- You most likely know by now, but the New Orleans Saints were found guilty of running a “bounty program” with their defense from 2009 to 2011, with former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams at the reigns. He is accused of paying players for “taking opponents out”, sometimes extra if that player was carted off the field. The Redskins are now also being linked to the bounty system, as Williams was a coach in Washington from ’04 to ’07. But, most ESPN analysts are saying the Saints will face a much “harsher” penalty, mostly because of evidence(50,000 pages) and it occurred in the last couple of years, while the NFL has been attempting to take those kind of hits out of the game.
Now, the question is what will the penalty be? How hard is the NFL going to hit the Saints? Will coaches and/or players who participated get suspensions?
I personally believe the NFL will make an example out of the Saints, a big one. A couple first round picks, all 22-27 players involved fined, then suspended for at least one game, and a huge fine for the team. Now, what I say next may upset the Who Dat nation, but it could very easily happen: Sean Payton suspended for 2-6 games due to his role in the “bounty program”. No, it wasn’t a major role, or even a direct role, but he did nothing to stop it when he learned what was happening.
So you may be thinking again, how does this relate to Washington?
Saints quarterback Drew Brees is not only known for his amazing play, but also his squeaky clean image. Let’s say Coach Sean Payton gets hit with a 6-game suspension, and the team loses key defensive players for a few games due to thier roles in the “program”. Being that the Saints and Brees are currently in disagreement about a long term contract, Brees may want out (this is just a prediction people). That’s is when the Redskins and swoop in and offer Drew a contract he can’t refuse. Sure, it’s unlikely, but think about it. This could easily tarnish the Saints reputation, and I wouldn’t be surprised if this scandal pushes Carl Nicks and Marques Colston out of the door, both of whom are on the Redskins’ radar. Yes, Brees loves the city, and the city loves him more, but he may not want to stick around for the heat the Saints are set to receive in the aftermath of this situation.
The odds of Wasington landing Brees aren’t big, but it could happen. I think it’s safe to say all of the free agents with the Saints are now reconsidering signing with the team. This could end up being huge for the Redskins, assuming they are not punished as well.
So what do you think? Brees? Nicks? Colston? Could all possibly have a chance of landing in Washington? We’ll definitely find out in the coming weeks, and see what “the harshest penalty ever handed down to an NFL team” will be.
What do you think Redskins nation?
Tags: Drew Brees, Gregg Williams, Redskins, Saints, Sean Payton
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