So much is being discussed about the bounty system Williams set up. It's not smart to set up such a system. However, many players have come to the defense of the coach. Frankly, most players over the years seem to love to play for the guy as he is a tough guy that expects tough play and loves his players.
Again, it's not smart to set up the system but I don't think Williams told his players to go out and injure the opposition. It seemed like he was rewarding players for aggressive plays and hits. What's the difference as long as the play is legal? That's the way defensive players minds think anyway. They want to go out and crush the opposition. Why do you think players go nuts when one of their teammates lays down a bone crushing hit? Linebackers and safeties dream of that shot of the receiver coming across the middle and lining them up and timing that shot just as the ball gets there. It gets the crowd and players excited. It can be a big momentum shifter. I would be surprised to find many players that go out with the intent to injure but I would not be surprised at all to hear players that want to go out and hit the opposition hard. That is football.
To me, the reward money was an incentive much like some teams have a hard hat they give out for the player that worked hardest. It's an incentive. It's not smart to give out money as it gives the wrong impression and the league has no choice but to act on this because of the negative publicity. However, assuming Williams didn't tell his players to play illegally, then I'm sure most players have no problem with what he instituted.
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The key to your whole post and this whole situation is - did he pay for injuring players?
That seems to be the real issue - and there seems to be some evidence that his system did pay for knocking players out.
I don't have any issue with hard hitting, but when you pay players for knocking guys out of the game you do cross a line (at least for me).
If you want to knock guys out illegally, it is 100% wrong. If they are all legal hits, it's what guys do anyways.
Guys love those knockout shots. I'm sure James Harrison, Sean Taylor, LaRon Landry, Urlacher, and most LBs and hard hitting safeties love the idea of knocking a guy out. They don't want to hurt someone but they want that "hit." That's football.
It's just like hockey. The hard hitting guys love to nail the guy with his head down going over the blue line. It's devastating but it's legal and it gets the team and fans pumped up. Is it right? That's a different question. However, it is legal and it's what everyone wants.
So Fred Smoot has suddenly re-emerged in this whole William scandal. His take is as follows:
“Myself, I was drafted to go out and hit people. Not to literally hurt them, but if you want to be the best — if you want to be Dick Butkus, if you want to be Ray Lewis — they play with a certain chip on their shoulder. You have to play at a certain level, and if it includes hurting people, football is a very violent sport. And I know they’re trying to change the image of it, but it’s a violent sport. You can’t run from it.”
Smoot again described the incentive schemes as player-initiated kitties with rewards for game-changing plays, something to reinforce their desire to be the hero. And he said that he did not thing it would be fair to penalize the Saints or Redskins for any incentive-based payments that occurred during Gregg Williams’s tenure.
“Put it like this, it’s a culture in football,” Smoot said. “To [stop it], you’ve got to change the whole culture of football. From my rookie year to my last year, we did this. We did this. And we didn’t take it as bounties. We never said go take out Brett Favre, or go take out Emmitt Smith. We said take out the guy in the other helmet, and not TAKE him out. We’re not trying to end careers. But let’s be serious right now: we’re modern day gladiators, and you can’t tell guys not to go out there and fight.”
This would seem to be the common sentiment among defensive players. The great ones do have an edge and a desire to hit. They do put fear in offensive players. That is what helps to make them great.
Few points here:
1. Injuring players is exactly what Gregg Williams was paying his players to do. That is why this is is such a big deal. Williams has already admitted to the bounty system. Originally he lied and said he did take part in such things when asked by the league. After numerous players have come forth claiming otherwise, he has admitted to it. Sean Payton has admitted to it. The Saints have admitted to it and already issued an apology. The bounty system was for two things: $1500 for a hit that would knock a player out of a game and $1000 for a hit that would cart an opposing player off the field.
2. It doesn't matter whether the hits were legal or not. Paying someone to deliver a hit, legal or not legal, that will do one of the two above listed things is 1000% wrong let alone "not smart". There are plenty of hits in every NFL game that are legal but still result in injuries. That does not mean that a defensive coordinator should take advantage of that and tell his players to hit legal but still injure the other teams players. I am sure Gregg Williams wouldn't have been promoting receiving unnecessary roughness penalties. Obviously he was not condoning going and kicking an opposing player in the balls and knocking him out (which I assume would be an illegal hit). He wouldn't have been employed for long.
Paying his players or giving incentives to his players to possibly end another players career or hit the opposing player in a way that could impact the players life after or outside of the NFL is unjustifiable.
Gregg Williams should never coach in the NFL again. Those that took part in the bounties, and a teams that he coached for, should be fined and punished and possibly sued accordingly for this.
JSR,
I agree that it is not smart - particularly if he said that he told his players to go out and injure the opposing team's players.
However, I'm sure there are a number of coaches that have rewarded players for hard hits/aggressive play. Even Joe Gibbs would hand out $100 bills to players for hard hits. Bobby Beathard would buy dinners for hard hits. It is something that has gone on for a long time.
Also, you better believe that defensive players are looking for that monster hit. Bounty system or not, they want that "hit." Do they want to injure? I doubt that but they absolutely want to lay down that bone jarring hit. All football players recognize the violence of the sport and accept the risks of playing it.
No doubt guys like Butkus, LT, Wilbur Marshall wanted to punish players. Did they want to injure? They would never say it but they wanted to deliver that blow to make you think twice about coming back their way. Again, that's football.
If Clay Matthews gets a chance to hit Eli Manning from the blind side, you better believe he is going to hit him with everything he has and you will go crazy about it. Again, that's football.
There is a huge difference between rewarding players to hit hard/play aggressively and rewarding players to injure opposing players.
In the heat of the battle, emotions run high and sometimes players get carried a way and want to injure another player on the field during the play. I understand that. but in the locker room before the game starts, or after the game is over when they are thinking (supposedly) logically and rationally, there is no justification for wanting to go out there break another players leg, or wanting to deliver a concussion so the other player cannot play anymore and possibly be affected by this injury for the rest of their career or life.
I dont have a problem with players wanting to go out there and deliver massive hits, that incidentally cause injuries. What I have a problem with is the COACH or teammates providing incentives for their players to go out there and remove opposing players from the game by injuring them to a point where they cannot continue playing.
Leave it up to the players to play it out on the field as they naturally would and if an injury results, then so be it.
I have not read/heard that Williams specifically told his players to injure the opposition. I may be wrong on that but I have not heard that.
Additionally, I don't recall an exorbitant amount of players being carted off the field in Saint games.
Again, I don't agree with having a pool of money but it seems like it was similar to having a hard hat or some other token that recognized strong play. Again, I haven't heard Williams' players saying that he told them to injure. In fact, it seems the vast majority have defended him and lauded him as a great coach.
Like I said, bounty system or not bounty system, players are going to go out there wanting to demolish their opponents. It's the nature of the game. That mentality is fostered at a young age. I still remember my high school coaches instilling a sense of toughness in us and that you had to hit hard and you had to play with pain. Was everything they told us right? I'm sure looking back on it, I would question many things. I'm sure most people not part of it, would question things. However, it was a winning program and you bought into it. It's the nature of the game.
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