02-12-2016, 02:22 PM
To your actual points: Yes, it is incredibly unfair that Vontaze is the one who is being made an example of, but it is because he was the most agregious offender in a game that was marred with ridiculous play and an over the top, out for blood crowd.
Now it's important that after reading that last line, you really comprehend the next one.
I personally had 0 issue with how physical the game was, nor how emotional the crowd was. In my opinion, that was good, hard, old fashioned AFC North division football between two blood rivals. I wish more games were that hotly contested, but...
The NFL is obsessed with the "casual fan". For right or wrong, they want to indoctrine people who aren't die hards into NFL fans, whether globally or domestically, generally at the downfall of the experience for the die hards. Look no further than the ridiculously imbalanced rulebook between offense and defense, the shot sighted way they handle breast cancer awareness (we care about women, but only for this one month, please buy our vast supply of ladies replica jerseys in pink!)
So when you have a guy like Vontaze, with his history which gets brought up ad nauseum by the announce team (usually with a "highlight" package) everytime he is shown on camera, who then goes out and "brutally" (not my term, heard it from a casual) concusses another player, it's a problem. Then, when the media runs with that story all night and the next few days, overshadowing other playoff games, it's a huge problem. So Goodell does what he always has, he goes overboard to show people that he's a tough Commish and these things won't happen on his watch.
They dirty not-so-little secret being, of course, these things CONSTANTLY happen on his watch. He is an absolute disgrace and if not for Gary Bettman and his 3 work stoppages, Roger would be the absolute worst commision in sports.
The punishments are a joke, the over complicated rulebook is a joke, the fact that Joe Bob and Ace down at the hardware store can be NFL officials and still have their full 40hrs during the week is a joke, PR is a nightmare. But they are printing more money than both the damn mints. So why would it change?
Now it's important that after reading that last line, you really comprehend the next one.
I personally had 0 issue with how physical the game was, nor how emotional the crowd was. In my opinion, that was good, hard, old fashioned AFC North division football between two blood rivals. I wish more games were that hotly contested, but...
The NFL is obsessed with the "casual fan". For right or wrong, they want to indoctrine people who aren't die hards into NFL fans, whether globally or domestically, generally at the downfall of the experience for the die hards. Look no further than the ridiculously imbalanced rulebook between offense and defense, the shot sighted way they handle breast cancer awareness (we care about women, but only for this one month, please buy our vast supply of ladies replica jerseys in pink!)
So when you have a guy like Vontaze, with his history which gets brought up ad nauseum by the announce team (usually with a "highlight" package) everytime he is shown on camera, who then goes out and "brutally" (not my term, heard it from a casual) concusses another player, it's a problem. Then, when the media runs with that story all night and the next few days, overshadowing other playoff games, it's a huge problem. So Goodell does what he always has, he goes overboard to show people that he's a tough Commish and these things won't happen on his watch.
They dirty not-so-little secret being, of course, these things CONSTANTLY happen on his watch. He is an absolute disgrace and if not for Gary Bettman and his 3 work stoppages, Roger would be the absolute worst commision in sports.
The punishments are a joke, the over complicated rulebook is a joke, the fact that Joe Bob and Ace down at the hardware store can be NFL officials and still have their full 40hrs during the week is a joke, PR is a nightmare. But they are printing more money than both the damn mints. So why would it change?
