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Well, now we know why it’s taken so long. Cross him and he will destroy you. Roger Goodell will do everything in his power to maintain the integrity and image of the NFL. He has done so with his iron fist ruling heard worldwide on the infamous Bounty Gate. Like a gangster in the night, Goodell puts a bullet to the heart of the Saints organization, handing suspensions and fines to coaches and front office staff. Let’s take a look at the damage:

– $500,000 Fine. In addition, Saints forfeit their second-round picks in the 2012 and 2013 NFL drafts.

– Head Coach Sean Payton is suspended without pay for the 2012 season, effective April 1.

– General manager Mickey Loomis is suspended without pay for the first eight regular-season games of the 2012 season. $500,000 fine.

– Former Saints (and current St. Louis Rams) defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is suspended indefinitely from the NFL. Commissioner Goodell will review Williams’ status at the conclusion of the 2012 season and consider whether to reinstate him.

– Assistant coach Joe Vitt suspended without pay for the first six regular-season games of the 2012 season. $100,000 fine.

The two worst being Head Coach Sean Payton’s year long suspension, and no eight million dollar salary for the year. The other being former Saints Defensive coordinator and bounty gate mastermind Gregg Williams being suspended indefinitely. I think it’s safe to say he will never be a coach in the NFL again.

Who knew Roger Goodell had it in him? Supposedly he had known about the Saints bounty program in the past and gave fair warning for them to stop. With Goodell being fairly new as NFL commish, the Saints didn’t take him seriously and continued to run “business as usual.” Don’t try to undermine the commissioner, in his statements about the ruling, Goodell said, “No one is above the game or the rules that govern it.” Were these suspensions harsh? Absolutely not. The time fits the crime.

The message has been sent to every team in the NFL and they better listen. Don’t cross the boss. If there were any plans for teams to continue their bounty programs, they better take a hard look at themselves, or they better start posting their resumes on monster.com. Because the punishments will be equal if not harsher. He’s trying to bring justice and integrity to a game that is taking over as America’s pastime. One message the other 31 teams should take away from this: Roger Goodell may not be the guy with the biggest arms, or the man with the greatest charm, but mess with him and he will cause you a lot of harm. Roger Goodell is Batman, and justice will be served.

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“Vincent Jackson, will you accept this rose?” No, it’s not some new reality television show, It’s NFL free agency time! But, if you think about it, doesn’t it really remind you of an episode of The Bachelor? Teams vying to impress and sweep free agents off their feet, while players are working out trying to find the right team for them. Is it the right connection? Will it be a match made in football heaven? What is really outrageous are the millions of dollars these players will be paid. Whether it’s an extension, long-term contract, or just a one-year deal, does all the money really reflect the performance of these players each Sunday? It really makes you wonder if every match made in football heaven will really go the distance. With each rose given, teams are wondering if their selection will bloom into a long lasting relationship, or wilt and die like a bad reality television finale. Let’s take a look at the potential brides-to-be:

Vincent Jackson

San Diego’s beloved VJ just signed a 5 year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for $55.55 million. We all knew he wouldn’t come cheap, but I won’t forget the inconsistencies he had last season with San Diego. With VJ on my fantasy team, he either gave me 30 points one week, or a measly 3 the next. Make no mistake about it though, Jackson is a beast, and he will absolutely provide a deep threat for Josh Freeman, whose hasn’t ever had one considering his other receivers Mike Williams and Arrelious Benn are more short-range targets.

Final Verdict: Good Move

Marques Colston

Marques Colston has re-signed a 5-year contract with the Saints for $40 million. He was one of the top three free agents that the Saints wanted to try and bring back for the 2012 season. This was an important move, and Colston expressed his feelings about really wanting to stay with the team, and not chase his free agency. Colston accepting the rose from the Saints definitely looks like a match made to last, IF of course, they can finally see the light and sign Drew Brees to a long-term deal. This move was especially essential for the Saints, with Robert Meachem’s recent departure to the Chargers.

Final Verdict: Good Move

Randy Moss

Welcome aboard Randy Moss? Moss fits the profile of the “crazy, mean girl” everyone loves to trash from The Bachelor. It seems laughable that Moss is trying to become Mr. Comeback, but he did something to impress the 49ers, and they signed him to a one-year deal. Will Moss be worth it? This is really something we’ll all need to stay tuned for. Moss is saying he can still bring it and he’s ready for a fresh start, but that’s yet to be seen. If anyone can keep him in line however, it will be Jim Harbaugh.

Final Verdict: To Be Determined

Calvin Johnson

Calvin Johnson a.k.a. Megatron just got a record-breaking deal with the Detroit Lions. The Lions signed Johnson to a seven-year contract extension that is the richest deal ever given a wide receiver. The $132 million contract, which will keep Johnson in Detroit through the 2019 season, includes $60 million guaranteed and tops the $120 million deal the Arizona Cardinals gave Larry Fitzgerald last year. Is this too outrageous? Or does Johnson deserve every cent? As long as he plays consistently and doesn’t get injured, Megatron is a nightmare match up for every corner in the league; no one can cover him 1-on-1. This looks like a great move from the Lions, and I think we will see many more career-best seasons from Megatron.

Final Verdict: Great Move

So who will really make it to the end, left standing for that final rose? Which teams and which players will last the test of time? With twists and turns along the way, it’s safe to say that the NFL offseason can be just as exciting as the regular season…or at least as exciting as a popular reality show.

The anointing of Breesus came after one of New Orleans darkest moments as his stellar play captivated a culture and brought glory to a city that had been down on their luck BB. (Before Breesus). Yet after all of his accomplishments and the winning tradition he has instilled into the new generations of Saints fans, apparently he’s not good enough for the New Orleans Saints. Well that’s the message they are sending him anyways. After days of negotiating, the Saints and Brees couldn’t agree to terms on a new contract and he was hit with the dreaded franchise tag.

Are you serious? This guy has been the crème de la crème when it comes to Quarterbacks. Defenders are aware of the dangers when they line up across from him; Warning: Playing defense against Drew Brees may be hazardous to your health. The single-season passing record holder, and Superbowl XLIV MVP, can’t seem to get his team to pay him. With all the accomplishments Brees has attained, and the community service hours he puts in, he is clearly a role model for the youth not to mention a top 5, TOP 5, fantasy draft pick every year, but this is not being acknowledged by the Saints organization. However far apart they are on money shouldn’t matter to a player like Drew Brees. With the franchise tag he is scheduled to make $14.4 million, if he signs it. Reports from many sports personalities say he won’t sign his tender. And why should he? The problem with the tag is that it doesn’t provide guaranteed years, money, or a signing bonus. He has done nothing, but lead the Saints from the bottom of the NFL barrel to one of the elite powerhouses.

Year in, year out he puts up gaudy statistics and has his team in playoff contention. His long ball is considered to be the best in the game, he is as accurate as it gets and shows no signs of slowing down at the age of 33. There have been many excuses made for why Drew Brees isn’t highly valued; coming out of college he was seen as too short. The San Diego Chargers refused to bring him back because he wasn’t supposed to recover from shoulder surgery. And now the New Orleans Saints have the honor of coming up with the latest excuse for why he is under valued…whatever that is. If anybody hasn’t figured out yet, Drew Brees thrives on adversity. To the general public he would just look like a regular guy, Oprah had mistaken his signature mole for lipstick, but to the NFL’s diehard fans, he’s the gold standard, the best in the world. For years FOX has been telling people they have the American Idol, and they do, except he’s been on every Sunday since 2006.

Headhunting: Acts of violence; the custom of cutting off and preserving the heads of enemies as trophies. But, headhunting in professional football?What has recently been revealed about the New Orleans Saints bounty scandal may not have come as a surprise to many, but I find it extremely disappointing and just plain wrong, in a league where players are already paid millions to assault each other every Sunday. I love watching the Saints; they are an incredible team with exceptional players. And Drew Brees? An amazing quarterback. So why the bounty scandal? It really gives the Saints organization and the NFL a black eye.

This is a huge misstep for the Saints organization. It’s shocking to me, since I cannot believe the amount of money and bonuses NFL players are being paid to lay the pain on unsuspecting victims. Now all of the sudden, after finding out that the bounty program has been going on for three years, some incidents that once seemed like normal football plays, now look a lot more like a mob boss placing a hit on one of his rivals. Here’s a few that come to mind: the 2010 NFC Championship game where Brett Favre took a beating when he was already hurting. It seemed like the Saints were trying to take him down and end his career that night; Favre hasn’t been the same since. However, the biggest incident was the monster hit on Peyton Manning that more than likely precipitated his neck injury, when he played against a Redskins defense coached by Gregg Williams. Think about this for a second: this bounty program could have effectively ended the career of a man who was on pace to break every single quarterback record in the books!

At the center of all this mess lies Defensive Coordinator Gregg Williams. Williams has seemingly instituted his bounty rules at every stop he’s made, including his prior stint with the Redskins, until he got caught; he’s presently the Rams Defensive Coordinator. Williams met with the NFL Monday to discuss his side of the story, and things don’t look good. Former and current players under Williams are coming out in droves, even Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma has been associated with the program, to have allegedly offered cash “prizes” to his teammates for executing a bounty. This would take the scandal to a whole new level if both coaches and players are giving out cash for injury-inducing hits. What’s possible now? Anything, it seems, if coaches and players were to continue to get away with incidents such as these.

In a time where the NFL rules have changed and blows to the head are deemed much more dangerous than they used to be, this bounty scandal has taken things too far. We’re now in a time where it’s a distinct and tangible possibility that an NFL player could literally die right there on the field. Players are faster, stronger, and quicker than ever before, and with this new bounty scandal, it may just simply be a matter of time.

So, where does that leave the Saints? They are disheveled right now; they are in the process of signing Drew Brees and have been exposed as not playing football according to the rules of the game. The Saints spent so much time re-building the New Orleans community after Hurricane Katrina, and re-invigorating a once dormant fan-base. It’s a shame to think all of that progress could be lost because of one man’s decision to take headhunting out of the Amazon, and bring it to professional football.