I guess with 49ers fanboys, you're guilty as soon as ESPN scribbles its pen. Hey, how about those cheating 49ers, I think it's about time they gave their Superbowl 29 trophy back for having a multitude of illegal contracts.

Yay! THAT'S the right thread to post that one in, not the Book of John one!

:D

(Just playing with you, Putin, don't get upset...and those contracts were legal at the time.)

Also, I didn't say the Saints should have to give the trophy back...

Just saying, they're getting into so much trouble this offseason, it's funny.

>ESPN
>unbiased, quality journalism

No they weren't. The 49ers got fined (a slap on the wrist) and had draft picks taken away because the NFL finally bothered to investigate their shenanigans for their 1997 team. They had people under oath say that they got illegal side deals to stay under cap.

That was 1997--

The cap was introduced in 1994, so it was during the trial and error period, as the cap had to be reworked after that anyway...

So if it is to be counted as "illegal"--and I'll accede to it somewhat, as, well, there's that whole oath thingy and all--I would say:

1. Breaking the rules in the 1st season of the Cap wasn't exactly solely a 49ers offense, and given the rule was brand-new, a bit of leeway can be given, and

2. That was a new rule AND breaking it didn't Lead to Intentional Injuries, Encourage Intentional Injuries, OR Break Federal and NFL Law via Illegal Bugging.

So...

49ers penalty=a 5-Yd penalty, Saints=DEFINITELY 15 YDs and, counting Payton and Loomis, a suspension.

It's funny because you're a 49ers fanboy who has no problem with worshiping a franchise that cheated its way to glory but complains about an incentives system that didn't even work since the Saints defense intimidated nobody.

>ESPN
>not the most blatantly obvious propaganda "news" network in the Western Hemisphere

49ers cheating gave it a much bigger competitive advantage in 1994 than anything the Saints have done.

http://articles.latimes.com/1994-09-25/sports/sp-42797_1_salary-cap

1. To reiterate a key, little point I think you're overlooking, Putin...

THE 49ERS "CHEATING" DIDN'T INVOLVE INTENTIONALLY INJURING PLAYERS AND ENCOURAGING CONCUSSIONS WITH MONETARY INCENTIVES.

There's a BIT of a difference between "we fudged the numbers a bit to bend a rule just instated this year" and "we intentionally set out to physically harm people, pay sums of money for that harm, and broke NFL and federal rules that are DECADES OLD."

Are you REALLY saying there's not a difference in degree there as regards to cheating?

If I cheat at cards, is that the same as cheating on my taxes?
Or a girlfriend?
Or cheating in a manner that leads to knee, neck, and head injuries that cost someone ELSE thousands of dollars in doctor bills and even more in salary and reduce their livelihood to win a football game?

Oh there's absolutely a difference in degree, the difference is the 49ers cheating was much worse. Didn't you bother to read? Every football player on every down tries to hit the other team as hard as they can, even knock them out of the game. What the Saints did is no different than what every team does. The 49ers illegally stacked their team with illegal contracts, giving them an unfair competitive advantage of everybody else. That's much much worse.

And you don't even have any evidence about the bugging. But as usual you jump the gun .

And 2.

I contest that the 1994 rule-bending gave them a bigger advantage than the 2009 Saints--

Knocking out Brett Favre's knees, legs, and pummeling his head, doing the same to Kurt Warner, and Peyton Manning?

THREE HOF-caliber QBs defeated using thuggery intentional injury...ALL leading to a championship.

That's a bigger advantage, intentionally taking out at least 3 HOF QBs, than bending a newly-instated cap to allow an extra quality player or two?

And, lest I forget, answer me, Putin:

MORALLY, which is worse:

Bending a new Cap rule...or intentionally harming others and going for the knees, neck, and head while breaking decades-old rules?

Last I checked, the three HOF QBs played in all of those games, uninjured.

Unlike the Steelers team that knocked out Carson Palmer in the second or third play from scrimmage a few years back with a blow to the knee, and also knocked out Chris Henry, and went on to win the superbowl (Palmer has never been the same). Nobody is banning their coach for a year though.

And by "adding one or two players" you mean keeping their already loaded roster and adding more to it with shady illegal side contracts, then yeah. But I guess to you keeping a rigged roster doesn't help as much as giving people NFL pocket change to go do what they do anyway.