Herm Edwards is The Punisher

If Chiefs coach Herman Edwards was in charge of dishing out punishments for NFL players who misbehave off the field, what you'd end up with -- other than a lot of fatherly lectures -- is a system that doesn't ever fine players, but deals in suspensions. Herm doesn't want you to play to win the game, in fact, Herm doesn't want you to play at all.

"I've never been a big proponent of fining players. Players, last time I checked, if they don't get to play, they understand that," he said. "If they don't get to play, that's what they understand. You don't dress. You don't play. Go home. You sit there and you watch.

Sounds great. I'm on board. The only problem is that the NFL will never let that happen. Sure, they're concerned about the players Pacmanning it up out there, but the most important thing to the NFL is selling their product. And because they have a product to sell, they want their best players on the field on Sundays, regardless of whether or not they committed rape, murder, arson, and rape (bonus points to whoever gets that reference) on Wednesdays.

That's the truth. Because Herm Edwards is right, suspensions would be a much harsher punishment for players. But I'm right, too ... because the NFL knows damn well that Herm Edwards is right, and yet, it will never, ever happen.

It's not like you're going to stop buying tickets and merchandise and DirecTV packages if NFL players don't "clean up their act." You may get indignant in a few behavior-related comment threads here in the FanHouse, but you're not going to stop watching football. You just aren't.

So the punishments will continue to be light, Chris Henry and Jerramy Stevens will continue to be on the field on Sundays, and we'll all continue to enjoy the NFL and not think about criminal behavior at all between the whistles. That's just the way things are. But thanks anyway, Herm.