NFL = Numerous FINES League!

[tBBP]

Those of us who've been paying attention this year have no doubt taken notice of Roger Goodell's strong-arm approach to "discipline" during his short tenure as NFL commish. This year, more than ever, I think we're seeing this more than we need to. And judging by Troy Polamalu's recent comments (you know it's done got to a point when Polamalu, of all people, feels the need to speak on things) regarding fines and calls regarding physicality in the NFL these days, I think it's fair to say we may be seeing the League denature right in front of our eyes. It almost seems like it's getting to a point where if a player even breathes on another the wrong way, they can expect a flag or a fine, or both. Say something about it after the fact...they just increased the likelihood of a fine. And don't dare question the already questionable officiating...you doggone sho' gon be expecting a fine.

Case in point: Brian Urlacher, Richie Incognito, Dre' Bly, and Joey Porter. Just the latest players to get tagged (read: FINED) for comments regarding officiating.

Recall that it was a rash of fines levied on Steelers teammates Hines Ward (for two straight games) James Harrison, Ryan Clark, and Nate Washington that drew the ire of Polamalu (who by the way hasn't been fined--yet) and caused the defensive back to go on the offensive and speak out about the Goodell's recent fining spree, as well as the increasing amount of penalites levied for hard contact--he even went so far as say the NFL is becoming a "pansy league". And I tend to agree with him.

I know I ain't the only one who been seeing this, and been sitting back and thinking about all this here. The No Fun League has already practically eradicated end-zone celebrations, among other things. No Fun League, indeed, to hear the players tell it.

Thoughts, feelings, reactions--discuss!!!

[BucsBoy02]

I totally agree! I really don't think the NFL realizes how fast those guys are going out there, how hard they are pushing themselves to make great plays. These guys spent there whole life's learning to hit hard and now the NFL wants them to back off. Defensive backs come full bore to break up a passes and and even get a bit of a psychological edge, (as in you come my way you better be ready for a hit) thats what they were trained to do, its in there job description. I can understand they want to protect the players, but it can only go so far before they muff up the game. Just wait, if it keeps going the way it is it'll be two hand touch in 10 years.

[Alphabet Man]

It's the same here in the AFL.

[BlueSky]

What's interesting is that the real cheap shot artists seldom seem to get flagged or fined. Rodney Harrison is one, and DeAngelo Hall also comes to mind. He horsecollared Saints on two occasions in last week's game, no flags, no fines. While with the Falcons, he not only horsecollared Saints WR Devery Henderson, he did it eight yards deep in the end zone after Henderson scorched him for a 75-yard TD. He was flagged but IIRC not fined. He should have been fined and suspended because that kind of play is the very definition of unsportsmanlike conduct. Come on, you get beat so you cheap shot a guy 8 yards into the end zone?

And don't get me started on that all time cheap shotting no good SOB Bill Romanowski.

Polamalu's right about the league's hypocrisy. So many players held up as all-time greats would be outcasts or fined/suspended every week if they played that way today. One of my favorite NFL stories is about Dick Butkus and how he supposedly hated anybody in an opposing uniform on game day. He's at midfield for the coin toss and the team captains are exchanging handshakes and wishing each other luck after the toss and Butkus is just standing there with his arms folded, so one of the opposing players says, "Come on, Dick, won't you even shake our hands?" And Butkus replies, "F*** all you guys" and runs back to the Bears' sideline. Talk about a game face!

You think Roman Gabriel was crying to the officials after that? Or Joe Kapp? Those guys were QBs who were as tough as today's linebackers. It's not just the NFL either. If you saw the Texas-OU game and the ridiculous penalties called on OU for "hitting" Colt McCoy...it's a disgrace.

[no97]

How about Mark Schlereth's thoughts?

Schlereth You Tube

Moose

[rams80]

For what its worth, Incognito deserved that fine. Maybe a little more, to be honest.

[STL FANATIC]

For what its worth, Incognito deserved that fine. Maybe a little more, to be honest.

Nah.

He deserved to be fined by the Rams. To get his ass kicked by his teammates.

He DID deserve the penalty.

But I'm not a real big fan of the fine.

Not upset about it either, just saying.

[illwauk]

I've been saying for the past few years that the major pro sports industry is starting to collapse into itself. They've become so afraid of offending the corporate exces who buy naming rights and skyboxes (sorry... "luxury suites") that they've created a bland, uninteresting product that no one can relate to... the ratings don't lie.

[Island_Style]

I've been saying for the past few years that the major pro sports industry is starting to collapse into itself. They've become so afraid of offending the corporate exces who buy naming rights and skyboxes (sorry... "luxury suites") that they've created a bland, uninteresting product that no one can relate to... the ratings don't lie.

I think the NFL may be seeing their highest ratings ever.

[TFoA]

I've been saying for the past few years that the major pro sports industry is starting to collapse into itself. They've become so afraid of offending the corporate exces who buy naming rights and skyboxes (sorry... "luxury suites") that they've created a bland, uninteresting product that no one can relate to... the ratings don't lie.

I think the NFL may be seeing their highest ratings ever.

Really, the only major leagues in the US that should be complaining about ratings problems are the NHL and the NBA (to an extent.). The NFL, IIRC, has some huge numbers when it comes to ratings.

That said, all these fines have to stop. If it didn't warrant a penalty during the game, why fine them after the fact? It's ticky tack, and like Schlereth said, it's basically a slap in the face and hypocritical to the NFL when they're making money off of the violence of the game, yet they're cracking down on it.

I guess that's one of the problems I have with Goodell, among many others. He's correct with the conduct policy, but he's turning into Der Fuhrer when he's starting to fine folks for mouthing off and penaliing players after the fact. I mean, how sad is it that we can watch a DE hit a QB in the head incidentally, knowing that it won't be called on the field, but you know for a fact that he's gonna have to come out of pocket for it later. It's dumb.

[McCall]

For what its worth, Incognito deserved that fine. Maybe a little more, to be honest.

Nah.

He deserved to be fined by the Rams. To get his ass kicked by his teammates.

He DID deserve the penalty.

But I'm not a real big fan of the fine.

Not upset about it either, just saying.

I'd bench his @$$. He almost cost the team the game because of his stupid mouth. That is definately worth some sort of punishment by the team. They pay him to play and help the team win games, not run his mouth and screw them over.

And I totally agree with Schlereth. It's completely hypocritical what they are doing. We've know for years now how they treat the veterans. It just goes to show here. Or else they simply care about the offensive players who have image concerns (not to make light of what happened to Boldin. That's terrible no matter what the case), but recievers and quarterbacks are being treated like gods because they are the image moneymakers for the league, and they don't want to the guys who are out there playing the game hard, taking hits, making the hits, ya know, playing football, to risk anything happening to the guys who are the pretty people of the league. Total BS.

[AHcreative]

For what its worth, Incognito deserved that fine. Maybe a little more, to be honest.

Nah.

He deserved to be fined by the Rams. To get his ass kicked by his teammates.

He DID deserve the penalty.

But I'm not a real big fan of the fine.

Not upset about it either, just saying.

I'd bench his @$$. He almost cost the team the game because of his stupid mouth. That is definately worth some sort of punishment by the team. They pay him to play and help the team win games, not run his mouth and screw them over.

And I totally agree with Schlereth. It's completely hypocritical what they are doing. We've know for years now how they treat the veterans. It just goes to show here. Or else they simply care about the offensive players who have image concerns (not to make light of what happened to Boldin. That's terrible no matter what the case), but recievers and quarterbacks are being treated like gods because they are the image moneymakers for the league, and they don't want to the guys who are out there playing the game hard, taking hits, making the hits, ya know, playing football, to risk anything happening to the guys who are the pretty people of the league. Total BS.

My dad's co-worker, Steve, works as a security guard at all Rams home and away games (my dad used too as well, but he took a year off this year) and stands on the sidelines during the majority of the game. Steve said After the penalty Steven Jackson and Incognito came over to Hasslet and claimed that Incognito didn't say anything. He said that Jackson was very upset with the referee's because he didn't hear Incognito say anything to the refs.

So I can't say all of this is 100% accurate, because I'm hearing this from a secondary source. But I can say that I think the NFL and the refs can overreact sometimes.

[McCall]

For what its worth, Incognito deserved that fine. Maybe a little more, to be honest.

Nah.

He deserved to be fined by the Rams. To get his ass kicked by his teammates.

He DID deserve the penalty.

But I'm not a real big fan of the fine.

Not upset about it either, just saying.

I'd bench his @$$. He almost cost the team the game because of his stupid mouth. That is definately worth some sort of punishment by the team. They pay him to play and help the team win games, not run his mouth and screw them over.

And I totally agree with Schlereth. It's completely hypocritical what they are doing. We've know for years now how they treat the veterans. It just goes to show here. Or else they simply care about the offensive players who have image concerns (not to make light of what happened to Boldin. That's terrible no matter what the case), but recievers and quarterbacks are being treated like gods because they are the image moneymakers for the league, and they don't want to the guys who are out there playing the game hard, taking hits, making the hits, ya know, playing football, to risk anything happening to the guys who are the pretty people of the league. Total BS.

My dad's co-worker, Steve, works as a security guard at all Rams home and away games (my dad used too as well, but he took a year off this year) and stands on the sidelines during the majority of the game. Steve said After the penalty Steven Jackson and Incognito came over to Hasslet and claimed that Incognito didn't say anything. He said that Jackson was very upset with the referee's because he didn't hear Incognito say anything to the refs.

So I can't say all of this is 100% accurate, because I'm hearing this from a secondary source. But I can say that I think the NFL and the refs can overreact sometimes.

That last penalty actually did seem to be blown up, but he should've never been in there in the first place. He had already had too many mouthing penalties and ruined some oppurtunities for them. All they were doing were taking a knee and kicking a field goal. Didn't need him in there to risk screwing things up.

[AHcreative]

For what its worth, Incognito deserved that fine. Maybe a little more, to be honest.

Nah.

He deserved to be fined by the Rams. To get his ass kicked by his teammates.

He DID deserve the penalty.

But I'm not a real big fan of the fine.

Not upset about it either, just saying.

I'd bench his @$$. He almost cost the team the game because of his stupid mouth. That is definately worth some sort of punishment by the team. They pay him to play and help the team win games, not run his mouth and screw them over.

And I totally agree with Schlereth. It's completely hypocritical what they are doing. We've know for years now how they treat the veterans. It just goes to show here. Or else they simply care about the offensive players who have image concerns (not to make light of what happened to Boldin. That's terrible no matter what the case), but recievers and quarterbacks are being treated like gods because they are the image moneymakers for the league, and they don't want to the guys who are out there playing the game hard, taking hits, making the hits, ya know, playing football, to risk anything happening to the guys who are the pretty people of the league. Total BS.

My dad's co-worker, Steve, works as a security guard at all Rams home and away games (my dad used too as well, but he took a year off this year) and stands on the sidelines during the majority of the game. Steve said After the penalty Steven Jackson and Incognito came over to Hasslet and claimed that Incognito didn't say anything. He said that Jackson was very upset with the referee's because he didn't hear Incognito say anything to the refs.

So I can't say all of this is 100% accurate, because I'm hearing this from a secondary source. But I can say that I think the NFL and the refs can overreact sometimes.

That last penalty actually did seem to be blown up, but he should've never been in there in the first place. He had already had too many mouthing penalties and ruined some oppurtunities for them. All they were doing were taking a knee and kicking a field goal. Didn't need him in there to risk screwing things up.

And I agree with you there, he had been doing stupid stuff all game. I just think that yes, the NFL does make things seem bigger than what they actually are.

[McCall]

For what its worth, Incognito deserved that fine. Maybe a little more, to be honest.

Nah.

He deserved to be fined by the Rams. To get his ass kicked by his teammates.

He DID deserve the penalty.

But I'm not a real big fan of the fine.

Not upset about it either, just saying.

I'd bench his @$$. He almost cost the team the game because of his stupid mouth. That is definately worth some sort of punishment by the team. They pay him to play and help the team win games, not run his mouth and screw them over.

And I totally agree with Schlereth. It's completely hypocritical what they are doing. We've know for years now how they treat the veterans. It just goes to show here. Or else they simply care about the offensive players who have image concerns (not to make light of what happened to Boldin. That's terrible no matter what the case), but recievers and quarterbacks are being treated like gods because they are the image moneymakers for the league, and they don't want to the guys who are out there playing the game hard, taking hits, making the hits, ya know, playing football, to risk anything happening to the guys who are the pretty people of the league. Total BS.

My dad's co-worker, Steve, works as a security guard at all Rams home and away games (my dad used too as well, but he took a year off this year) and stands on the sidelines during the majority of the game. Steve said After the penalty Steven Jackson and Incognito came over to Hasslet and claimed that Incognito didn't say anything. He said that Jackson was very upset with the referee's because he didn't hear Incognito say anything to the refs.

So I can't say all of this is 100% accurate, because I'm hearing this from a secondary source. But I can say that I think the NFL and the refs can overreact sometimes.

That last penalty actually did seem to be blown up, but he should've never been in there in the first place. He had already had too many mouthing penalties and ruined some oppurtunities for them. All they were doing were taking a knee and kicking a field goal. Didn't need him in there to risk screwing things up.

And I agree with you there, he had been doing stupid stuff all game. I just think that yes, the NFL does make things seem bigger than what they actually are.

Thus the reason for this thread.