Jaguars LB will be on a payment plan to pay for his $20,000 fine - Packers and Saints Set to Kick-Off NFL Season

Thursday, September 8, 2011
Saints at Packers
8:30 PM ET
After breaking down film of both teams, Scouts Inc. offers 10 things to watch in this week's Saints-Packers matchup.

1. Deal with the hype: After an unprecedented offseason, the regular season is finally here. It is opening night, and walking into Green Bay to face the Super Bowl champions is not an enviable task for any team. The Saints will have to weather the high emotions of their environment early on. This game features the past two Super Bowl winners -- and everyone involved should come extremely prepared. Giving the edge for coaching was a very difficult decision.





Jaguars LB will be on a payment plan for his $20,000 fine
yahoosports.com
Making the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad could end up costing Mike Lockley $20,000.
During the preseason, the linebacker was assessed a $20,000 fine for an illegal hit on a New England Patriots receiver. That debt was wiped away when he was cut from the team's roster at the end of the preseason. If he had remained out of football, Lockley wouldn't have had to pay. Not an NFL player? No NFL fine.
When he was re-signed to the practice squad this week, the fine was reinstated. That would be a hefty amount of money no matter a player's salary. But as a member of the practice squad, Lockley will make $5,700 per week, far less than the amount he owes the NFL.
According to league spokesman Greg Aiello, players like Lockley are put on a payment plan to satisfy their debts. In Lockley's case, once he gets his first paycheck, he'd pay $2,500 per week for eight weeks to make good with the NFL.
Because the amount of the fine is more than 25 percent of his weekly check, Lockley can lodge an appeal. If I were him, I wouldn't hold my breath on getting that fine changed. The NFL doesn't exactly champion the cause of the little guy.

2011 NFL Power Rankings
Week 1

1. Packers: Sure, they barely made the playoffs. But they won the games that mattered most. They’ll stay atop the mountain until someone knocks them off.

2. Saints: They could be that someone.

3. Chargers: If they can get off to a fast start, they could finally have a special finish.

4. Falcons: Atlanta’s motto for 2011 — “if you can’t beat ‘em, try to outscore ‘em” — could result in an Arena League outcome when the Falcons face the Packers.

5. Steelers: After three prior Super Bowl trips since 1995, the Steelers have missed the playoffs the next year. So maybe they should be a lot lower than this.

6. Jets: If Mark Sanchez can play in the regular season like he plays in the postseason, the Jets will be No. 1 before too long.

7. Patriots: The team that hasn’t won a postseason game since 2007 needs to save a few of those regular-season victories for January.

8. Ravens: To get to the Super Bowl, the Ravens could use a home playoff game or two. To make that happen, they need to knock off the Steelers at home on Sunday.

9. Eagles: Questions on the offensive line and at linebacker could keep this team’s dreams from coming true.

10. Cowboys: Complacency in 2010 could give way to hunger in 2011. Which could carry the Cowboys farther than expected.