Saints' Bounties Cost 49ers Super Bowl?

OK. We all know about the New Orleans Saints injury bounty scandal by now. The NFL is coming down very hard on the Saints for this. We also know the 49ers came two lost fumbles away from the Super Bowl in January. Readers of an earlier post know both fumbles were lost by Kyle Williams (#10) against the New York Giants. They also know the only reason Williams got to play as a special teams returner (where he lost the fumbles) in the NFC Championship was because Ted Ginn Jr. (#19) was out due to injury.

But how was Ginn injured?

Rewind to the week before, and who were the 49ers playing? That's right. New Orleans. Granted, Ginn was already not fully recovered from a previous injury coming off the regular season, but he was healthy enough to play. During a play, Ginn hurt his knee on the turf, after a tackle from a New Orleans player. Was the hit legal? Yes. Did the ground play a factor? Yes, but new evidence is putting this play and every play from that divisional playoff into question.

We now know due to audio recordings released from the Saints locker room before that game, former New Orleans Defensive Coordinator Greg Williams encouraged his team to injure various 49er players, although Ginn does not appear to be one of them. Kyle Williams, who we know plays Ginn's position, was listed. We also don't know if this encouragement to injure has a direct link to bounties, but with the evidence of bounties, it's hard for a fan to not see a connection.

Does this mean the shadow of blame is lifted from Kyle Williams? Probably not, but it does bring up a good point. Where do you draw the line on putting the blame on someone or something to determine the outcome of a sporting event? I'm not saying I believe this is what cost the game for San Francisco, I'm just shedding light.

Even before the Williams speech was released yesterday, former Head Coach Sean Payton was suspended for the entire 2012 season. It appears the Saints are getting their just desserts, and then some, despite a recent appeal to the league. However, no one will be able to make up for the 49ers season that should have been, whether you can blame the Saints for this one or not.