As long as we're just hanging out, let's try some actual football talk, shall we?

On ESPN Radio on Tuesday night, former Vikings wide receiver Cris Carter said that, as a player, he had put "bounties" out on opposing players as a form of "protection."

"I'm guilty of (bounties) -- I mean, first time I've ever admitted it -- but I put a bounty on guys before," Carter told show hosts Mike Hill and Mark Schlereth. "I put bounties on guys. If a guy tries to take me out, a guy takes a cheap shot on me? I put a bounty on him right now!"

Apparently this is a big deal or something, particularly in light of what's happened to the New Orleans Saints*.

If anyone wants to compare the two, however, they're completely off base. Unless, of course, they can point out where Carter's coaches and/or coordinators (guys like Bob Schnelker, Brian Billick, Jerry Burns, and Dennis Green) explicitly funded or endorsed Carter's behavior. Or, you know, brought in convicted felons in order to fund and run things.

Or if they can point out that the chain of command in such a thing ran all the way to the Vikings' front office.

Or if they can point out the times that the Minnesota Vikings were ordered to stop such behavior and repeatedly lied to the league office about having done so.

Because then we'd almost be comparing apples to apples. As it stands now, it's a comparison of apples to washing machines.

What Carter said was dumb, and there was nothing positive that could have come of it, to be sure. But trying to put him on a level with the dirtiest franchise in NFL history is a little excessive.