship regardless of the conference. Don’t believe me? Look back at who has gone to the SB six of the past seven seasons (Steelers, Colts, Giants, Arizona Cardinals, Packers and Giants). Those teams came from the wildcard rounds and all except one went on to win it all.

So, it really doesn't matter what your record is going in to the playoffs, it matters how you are playing when you get there. Right now, the Falcons are the best team in the NFC right now, but history has shown that it may not matter who has the best record. It is more of one of those “who wants it more” kind of things. Note the examples above.

That gets me to another point: just because a team looks good right now, and has a great record, does not mean they are going to be the team to beat. History has shown that a team with a sub-par early record can get hot late and win it all. Just because a team is sitting at or below .500 does not mean that they are done by any means.

Anything can happen. There are still a lot of games to be played and some of these teams sitting with winning records right now can see that change in a hurry. There are several teams that start out hot and falter second half of the season. Maybe they benefitted from an easy early schedule and then face better opponents late. Maybe they lose key players for the season. Maybe rivals want to play spoiler because they have nothing else left for which to play.

For teams that surge at the end of the season, the reverse could have been the case. Once early-season injuries that had initially set them back are behind them, they suddenly are true contenders. There are lots of things that factor into why.

The teams that stand out to me that are in that boat in the AFC are the San Diego Chargers, Broncos, Steelers and Colts. Those four teams could very well make the playoffs or end another teams playoff dreams, depending on the scenario. All four of these teams have the ability to turn their seasons around they are already on that path and could be spoilers for the ones sitting on top right now. Time will tell, because, again, there is a lot of season left.

So, to end this we are going to make our prediction of who we think will make the Super Bowl this year. It may surprise some people. But, hey, we aren’t known to think inside of the box, now are we?

If It Ain’t Steel's Super Bowl Prediction: Texans vs. Bears

I know, we don't have our Steelers in the big dance. We have a lot of work to do, even after the Giants win. And let’s face it, we're not delusional, we are realistic. The Texans are the best team in the AFC and are going to be hard to put out of the playoffs if they play at home. The Bears are getting it together and quietly demolishing teams. Jay Cutler and crew will be hard to beat the second half of the season.

Trust us, we hope our Steelers prove us wrong, we would love nothing more. And if they do, that is one big helping of crow we will be more than glad to eat.

Godfather Goodell Gets Taken To The Mattresses In Saints Bounty Case

Looks like the Godfather was made an offer he couldn't refuse. Actually, he had no other choice.

Per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk on Friday, the Bounty Gate suspensions were overturned by the internal appeals panel, not a judicial court ruling. Richard J. Howell, on behalf of that three-person panel, points out that the case now has been given back to Roger Goodell. 

They decided that it’s unclear that the suspensions imposed by Goodell fall within his jurisdiction, and not the jurisdiction of the “System Arbitrator." 

“While we agree, then, that the Commissioner had jurisdiction to discipline the Players in this case, we are uncertain that the discipline handed down was attributable, in any part, to that aspect of the Program which lies within the exclusive jurisdiction of the System Arbitrator."

Howell continued, “While we could speculate, it is not clear from the record before us whether had the distinction we draw in mind at the time he disciplined the players.”

This basically means that the suspensions are voided and that Godfather Goodell doesn't have jurisdiction and, Barzini, rather, Stephen Burbank does. So, for now, as was said earlier, this is now back in the hands of Goodell. 

Just when he thinks he's out, they drag him back in!

This isn't necessarily a victory for Saints. It just means that the arbitration panel, i.e. the five families, decided that more specific evidence needs to be provided and it may more directly be under the purview of the System Arbitrator. So, the players will be in uniform opening weekend. The ruling means nothing, though, to Sean Payton, Mickey Loomis, Joe Vitt, and Gregg Williams. It doesn't affect them at all. - http://sports.yahoo.com/news/panel-vacates-bounty-suspensions-201848601--nfl.html

As Adam Schefter said, "With Saints suspensions overturned, players are eligible to play this weekend. Talk about a can of worms being opened on eve of 2012 season.

Exactly. How is Goodell supposed to continue to work toward more balanced adjudications when his rulings can be countered because a lawyer(s) can fail "to properly draw the lines when drawing up the penalties?" This is good for Saints P.R., but not for NFL perception. - http://t.co/h1UliW4a 

A bottom line statement was provided by Schefter when he stated, the "Appeals Panel vacated suspensions and directed Commissioner to make "an expeditious re-determination" of discipline for conduct detrimental. Until Commissioner does that, the players are reinstated and eligible to play." - http://t.co/ZdL2kfIH

This isn't the end of the Bounty Gate suspension fiasco. The panel didn’t make any determinations as to whether or not there was a bounty program and who may have participated. New and/or more specific evidence needs to be provided and then the players should still see some much deserved downtime. - http://t.co/w5pKlmQH

So, Goodell still has time to settle all family business. 

Mr. Goodell, Even NFL Chickens Always Come Home To Roost

The hits just keep coming...

In an article by Pro Football Talk Thursday, Terry Bradshaw was quoted as saying he doesn't think NFL truly cares about former players. This is hardly the first time that the NFL has been accused of such things, as "more than 80 concussion-related suits have been filed against the NFL by more than 2,000 former players." - http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/story/2012-06-06/nfl-concussion-lawsuit/55433744/1

This blog has touched quite a bit on the Saints Bountygate scandal and the involvement of the players, coaches and administration. This blog also blatantly accused Roger Goodell and the NFL last season of hypocrisy. So it's no wonder that former players like Bradshaw have said the things they have. The NFL has a terrible track record for taking care of its former, and in some cases current, players.

I'm not going to dwell to much on this because PFT's article itself is so well written. But I did want to briefly speak on something else Bradshaw said that was first said by former NFL quarterback Kurt Warner.

“If I had a son today...I would not let him play football,” Terry Bradshaw told Jay Leno on The Tonight Show." Bradshaw also went so far as to say that football will "phase" out over the next decade.

The notion that football could be gone within the next years isn't what he's saying here, though I have heard certain detractors suggest that very thing. But he is saying that the game we know and love today may be vastly different.

I'm a firm believer in the notion of "they know what they signed up for." A woman who poses nude for a living doesn't have the right to complain when men (and sometimes other women) look at her only as a sex symbol. You don't want to objectified? Keep your clothes on. Similarly, if a man doesn't want to be a piece of meat in another since, keep studying and be a doctor. The point is that neither went into either situation blindly.

NFL players play the game because they want to and know of all the horror stories of retired players long before their first professional down. Stories of those who have to suck their dinner through a straw at age 50 or, worse yet, are already dead at that age. So I'm afraid I can't exactly empathize when I hear the various complaints.

As a form of proof to this sentiment, when Bradshaw was asked if he'd do it all again knowing what he knows, he said he'd "absolutely" do so. For the rest of Bradshaw's comments and the entirety of the article, follow this link: http://t.co/oDA0Yn2J

Bounty Scandal, Concussions Encompass Past, Present & Future Of NFL

The confluence of events this first week of May has to have Roger Goodell's head spinning.

There was the tragic passing of former NFL linebacking great, Junior Seau, there were the suspensions Goodell himself laid down on the Bountygate scandal, there was the class action lawsuit against the NFL from former players saying that they weren't protected for so long, and the NFLPA has filed a grievance vs. NFL challenging Commissioner Goodell's authority to suspend the four players he did.

Don't forget that DeMaurice Smith is caught between a rock and a hard place, too, because he has to defend players...against players. Players who put out bounties on fellow players. Just as importantly, players who are now railing against being fined and/or suspended.

But, despite the fact that Goodell remains historically inconsistent in matters of meting out punishments, I maintain that he got this one right.

Their grievance is of interest because there are over 50,000 pages of evidence in the NFL report. Add to the fact that they signed a CBA that gives Goodell the power to hand out these sanctions. So, yes, suspended Saints players will get the "due process" for which the union bargained. But you get caught with your hand in the proverbial cookie jar and you have to expect it to get slapped. - 
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/05/02/saints-players-will-receive-the-due-process-for-which-the-union-bargained/

"The way I look at it, Steelers [are] only ones who can complain about Goodell's power. 31 other teams could've voted against CBA but didn't. #karma" - Mark Kaboly, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Exactly, Mark. Steelers players are doing just that by the way. There was quite a Twitter buzz over the suspensions assessed by Goodell from Steelers Ryan Clark, LaMarr Woodley and James Harrison. - http://t.co/tvBhrwjW

An example of how the Steelers players reacted is from Ryan Clark: “@RealRClark25: Wonder why the team got the least penalties in Bounty Gate! Think about who elected & rewarded the commish, it's the owners of the teams!”

Woodley and Harrison had not-so-dissimilar sentiments. Not unexpected considering there's no love lost between Goodell and the Steelers, especially James Harrison.

The reality, though, is that Goodell does have the power to levy fines and suspensions. He also has the power to hear appeals, if the NFL is treating Bountygate as an "off the field" issue that is. But if it's "on the field" then appeals go to an independent arbitrator.

The NFL is making sure those bases are covered too, though. Mary Jo White, a New York-based attorney who formerly was the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, was hired by league to review the bounty scandal. She calls the evidence against the players "quite strong."

“It is a rare situation where you have multiple independent sources with first-hand knowledge,” Mary Jo White, said in a conference call with reporters. “This is not something based on what somebody else said to them. It is an unusually strong record on which the commissioner acted.” - http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/football-insider/post/former-federal-prosecutor-mary-jo-white-says-the-nfl-case-against-suspended-players-is-strong/2012/05/03/gIQAp3EqzT_blog.html

If the players are so vehement over the suspensions because they're innocent of any and all allegations, why didn't they meet with Goodell to proclaim their innocence? - http://t.co/ReOIhnBp

Could it be because Hargrove provided empirical evidence when he signed a declaration that was submitted by the NFLPA? - http://t.co/y1MdyFh8

The players involved are on a real slippery slope here. They haven't done themselves any favors leading up to this and have instead tried to back door the situation by attempting to steer review process away from Goodell. - http://t.co/VDuE0JM4

That having been said, there is support for some of Goodell's power being taken away. ESPN's Mike Hill and Mark Schlereth were very blunt in tweeting their opinions on the matter.

“@HillSchlereth: "They need to change who hands out the punishments. It needs to be someone independent outside of the NFL."

Personally, I agree. It's my opinion that Goodell suspends players based upon the level of embarassment to the "shield" and not on actual infractions. It might even seem to the average or ancillary fan that Goodell has no rhyme or reason with regard to his discipline.

When Ben Roethlisberger was suspended for the beginning of 2010, there was no arrest, basically no evidence and no conviction. On the other hand, Tank Johnson was arrested in Chicago for possession of a handgun in his sport utility vehicle. "It is unlawful to carry or possess any firearm in any vehicle or concealed on or about the person, except on one’s land or in one’s home or fixed place of business" in Illinois.

Johnson pled guilty to a misdemeanor gun charge and was sentenced. On February 12, 2006, Johnson, while still on probation, was charged with aggravated assault and resisting arrest after allegedly verbally threatening a police officer.

On December 14, 2006, police officers searched Johnson's home in Gurnee, Illinois, and discovered that he possessed six firearms, including two assault rifles. According to police reports, some of the guns were loaded and there were children in the house.

Johnson was even forced to appear in Circuit court to request permission to leave the State of Illinois to travel to Miami, Florida to play in Super Bowl XLI. Johnson met with Goodell to determine punishment for his off-the-field transgressions, with Goodell eventually imposing an eight-game suspension, with the possibility of a reduction to six games if Johnson followed certain requirements for violating the NFL player conduct policy.

Four games for no arrest and no case, but six games for having enough artillery to fortify Che Guevara's resistance movement? Not to mention child endangerment.

But Roethlisberger is the franchise quarterback of one of the league's premiere teams. Tank Johnson is...quick, name his draft year. Ok, well, name the position he plays. Exactly. Like I said, level of embarassment to the "shield" trumps actual infractions.

So, it's no surprise that Goodell came down harder on the Saints organization than he did the Patriots' brass: the player safety issue is his main trumpet call. The Bounty scandal directly defies that. Goodell wants a game with fewer paralyzing, career ending and even life ending injuries as his legacy. So he will react stronger when the "shield" is tarnished.

I understand, even applaud, WHAT he's doing, I simply don't agree HOW he's doing it. Wanting player safety is admirable, as no one wants to see another Mike Webster, Dave Duerson or Junior Seau. But too many fans, players and even officials are confused over what the rules actually say. Officials will flag a player for a supposed illegal and finable hit, but no fine comes. Then there will be a hit that the commentators question or that fans boo over because of no flag was thrown, but that receives a fine that Tuesday. Goodell has everyone confused and it affects his being able to completely establish a system that everyone can follow. Or even wants to follow.

Goodell and the NFL need to be more proactive with regard to both the clarification of the rules regarding defenseless, helmet-to-helmet and quarterback hits as well as advances in helmet technology itself. The fining of players for what are deemed illegal hits is reactive and therefore does not equal player safety. The rules on how and where to hit so as to maintain player safety are stated in the rule book, yes. But, as I said, they are incomplete and/or contradictory. All fines do is remind the players to adhere to rules they don't completely understand in the first place. Not to mention the fact that those rules apply to defensive players and not to offensive players. A defensive player cannot lead with his helmet, but a running back can lower his head and lead with his helmet to "attack" the defender. Again, contradictory.

With regard to helmet technology, though, I don't know it will ever advance to the point where the players won't be affected at all. As an NFL lineman once said, being on the offensive or defensive line is like being in a car crash 60 times a day. Well, is every car crash straight forward? Are not many of them from various angles? Can the one hitting often also receive injuries from the "crash"? The analogy is very apt, and can be expanded to include all such tackles, when you consider that few tackles are ever completely "head-on", there is always some form of torque involved that can adversely affect the head, neck and back, and both players can be hurt by a hit. Case in point: 2008 Ravens-Steelers AFC Championship game, safety Ryan Clark launches into Willis McGahee and both stayed down several minutes. - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNmEeTgYLvw&feature=youtube_gdata_player 

Now, don't get me wrong, that tackle was textbook and was legal at the time. He lead with the shoulder and the helmet contact was secondary and inevitable. But it's an example of the point being made. The NFL is an inherently violent game and there are certain aspects of it that are too dynamic to completely control.

It's true that the human body was not meant to endure that aforementioned inherent violence, but the players know what they're getting involved with when they sign up. That hasn't stopped hundreds of players from filing a class action lawsuit against the NFL for concussions received and for the NFL not taking proper precautions to protect them.

It's not something, per se, that Goodell oversaw, but he still feels the brunt of it as it falls into his lap. Especially since his emphasis has been on concussions and player safety. Because of this, are there post-traumatic stress lawsuits coming as well? Former New York Giants defensive lineman Leonard Marshall wrote a book about concussions and the other effects of playing in the NFL. He sat down for an interview with Amarie of sportschatfanatic.com to discuss these very things. -  http://t.co/VVqqGd5t

Amarie can also be found on Twitter at @AmarieSCF and on Facebook at the Amarie SportsChat page. -  http://www.facebook.com/jayden.matthews?ref=tn_tnmn#!/amarie.sportschat


The future of the NFL may be quite different in the next ten years if more and more studies and books come out regarding concussions and their long-term effects. Whether it becomes one that's overly cautious to the point of testing players after every game or not remains to be seen. Regardless, the Saints Bounty scandal has had at least a hand in seeing to that coming to fruition. And to Roger Goodell being right in the middle of the head spinning controversies.

Scrutiny On The Bounty: The NFL, Saints and Inconsistency

It was September 29, 2008 against the rival Baltimore Ravens. Rashard Mendenhall takes the ball and gets hit by linebacker Ray Lewis squarely in his shoulder, fracturing it and putting him out for the season.

Before the next game between the two teams, during the "2 Live Stews" syndicated radio show on Oct. 17, Baltimore linebacker Terrell Suggs said that they had put a bounty on Hines Ward and Mendenhall. Suggs was asked, "Did y'all put a bounty out on that young man [Mendenhall]?" Suggs replied, "Definitely. The bounty was out on him and the bounty was out on [Ward]...we just didn't get [Ward] between the whistles."

It was March 2, 2012 when it was revealed that the New Orleans Saints had bounties not on a hated rival's key player, but on every opposing player in the NFL from 2009 to 2011.

Obviously, no one in the Saints organization was aware of what Ray Anderson, the NFL's executive vice president of football operations, said on the matter shortly thereafter.

Anderson told http://ESPN.com: "That 'bounty' notion is completely against the rules. To the extent that someone is engaged in that activity, we will look into it and address it. Yes, we've seen the comments and we're trying to determine the completeness of the circumstances."

Weren't the words, "completely against the rules" definitive enough?

Before I go any further, let me be clear about the fact that this blog post won't read like a breaking news report. I'll leave the fact-finding to Mike Florio of http://profootballtalk.com and Adam Schefter of ESPN, @profootballtalk and @AdamSchefter respectively on Twitter. This post will, though, entertain thoughts on the ramifications this may have on several fronts.

To that point, it was Adam Schefter who reported that NFL security had determined that there were between 22 and 27 defensive players on the Saints maintained a bounty program. It was defensive coordinator Gregg Williams who administered the program with knowledge of other defensive coaches.

The NFL scrutiny of the Saints began in 2010 when allegations were made that the Saints targeted such quarterbacks as Brett Favre and Kurt Warner. The investigation contains 18,000 documents totaling more than 50,000 pages.

Regarding the bounty program and the monies paid on different players and for different results, the NFL-issued release stated: “The payments here are particularly troubling because they involved not just payments for ‘performance,’ but also for injuring opposing players,” Commissioner Roger Goodell said in the release.

“The bounty rule promotes two key elements of NFL football: player safety and competitive integrity. It is our responsibility to protect player safety and the integrity of our game, and this type of conduct will not be tolerated.  We have made significant progress in changing the culture with respect to player safety and we are not going to relent. We have more work to do and we will do it.”

The league’s release said that the program not only included payments for fumbles and interceptions, but also $1,000 for inflicting injuries that resulted in players being carried off the field and $1,500 for players being knocked out of the game.

The release also stated that coach Sean Payton, while not involved in the program directly, knew about the bounty and did nothing to stop it. For a certainty, a mistake on his part. One for which he will have to answer in some fashion.

Discipline for the Saints could include fines, suspensions and forfeiture of draft choices, per Adam Schefter. Commissioner Goodell will determine the discipline. Schefter also said, "a safe prediction: Saints will be disciplined far worse than the Patriots were for Spygate."

If that's the case, then, while Sean Payton won't get more than the slap on the wrist Bill Belichik received, Saints general manager Mickey Loomis, who was also has been implicated, should get decidedly more than was divvied out in 2005.

It was reported by Pro Football Talk that, though the relevant portion of the release was somewhat unclear, it appears that Loomis may have lied to owner Tom Benson about the existence of a bounty program and/or failed to end the program after being told by Benson to do so.

If that is to be believed, you're looking at insolence and complicity. If it isn't to be believed and Tom Benson was involved, now you also have collusion and Goodell has a potential dilemma in front of him.

Goodell already has tenuous relations with the players, so another light-handed reaction to something done by an owner and/or GM will set relations on it's ear. Especially when considering how conversely heavy-handed he has been on them at times. Goodell and the NFLPA will have to work together closely on this matter to avoid having a noticeable limp as the NFL moves forward.

As it is, the NFLPA says it will study league's report on Saints' bounties. “Health and safety is a paramount issue to the NFLPA,” the union said in a statement. The rest of the statement and Pro Football Talk's commentary on it can be read here:  http://t.co/d8pOgn2L

Kurt Warner, who was earlier mentioned specifically as a targeted player said this about it: "It's definitely disappointing, but I won’t say that I’m completely surprised...that there were teams out there doing those kinds of things behind closed doors."

“I think that’s part of the game, and I think that’s part of the mindset,” Warner said. “And I’m not going to tell you that I haven’t believed that there was probably defensive players that got together and said, ‘Hey, you know, a thousand bucks for the first guy to knock Kurt out of a football game.’ I’m sure that’s been a part of our league for a long time.” http://t.co/Fq2yTj44

This is isn't the first time Gregg Williams has done this. The Washington Post reported that the Redskins had a bounty system for big hits on opponents under Williams, who was their defensive coordinator from 2004-2007, per Adam Schefter. Williams has since apologized for this "terrible mistake": http://t.co/13xhxP3n

Pro Football Talk suggested that, If Goodell really wants to punish the Saints, he should take away their franchise tag: http://t.co/MQxH0Inp

Doing so would strike an immediate blow to the Saints who, per a league source, used the exclusive version of the franchise tag on Drew Brees. He won't be able to talk to any other teams. So, if the Saints punishment is indeed coming by March 25, as Jay Glazer has stated, there is time to halt their dealings and  http://t.co/WH7jxQpH

That's just one option, of course, and I'm not here to debate punishments to be levied anyway. I don't sit on the rules committee, nor do I rule with an iron-mixed-with-clay fist, so I'll leave judgement to the purview of those in charge.

No, what comes into light for me is that there is an ancillary issue that is of the prime benefit to Steelers fans and true NFL fans. The development of this story forces NFL fans, and people in general around the country and world, who only read the sensationalistic headlines and snippets regarding the Steelers and their players, and even certain overly vocal Browns players, to acknowledge and turn their attention to actual and admittedly dirty players and coaches.

Those same ones will also have to put down their torches and leave the James Harrison witch hunt or be exposed as significantly less-than-intelligent. Harrison said he wants the opponent to feel pain when he hits them, to hurt them (similar to things said by many players over the years, including NFL darlings and Hall of Famers Deacon Jones, Chuck Bednarik and Dick "Night Train" Lane), but not to cause injuries. Certainly not as a part of some sort of bounty either. Clearly, there's a difference.

Mark Kaboly put it well when he said: "Ironic this is that @jharrison9292 (James Harrison's Twitter handle) got fined $20K for what was deemed a dirty hit to New Orleans QB Drew Brees two years ago" during the time of the bounties.

Ironic indeed.

As a Steelers fan, I'm keenly concerned with the highly resented implications, even outright accusations of the "dirty" play of the Steelers. Especially where it concerns outside linebacker James Harrison. Even more so now that this has come to light.

The NFL and Goodell have been very inconsistent in how the NFL's games have been called and how fines have been assessed. Except when it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers and one James Harrison. The inconsistent practices of the former have caused even non-Steelers fans to wonder aloud if Goodell has some axe to grind with latter. When that happens, you know there is a problem with balance...or the lack thereof.

I won't demand an apology, a la Tom Hagen in The Godfather II, knowing that there are times when Harrison has, unfortunately, laid illegal hits. That would be excessive and, to be blunt, a laughable request.

I simply have desire to see Goodell handle this properly and without the cloak and dagger feel of Spygate. Not to mention handling the Saints problem with the same ardor he has used with another Black and Gold clad team and eliminate the myth of Steelers as a "dirty" team...at least until the next time the Steelers play the Cleveland Browns.