Tag: Bountygate

Ex-Saints DC Gregg Williams hired for XFL assistant coaching job

We don’t know how many NFL head coach jobs he’ll claim he turned down this time, but ex-Saints DC Gregg Williams has been hired as an XFL assistant coach:

Hey, look who’s back: Gregg Williams has been hired as a defensive coordinator with the still-rebooting XFL ahead of the spring league’s 2023 season, having been assigned to work with head coach Reggie Barlow (the startup league has not yet clarified which coaches will be working with which franchises), the XFL announced on Thursday. Two other former New Orleans Saints coaches, Jim Haslett and Wade Phillips, are heading teams of their own.

Williams, of course, helped the Saints win Super Bowl XLIV but ended his three-year run as Sean Payton’s defensive coordinator in disrepute, allowing Alex Smith and Vernon Davis to march downfield uncontested in the final minutes of the team’s Jan. 2012 playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Months later, the NFL’s Bountygate investigation resulted in suspensions for Payton, Williams, other assistant coaches and team executives all stemming from allegations that Williams installed a pay-for-injury scheme.

For his part, Williams threw New Orleans under the bus in testifying against his former players and coworkers to support the NFL’s narrative. The relationship between Williams and his old team and its fanbase has been, let’s say, acrimonious ever since.

Known for talking a big game but coaching scared, Williams returned after a one-year ban from the NFL to work with the Tennessee Titans, complete with a bizarre witness protection-style goatee. He had a couple of other brief and unsuccessful stints with the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets after that — at one point bizarrely claiming that he’d turned down 11 interviews for head coaching jobs around the NFL to instead become Cleveland’s defensive coordinator.

Between poorly-timed all-out blitzes and a louche attention to detail, Williams’ defenses have struggled to compete in the NFL while yielding too big plays too often, whiffing on too many tackles, and committing a lot of penalties. Maybe he’ll find more success against a lower level of competition in the XFL.

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Report: Kevin James tabbed to play Sean Payton in upcoming Netflix movie

Happy Madison Productions has cast Kevin James to play Saints coach Sean Payton in an upcoming Netflix movie about his Bountygate suspension

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Well here’s a curve ball. Peter King came up with a big scoop for his “Football Morning in America” column with Pro Football Talk, reporting that the actor Kevin James has been cast as Saints coach Sean Payton in a movie for Netflix, created by Happy Madison Productions. It’s titled “Home Team,” and begins filming this year. Here’s the plot summary from King’s report:

“Imagine this: The plotline begins in 2012, when Payton is suspended for the season by commissioner Roger Goodell for the Saints’ bounty scandal, which gives Payton the chance to re-assess his life and put it in some perspective. As part of his new life, Payton becomes the offensive coach for his son Connor’s sixth-grade football team, the Warriors, in the Dallas area. (Thus, the “Home Team” title of the flick.)”

King adds that Payton has already okayed the script after proof-reading it and offering his input. The Super Bowl-winning coach has spoken often about his one-year sabbatical, joking about the struggles of facing a single wing offense while coaching his son’s Pop Warner team (forcing him to call up his mentor Bill Parcells for advice) and the frustrations of watching games like any other fan from his recliner, filling notebooks with observations.

As for James: the veteran comedian and screenwriter was a high school wrestler and football player, and rose to prominence in the lead role on “King of Queens,” a long-running CBS sitcom. This move continues his string of successful comedies with Happy Madison Productions: founded by his friend and frequent collaborator Adam Sandler, Happy Madison has featured James in movies including “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry,” “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” (and its sequel), both “Grown Ups” ensembles, and a series of one-offs.

King did note that James may have to hit the weight room to accurately reflect Payton’s physique. Payton did come out of his suspension as a Crossfit junkie, even incorporating some of the techniques into the Saints’ conditioning drills, so maybe there’s some material there to build a subplot around. The film is still in pre-production, but we’ll keep an eye out once we know more about it and its cast. Maybe Sandler, David Spade, Steve Buscemi, or one of their other friends will cameo as Roger Goodell.

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Team-rules suspensions have been rare in the Sean Payton era

The New Orleans Saints suspended all-star wide receiver Michael Thomas for one game, marking their third team-rules discipline in 7 years.

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It’s been a while since the New Orleans Saints last sidelined a player for a violation of team rules. You have to go back to the 2017 season when cornerback P.J. Williams was disciplined during a road trip to London, opening the door for Ken Crawley’s first start (several years later, they’ll be playing together again on Monday night).

That makes it all the more unusual that wide receiver Michael Thomas was suspended for a fight in practice. He exchanged words with defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson late in the practice session before punching his teammate, leading to a one-week suspension before the bye.

Back in 2014, wide receiver Joe Morgan was suspended two weeks after a difficult stint with the team, including a 2013 DUI charge and some in-game miscues. Sean Payton’s patience eventually wore out, and Morgan was released.

Other players have been suspended by the NFL here and there; the 2012 Bountygate suspensions stand out, but they were quickly overturned by independent arbitrator Paul Tagliabue. Former Saints players including wide receiver Willie Snead and running back Mark Ingram have been suspended by the league in the past, and backup tackle James Hurst recently finished serving his own suspension (from his time with the Baltimore Ravens, coincidentally Snead and Ingram’s new team) before joining the Saints for work.

So that’s three team suspensions in seven years for the Saints. It’s hardly a trend or common tactic of preferred Payton’s, but it is something he’s kept in his toolbox. We’ll see where things go for Thomas from here.

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James Harrison says Mike Tomlin gave him ‘an envelope’ after being fined for hard hit on Georgia great Mohamed Massaquoi

NFL LB James Harrison talked 2010 hit on Cleveland Browns Mohamed Massaquoi, a UGA football great. Not a good look for Pittsburgh Steelers.

Former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison was one of the hardest hitting players in the game during his 15 year NFL career.

He delivered a number of cringe-worthy hits, but maybe none worse than his 2010 helmet-to-helmet one on former Georgia wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi, who was playing for the Cleveland Browns at the time.

You can watch a replay of it here.

That hit resulted in a $75,000 fine from the NFL.

On May 6, Harrison told Barstool’s “Going Deep” podcast that Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin handed him an envelope following the hit.

“Listen, everything I love, on my daddy’s grave, I hit that man with about, max, 50 percent of what I had, and I just hit because I wanted him to let loose of the ball. If I had known they were going to fine me $75,000, I would have tried to kill him. Dude, I’m telling you, 75?

“I ain’t going to lie to you. When that happened, right? The G-est thing Mike Tomlin ever did, he handed me an envelope after that. I ain’t going to say what, but he handed me an envelope after that.”

The comment led to plenty of speculation from NFL fans that Tomlin had a system similar to the Saints’ “Bountygate” in place.

The hit actually did not get flagged in that game and the $75k fine was eventually reduced to $50k. As for Massaquoi, he suffered a concussion on that play.

On Friday, Harrison posted on Instagram to clarify that Tomlin never paid him for that hit.

“Wow y’all really comparing what I said to BOUNTYGATE?!?,” Harrison wrote. “Mike T. Has NEVER paid me for hurting someone or TRYING to hurt someone or put a bounty on ANYBODY! If you knew the full story of what happened back then you’d know that BS fine for a Legal Play wasn’t even penalized during the game.”

In response to the story, Steelers president Art Rooney II disputed Harrison’s initial claim.

Massaquoi is one of the greatest receivers in Georgia history. From Charlotte, North Carolina, he came to UGA in 2005. By the time he left in 2008, he had 158 catches for 2,282 yards and 16 touchdowns, which ranks seventh best in school history.

Picked in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft, Massaquoi played four seasons with Browns. He left Cleveland after the 2012 season, and in August of 2013, he was released by two teams – the Jaguars and the Jets.

He finished his NFL career with 118 receptions for 1,745 yards and seven touchdowns.

Sean Payton not holding his breath on NFL investigation into James Harrison’s claims

Saints coach Sean Payton was unimpressed when asked about a potential Steelers bounty system involving James Harrison and Mike Tomlin.

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Many years have passed by since NFL commissioner Roger Goodell brought the hammer down on the New Orleans Saints during the “Bountygate” scandal, but Saints coach Sean Payton is just as angry now as he was then. Payton made an appearance on 105.7 The Fan with Jason La Canfora, taking the opportunity to talk shop on the strange 2020 offseason, his loaded quarterbacks room, the NFL’s abandonment of pass interference reviews, and curious comments recently made by former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison.

During a guest spot on the “Going Deep” podcast with Willie Colon, Harrison relayed a story from his Steelers days in which he was fined $75,000 by the league for an illegal hit on Cleveland Browns Mohamed Massaquoi back in 2010. Later on, Harrison claimed, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin handed him an envelope.

Harrison declined to say what it contained, but team president Art Rooney II felt the need to speak out against Harrison’s claim to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, saying: “I am very certain nothing like this ever happened. I have no idea why James would make a comment like this but there is simply no basis for believing anything like this.”

The implication, of course, is that Harrison was hinting at a similar bounty system to the one Payton and his team were ostracized for back in 2012. That wouldn’t be very surprising. Brett Favre was one of the players supposedly targeted by the Saints defense in the 2009 NFC title game, making it awkward when he admitted his Minnesota Vikings practiced an identical strategy.

As for Payton: he’s not expecting an investigation like the one his organization was subjected to now that the Steelers are drawing scrutiny.

Payton said in his radio spot, “If people are waiting for the league to investigate that, they shouldn’t hold their breath. I think what took place with us back in (2012) in so many ways was a sham, and yet there wasn’t a lot we could do with it.”

The damage was already done, even if Goodell’s predecessor and appointed independent arbiter, Paul Tagliabue, overturned the player suspensions connected to the scandal. From Payton’s perspective, the spotlight put on his team was a one-off opportunity for the NFL to grandstand about player safety and make a scapegoat out of his team.

Payton continued, acknowledging that he has his own ax to grind with the higher-ups in New York: “I would be shocked (if the league investigates Pittsburgh). That’ll be something that’s tucked away under the rug (in the NFL league offices) at Park Avenue. They’ll look into it briefly.

“Listen, don’t get me started on that. I lost $6 million in salary, and honestly it was something that I’ll never truly get over because I know how it was handled and how it was run and the reasons behind it. That’s just the truth.”

We’ll see if Payton’s predictions come true. But while it’s early, it doesn’t appear the NFL is gearing up for a deep dive into the Steelers organization the way it once took aim at New Orleans.

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Bills vs. Jets: 5 matchups to watch

The Bills have a nice tune-up game at the end of the season when the New York Jets come into New Era Field on Sunday.

Well, the Bills are playing another meaningless week 17 game.

This time it’s due to the fact that they’ve already locked up the top Wild Card spot in the AFC. It was announced earlier in the week that the Bills’ starters will be playing, which can be a nice tune-up game facing the lowly New York Jets.

While we’re not sure exactly how much Buffalo’s No.1’s will be playing, the games, within the game, can still make all the difference.

Here are five matchups to watch for sure the Bills’ Week 17 meeting with the Jets:

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen. Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Josh Allen vs. Jamal Adams 

New York Jets safety Jamal Adams has become enemy No. 1 in western New York after his controversial comments on ‘hunting’ the Bills. 

The Jets defensive coordinator, Gregg Williams, is the main culprit of the New Orleans Saints ‘Bountygate’ scandal. A payment system where his players earned bonuses for taking opposing players out of the game. It wasn’t a good look for the NFL, the Saints, or the former Bills coach.

So, how does Josh Allen fit into all of this? A mobile quarter, who stands at 6-foot-5, and has already beaten the Jets once this season, he seems like the ideal target to hunt. Allen didn’t have a great game against the Jets, he had four turnovers, but he did throw the game winning touchdown to John Brown late in the fourth quarter. 

If Allen is looking to create some momentum going into the playoffs he’ll need to unlock a stingy Jets secondary, led by Jamal Adams. Marcus Maye is his safety partner, and he’s fresh off a check of a game himself. Allen will hopefully only have limited chances to do this, though. 

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Roman Harper pushes back against ex-49er Donte Whitner’s trash talk

Former New Orleans Saints safety Roman Harper fired back after ex-San Francisco 49ers safety Donte Whitner took jabs at his team on Twitter.

The San Francisco 49ers are readying to kick off against the New Orleans Saints in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday, leading former players from both teams to take to social media to reminiscence about their glory days, and maybe air some grievances ahead of this year’s Festivus celebration.

Former 49ers safety Donte Whitner fired the opening salvo, claiming his team delivered “karma for Bountygate” to the Saints in their infamous 2011 playoff game. In that matchup, Whitner got away with a dangerous helmet-to-helmet hit on Saints running back Pierre Thomas on the opening drive, knocking Thomas unconscious and concussing him. Whitner insisted that his tackle was made “The legal way,” which angered retired Saints safety Roman Harper.

“Bro what a joke,” Harper wrote, pointing out how the 49ers won that game after the Saints offense committed five turnovers, and giving Whitner’s defense credit for creating so many takeaways. He then warned Whitner against putting on a tough-guy act on social media.

At the time, Whitner’s hit on Thomas was ruled legal because Thomas not a defenseless player, having completed several football moves (catching a pass and running upfield) prior to being struck. But after increased public awareness about the dangers of concussions suffered in sports put pressure on the NFL, rules changes in 2017 and 2018 outlawed all helmet-to-helmet hits like this under a blanket policy. Thomas was lucky to not suffer line-changing effects from the brain injury Whitner inflicted on him; others haven’t been so lucky.

Harper was one of several Saints players involved in the NFL’s “Bountygate” scandal, in which league commissioner Roger Goodell used the testimony of a disgruntled former Saints team employee (who now works in the league office) as grounds to suspend multiple players and team personnel for much of the 2012 season. Upon reviewing Goodell’s evidence for the claims made against the Saints and the under-oath testimony of then-linebackers coach Joe Vitt and others implicated in the drama, NFL-appointed arbiter and former commissioner Paul Tagliabue overturned all player suspensions and later reprimanded his successor in an interview with Rolling Stone.

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