After being immersed in non-stop, wall-to-wall Bountygate coverage the past few weeks now, I've come to realize one thing for certain: there are four separate and unique classifications of Saints fans when it comes to their response to the scandal.
Some may fit perfectly into one of these four categories; some may be a combination of two or three. But every Saints fan can be identified with at least one of these dispositions.
And they are...
The Hater - These fans are pissed, and they're not afraid to let it be known. First that hate was pointed at Gregg Williams; how dare he implement this bounty system! Then for a brief moment it was toward Jeremy Shockey, that $&#$% snitch! Now it's focused squarely on NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, where it's likely to stay. But don't worry, they've still got some left for those mainstream media hacks like King, Clayton and Florio.
Common identifying phrase: "Snitches get stitches!"
The Believer - Clearly the Saints were doing wrong and lying about it. Payton and the Saints have a track record for this sort of stuff so surely the 50,000 pages of evidence have some damaging information. Sure, it sucks and maybe the punishment is a little harsh, but life goes on and the Saints will overcome, for better or for worse.
Common identifying phrase: "They already confessed."
The Complacent - As hard as this may be to believe, I really think there are some fans out there who are truly enjoying this moment; either because they're happy to see that smirk wiped straight from Sean Payton's smug face or they own a local t-shirt store in New Orleans. But these fans are hard to find because they lurk behind the scenes, reading everything but never expressing their own thoughts for fear of public scorn.
Common identifying phrase: [silence]
The Conspiracy Theorist - How come we don't get to see all this evidence the NFL claims to possess? What are these 10,000 documents? Something's always rotten in the state of Denmark for these fans. They believe the NFL has had it's own secret agenda against the Saints from the moment they won the Super Bowl and these pay-for-performance "allegations" are the perfect time to take them down. And that's just what they are..."allegations."
Common identifying phrase: "Herr Goodell"