Saints Agree Record Breaking Deal With Brees

by Dugald Skene

Yet another sign of the burgeoning financial might of the NFL came to light last Friday as it was revealed by the New Orleans Saints they have finally met starting quarterback Drew Brees' wage demands, settling on a five year deal worth an average of $20 million a year.

This new deal represents the highest average wage payments to any player in the history of the game, beating the Indianapolis Colts who paid former star quarterback Peyton Manning an average $19 million a year.

Drew Brees has signed a record deal with the New Orleans Saints

The Saints have likely had to reorganise their finances to accommodate Brees' new wage agreement in order to keep to the $120.6 million salary cap. It means that one player will command 1/6 of the total available funds available for team wages. Of the $100 million, 5 year deal, $60 million is guaranteed, with $40 million of that due to Brees in the first year of the contract. This is an unprecedented payment to any player, and has shocked many in the game. The reason the Saints can do this is that they are allowed to spread the signing on fee of $40 million over multiple years, meaning that it'll likely only cost them around $10 million a year.

Brees, who broke the all time league record for passing yards last season, is by far and away the Saints MVP, with the franchise revolving around him. With all the scandal surrounding the Saints in the past few months with 'bountygate' and the subsequent suspensions, most notably of head coach Sean Payton, the talismanic Brees has become more and more the club's figurehead and face of the franchise.

In short, Brees could name his price and has waited more months than many feel was necessary for the Saints to agree his sum. Many fans have turned against Brees for his belligerence during the negotiations and some of his comments aimed at the organistation, but more have criticised the Saints for not settling sooner, particularly given the negative headlines of late. I don't think anyone can grudge Brees the deal, he has helped make the franchise the perennial Superbowl competitors they are and deserves to be rewarded.

Now that terms have finally been settled, attention for Saints fans now turns to pre season as the players head to camp for July 24th.  They will all be hoping that the Saints ship has now been stabilised and the team can look forward to another push for the playoffs in 2012.

NFL Comes Down Hard On Saints

by Dugald Skene

The NFL today revealed the sanctions it was imposing on the New Orleans Saints following the revelations that defensive players were being rewarded form a bounty fund for deliberately inflicting injury on opposition players.

When releasing their findings the NFL stated that between 22 and 27 defensive players were involved in the bounty system and rewarded by defensive coordinator Gregg Williams (now at St Louis Rams).  It is believed the bounty fund amounted to up to $50,000.

The New Orleans Saints have been heavily punished by the NFL

The NFL have come down hard on the Saints, with commissioner Goodell announcing today that head coach Sean Payton will be suspended for 1 year effective from April 1st after it was found he was in cahoots about the incentive scheme throughout the 3 years it was in place.  Assistant coach Joe Vitt has been suspended for 6 games without pay and fined an additional $100,000.  The Saints have also lost their second round Draft picks for both this year and 2013.  For a team that builds so specifically around the Draft, this is a major blow for the franchise.

The other penalties imposed on the team are as follows:

• The Saints are fined $500,000

• Saints general manager Mickey Loomis is suspended without pay for the first eight regular-season games of the 2012 season.

• Former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is suspended indefinitely from the NFL, effective immediately. Goodell will review Williams’ status at the conclusion of the 2012 season and consider whether to reinstate him, and, if so, on what terms. Goodell said he will give close attention to the extent to which Williams cooperates with the NFL in any further proceedings.

• The Saints and the individuals disciplined today are expected to participate in efforts led by the league office to develop programs that will instruct players and coaches at all levels of the game on the need for respect for the game and those who participate in it, on principles of fair play, safety and sportsmanship, and to ensure that bounties will not be part of football at any level.

• The NFL also said the involvement of players in the bounty program remain under investigation and Goodell will address possible discipline at a later date.

It represents just about the worst possible outcome for the Saints fans who have been waiting the last few weeks for todays verdicts.  Huge questions will be asked of the team over the next 12 months as they look to regroup following this news.  For one of the top teams with arguably the best quarterback in the league, things couldn't get much worse.

Saints' Halos Knocked But Not Smashed After NFL Findings

by Dugald Skene

It’s only been a few weeks since the New York Giants won Superbowl XLVI and the off-season headlines have been flying in thick and fast.

So far we’ve had the Combine, the ongoing speculation as to where Peyton Manning is heading and the fact that Drew Brees apparently refuses to sign his contract with the New Orleans Saints claiming they are ‘miles apart’ with the terms.  Failure to reach an agreement could see arguably the best QB in the NFL become a free agent!

But perhaps the most dumbfounding headline of all has also come from the Saints. 

This week, the League announced its findings from an investigation into the New Orleans franchise that the players were financially rewarded by former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams for inflicting career threatening injuries on opposition players from what the NFL is calling a ‘bounty’ fund. 

The NFL discovered that somewhere between 22 and 27 defensive players were involved in the bounty system and that it amounted to up to $50,000.

To me, this is incredible.  Sure, I’m a fan of the NFL but I don’t think that is necessary to understand the abhorrence of the crime.  Any fan of any professional sport must surely appreciate that.

To translate this, it’s the equivalent of saying a top team (the Saints won the Superbowl in 2009 and can be considered among the elite in the NFL right now) in the Barclays Premier League have spent the last 3 years rewarding their players for going out to try and break opposition players legs when tackling - it’s ridiculous!

The men at the centre of the 'pay-for-pain' system who are still at the Saints are general manager Mickey Loomis and head coach Sean Payton.  In a joint press conference, they announced "…We acknowledge that the violations disclosed by the NFL during their investigation of our club happened under our watch.

"We take full responsibility this has brought undue hardship on [owner] Mr. Benson, who had nothing to do with this activity. He has been nothing but supportive and for that we both apologise to him.”

Despite this, it is reported that Tom Benson has no intention of firing either Loomis or Payton.

Saints head coach Sean Payton has apologised for his

involvement but faces no further action

For Gregg Williams, who was recently hired as St Louis Rams defensive coordinator, the future is a bit murkier.  The NFL may yet suspend and fine him after it was found that he may have instigated similar schemes whilst at the Washington Redskins and the Buffalo Bills.

The whole issue has divided opinion among fans and commentators in the NFL.  Some believe that the physical nature of the sport is inherent and that violence and injuries are par for the course, so what’s wrong with providing an incentive to go out and do what you would be doing anyway?  Those people have come down hard on the League believing that the opening of an investigation was an overreaction.

The flipside of course is that there are those who believe ‘bountygate’ undermines the integrity of the sport, a sport that prides itself as the best professional league in the world.  Of course, American sports fans have a skewed and short-sighted view of the world and what they actually mean is their own country (where else invents their own sports and whoever wins the national championship is coined ‘World Champion’?).

Nevertheless, the NFL is an ever-expanding brand, evidence of which can be seen by the spread of regular season games to Europe.  The last thing the League needs is for its image to be tarnished.

For all the furore now, it seems that the NFL is keen to put the whole saga behind them as quickly as possible.  Aside from potential punishment to Williams, there doesn’t appear to be any signs at the moment of sanctions to be placed on either the franchise or the other individual co-conspirators. 

In a final statement from team owner Benson, he said "I have been made aware of the NFL’s findings relative to the “Bounty Rule” and how it relates to our club. I have offered and the NFL has received our full cooperation in their investigation. While the findings may be troubling, we look forward to putting this behind us and winning more championships in the future for our fans."

It may be that Benson's hopes will be realised and we will hear little more about this in the coming weeks, but there is a general consensus and growing fear from Saints fans that the NFL, who have strived so much of late to reduce the number of head injuries and concussions in the game, will come down hard on the Saints.

How?  The most obvious way would be to restrict them in the Draft, perhaps to remove their first two or even three picks.  For a team that builds around the Draft and uses it so effectively, this would be disastrous for a team like the Saints.

If the NFL is keen to get this over with quickly, we will likely hear soon of the outcome. In the meantime, there will be plenty in New Orleans crossing their fingers as they await he NFL verdict.

49ers Stun Saints In Playoff Classic

Wow.

I was going to to a blog after all four of the divisional playoff games, but after witnessing the first contest between the San Francisco 49ers and the New Orleans Saints, it was too hard not to open the laptop!

In short, this one was a classic.

The whole build-up this week was about the contest between the prolific Saints offence with record breaking QB Drew Brees and the tough defence of the 49ers.  Who would come out on top? Well, against the majority of expectations, it was the 49ers defence that won the day today.

Drew Brees never really got out of second gear as he struggled all day to get any kind of rhythm.  There were signs of his trademark pinpoint accuracy with his 2nd TD pass to Jimmy Graham, his only 20+ yard completion in the first 3 quarters of the game.

The 49ers defensive coverage was outstanding, providing very few options for Brees to aim for.  Colston struggled to get any ball time and Brees resorted to passing short and running through Darren Sproles.

Defensive linebacker Patrick Willis prevents Jimmy Graham

getting the ball as part of an outstanding defensive display

As much as the 49ers defence dominated, only getting stronger through the game, the special teams also played a crucial role, forcing a couple of turnovers.  It looked for a while that San Francisco weren't capitalising enough on those turnovers, and the Saints eventually dragged the early 49er lead back.

For what was essentially a long and uneventful first 3 quarters,the game came to life in the 4th, particularly as the quarter wore on. 

San Francisco converted a couple of field goals through Dan Akers to take a 23-16 lead, only for the Saints to respond with a Darren Sproles TD to take a lead of 1, their first time leading the game.  With 4:02 left on the clock, 49ers QB Alex Smith took his team down the field including a huge 37 yard passing play to Vernon Davis who was outstanding all day posting180 receiving yards - the most in a game by a tight end in NFL postseason history.

The Saints defence then held the 49ers at the 28 yard line with 3rd down and 9.  Up steps Alex Smith takes the ball himself with brilliant offensive blocking to run down the left side of the field to score a touchdown in spectacular fashion. With all of the euphoria around Candlestick Park, Smith and Co had to quickly regroup to get the 2 point conversion, but failed with some tough defence from the Saints.

2:11 left on the clock, Saints ball.

Two quick first downs get the Saints to their own 37 yard line.  Then Brees throws to Jimmy Graham who runs it in for a 63 yard play and TD.  Saints get the 2 point conversion to take a 3 point lead with little over a minute left on the clock.

Alex Smith took to the field knowing he had to lead his team down the field to at least get a FG opportunity to tie the game and take it into OT.

If Smith had nerves, he sure didn't show it as he passed to the unstoppable Davis for 47 yards and within FG range.  And then, wit 9 seconds left on the clock, Smith drops back in the pocket and then rifles a pass to Davis who collects and falls into the endzone.  TD 49ers.  Game over.

49ers win the game 36-32 after the lead changed hands 4 times in the last 3 minutes and 53 seconds.

The much fancied Saints are out and stretch their miserable playoff record away from the Superdome to 0-5.  The 49ers progress to the NFC Divisional Championship game next week against the winners of tomorrows Giants vs Packers game.

The 49ers have a 5-0 record in Superbowls.  With the defence playing the way they are, the special teams chipping in and Alex Smith increasing in confidence, who's to say they can't make another one next week and go on to take a sixth?

Home Field Advantage Proves Crucial In Playoffs

What a wild weekdend.  Wildcard weekend that is.
All four NFL wildcard playoff games produced some thrilling football and even the odd upset.  Ultimately, however, it was the home team that triumphed on each occasion.

What needs to be understood about the NFL is that there is very little support for the away team in any game.  There is no such thing as an 'away end' as there is in football here, and so travelling to another ground across the country can be intimidating and often be the difference between winning and losing. 

Take the Atlanta Falcons.  They had a perfect 8-0 record at the Georgia Dome this season, but couldn't produce the goods away from home, winning only 2 on the road.  It was enough to secure them a trip to the Metlife stadium yesterday to face the NFC #4 seeds the New York Giants.  But after a sluggish start, Eli Manning and the Giants produced a solid display that saw them run out 24-2 winners, the scoreline merely reflecting the Falcons season away from the Dome.  The Giants now go on to meet the Superbowl favourites Green Bay at Lambeau Field.

In Houston, the Texans were looking to use their home field advantage to win their first ever game in the playoffs.  With the number 2 defence in the NFL, the Texans defence dominated over a struggling Cincinnati Bengals team who couldn't produce the goods beyond the first quarter, ultimately losing out to Houston 31-10.  A special mention has to go to  defenseman JJ Watt, who produced a massive performance including an intercept and run in for a touchdown.  The Texans will now take their unbeaten playoff record to Baltimore to face the AFC #2 seeded Ravens.

The two best games of the weekend happened in New Orleans where the Saints took on the Detroit Lions and in Denver where the Broncos hosted the fancied Pittsburgh Steelers.

The encounter at the Superdome in New Orleans was billed as the 'shootout'.  Never before had two 5,000+ yard QB's faced each other in a playoff game.  Drew Brees of the Saints smashed Dan Marino's all time passing yard record for a season, while Matt Stafford came up only 46 yards short of achieving the same feat.

From the first drive, it looked ominous that this would be a high scoring game, with Stafford leading his Lions up the field in 8 downs for 80 yards to open the scoring.  Straight from the kick off, Brees and the Saints looked to to prove that anything Stafford can do, Brees can do better.  It certainly looked that way until a fumble in each of their opening two drives handed possession of the football back to the Lions. 

It looked like it might not be Brees' day in the Superdome with the Lions up 14-0 in the first quarter.  But it wasn't long before the record breaking Brees started to show why he is the top QB in the NFL at the moment, throwing for 466 yards completing 33 of 43 passes.  The Saints ran out eventual comfortable winners 45-28, earning themselves a trip to Candlestick Park to meet the San Francisco 49ers.  A special mention also to Pierre Thomas who was phenomenal running the ball for 66 yards, making plays he had no right in making.  The Saints' running game, something they sorely lacked last season, is firing on all cylinders at the moment.

The story of the weekend though has to come from the Mile High Stadium where Tim Tebow was inspired to earn the Broncos an overtime win over the fancied Pittsburgh Steelers.  It would be fair to say that the Steelers, even with Ben Roethlisberger not at 100% and no Mendenhall to run the ball were favourites coming into a game where the Denver Broncos were looking to reverse their fortunes after 3 straight losses at the end of the regular season.

Tim Tebow - defying the odds

But it was the Broncos that got off to the better start against the number 1 seeded defence in the league, taking a 20-6 lead into halftime.  Roethlisberger then inspired the Steelers after the break, to tie the game at the end of the fourth quarter 23-23.  A good game so far, but not worth the column inches compared to what happened next.

The two teams played the first non-sudden death playoff game in history.  This basically means that after the rule changes, both teams need to get the ball in the extra period providing there wasn't a touchdown by either the offense or defense.

So, up steps Tim Tebow.

The Broncos elected to receive the kick and in doing so started from their own 20 yard line.  What would the first play be?  Play it safe, get the ball down the field and look for a red zone touchdown? Nope.  Tebow hurls the ball long to Demaryius Thomas who runs it in for an 80 yard touchdown.  1 down, 1 pass, 11 seconds, making it the shortest period of overtime in NFL history.  That's how you finish a game.

Through the adversity of losing the previous 3 games and the one way traffic in the second half in this one, Tebow produced the goods when it mattered.

Can he take this on when the Broncos go to New England to meet the Patriots and Tom Brady next week?  The Pats will be fancied by the majority, but as with all of the highest scoring teams this year, they leak points.  After yesterday's efforts, anything can happen.

Brees and the Saints will be most likely to upset a home crowd.