New Orleans Saints Bounty Scandal: No Way Saints Are Only Culprits

The New Orleans Saints are going to be made an example of for instituting a "bounty" program that is in no way new to the NFL.  

The league launched a probe into the Saints and found that they had a bounty system that paid bonuses to players for things that included injuring the opponent. 

According to the CNN Wire Staff, the league revealed the following details of the bounty plan. 

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They were paid $1,500 for a "knockout," when an opposing player was not able to return to the game, and $1,000 for a "cart-off," when an opposing player had to be carried off the field. In some cases, particular players on the opposing team were targeted, the NFL said.

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This is a shocking bit of news when put out into the public in those terms, but only to those who are unwilling to accept a long-established culture of the NFL. 

There isn't an NFL player that will admit to being intimidated when stepping onto a field, but you better believe they know which players are going to hit them with a vengeance. 

This can cause receivers to be timid going over the middle, running backs to not hit the hole with the same reckless abandon and QBs to not step into throws with authority. And that is exactly why bounty programs like this exist, and have existed. 

Bucky Brooks, an analyst for NFL.com, shared some of his experience while he was in the NFL (via NFL.com):

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From my rookie season in 1994 to my final year as a scout in 2007, I was associated with several teams that incorporated various forms of the "bounty" program cited in New Orleans.

Most of those bonuses were tied to sacks, interceptions, forced fumbles and return touchdowns, but big hits and knockout shots were also included in the payouts. The financial incentives were established by players prior to the season, typically within a position group, and the payouts ranged from a few hundred dollars to $1,500 at the max.

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This revelation should not come as a shock. This is certainly not the first time NFL bounties have come to the public forefront. 

In 1989, Cowboys coach Jimmie Johnson accused Buddy Ryan of instituting a bounty on Cowboys QB Troy Aikman and kicker Luis Zendejas. 

There was no proof of these claims, but it is a hard thing to prove. 

While this bounty program can seem overtly dirty, it is not promoting anything new. 

Matt Bowen, a former player of Greg Williams, the Saints defensive coordinator during the time in question, had this to say in the Chicago Tribune.  

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Price tags started low during the regular season—a couple hundred bucks for going after the quarterback hard or taking a running back out below the knees. Chop him down and give a quick smile when you got back to the huddle. You just got a bonus.

That's right. We got paid for big hits, clean hits by the rule book.

I wanted to be That Guy for him [Williams], playing the game with an attitude opposing players absolutely feared. If that meant playing through the whistle or going low on a tackle, I did it.

I don't regret any part of it. I can't. Williams is the best coach I ever played for in my years in the NFL, a true teacher who developed me as a player. I believed in him. I still do. That will never change.

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The fact of the matter is that coaches everywhere are trying to get their players to hit the opposition as hard as possible to institute as much fear as possible. As Bowen stressed, it was for "clean hits."  

That means there will always be players like Bowen busting their tail to be "That Guy." And that is regardless of any bounty program. 

Take a look at some of these defensive highlights from the Saints in 2010, and you aren't going to see anything any more vicious or dirty than in any other NFL game. 

Laying down bone-rattling hits is one of the fastest ways to get noticed and carve out a reputation, and it is a quick way for a defense to create an identity and a swagger.

Coaches and players are always going to look for a way to increase that intimidation factor, and that has led to "bounty" programs. 

This has been one of those dirty little secrets that goes on behind the scenes in the NFL. And you better believe it is going to continue to go on. Players and coaches will just take more caution now to make sure they don't get caught.