re: Brady, Manning, Rogers, Bush and McCoy buying players gifts break NFL rules???

I guess if a tiny "pot of $$$" wasn't on the line then the defensive players would just not go for that sack, interception, or forced turnover... nah.

Flawed thinking. Those guys are looking for stats whether there is $1000 pot on the line or not. They are all looking to raise their "stock" for the next contract. And you can bet if any of them have an open line at a QB, they are coming full throttle.

If they miss a sack or etc because they were trying to play the kinder gentler version of football, they all know they will be quickly replaced.

As for intentionally hurting players, there's plenty of yo-yo's in the league that do that already. Ndamukong Suh comes to mind.