Earlier this offseason, San Francisco 49ers running back Frank Gore took being mentioned as a target by then-New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williamsas a sign of a respect.
Harrison: Power Rankings
With preseason action heating up, Elliot Harrison delivers his first Power Rankings since the 2012 NFL Draft. **More ...**
During a Thursday morning appearance on "NFL AM", former NFL quarterback Joe Theismann, whose career was ended by a broken leg at the hands of New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor, agreed with Gore. Theismann added that the discipline the New Orleans Saints received at the hands of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will likely put an end to such programs.
"I do," Theismann said on NFL Network. "You'd hope, my goodness, if this isn't an example, I don't know what is.
"To me, you never, ever went out on a football field to injure a player," Theismann said. "It couldn't be a cheap shot. And here's a sick sort of way to look at it: If they didn't have a bounty on you, certain teams, they didn't think you were worth anything. You weren't worth trying to take out of the game because they felt like you couldn't make a difference.
"So yeah, it was a part of football, but we have to remember, that was a bygone era. With the emphasis on safety in the National Football League on one side, and then you have a reported bounty system on the other (side), you knew that something very severe had to come down. And the commissioner sent a message out that this will not be tolerated."