NFL Bounties - How much is on Michael Vick's head?

Bounties on opponents heads have never been legal in the NFL but that never stopped us from using them in my era. In today's money a typical Bounty for a Michael Vick would be $10,000. To collect a bounty 1) you had to win the game and 2) the opponent had to leave the game and not return to it. The bounty on a obnoxious asses like Terrill Owens and Randy Moss would be at least $25,000. Usually there was a standard amount for knocking any opponent out of the game and a lesser amount for a non-starter. The bounty on a starter $200 vs $100 for any non-starter. I'm sure the Giants had at least $1000 on our Jim Brown's head. There was also a bounty for sacking the QB and a higher bounty for knocking him out of the game all of these incentive bounties collectable only if your team won the game.

There were no bonuses for interceptions for good reason. There was an incentive for breaking up a pass but never for an interception. A fumble recovery was rewarded with a bonus of $200 if your team won.

An open field tackle was rewarded with a bonus if we won. Any especially vicious hit was rewarded if we won. On the other hand dirty plays were not rewarded. Helmet to helmet hits and clotheslining and head slaps and forearms to the head were not illegal or dirty plays in the old days when men were men unless a policeman caught you on the street giving one to Frank Gifford.

These bounties were collected from a pool of money contributed by the players themselves of course this was during the league history when men were men and the team came first. Nobody got any bounty if we lost.

Breaking up passes are what defensive backs were paid first and foremost to do. Tackling was the second resonsibility we took pride in tackling. Although if you check the Cleveland Browns interception record book you'll find it is still, today 2005 dominated by 1964 players Ross Fitchner, Bobby Franklin, Erich Barnes and me with interception records compiled during 12 and 14 game seasons.

I have always believed that players and coaches should be paid in relation to their winning; their winning now one game at a time, not last year or the last five years, that is winning now.

No the league did not approve and Pansy Ass Pete Rozelle tried to stop it but he didn't.

How much more interesting the games would be if quarterbacks were not allowed to throw the ball away on purpose or to slide down and not be hit. Or if offensive players were penalized 15 yards for running out of bounds on purpose.

Ahh...not even the good old days were that good; but they were a hell of a lot of fun if you loved to block and tackle and revelled in the hitting, the man on man collisions like the hit the Patriot's #22 put on the Colts receiver last week, it was great time to live.