While I disagree with the OP, which I think is way over the top, you guys who think Goodell "is probably the best commish since Rozelle" and "think it's time to start considering Goodell as a great commissioner" have a really low bar for excellence, and are just as off base as the OP.
I think Goodell is doing a very good job with bountygate thus far. He knows he has to protect the NFL from liability from lawsuits. So he gets high marks for that. As far as protecting the league from liability goes, I'd give him an "A."
Then in the same time period, he allows a rogue owner, John Mara, to institute cap penalties against 2 in division foes on the eve of FA, despite the 2 teams literally breaking no rules. This is an unprecedented incident in any pro sports league as far as I can tell. This in itself should be a fireable offense - no competent commissioner should ever allow this type of cheating, sleaziness, and unethical behavior by an owner like Mara to occur. This is a very real chance that Congress will eventually get involved in this and review the nfl's antitrust exemption, due to this debacle. A good commissioner would never allow his league to be put in this type of vulnerable position.
From a marketing standpoint, I think Goodell is doing his job very well, even better than Tags.
As for being consistent in handing out punishments, suspensions, etc., Goodell is absolutely terrible. I'd be surprised if anyone in the Shark Pool would play in a fantasy league with a commissioner that is so inconsistent. Goodell has suspended players despite not being convicted of any crimes. He's suspended some players for certain actions and not suspended other players for the same type of actions. There needs to be strict guidelines and exact punishments which are clearly defined for every type of misbehavior by nfl players, instead of Goodell seemingly handing down whatever punishment he desires like he's King Joffrey.
His inconsistency carries over to coaches and teams too. He doesn't suspend Belichick for any games despite him blatantly cheating and disrupting competitive balance in the league, yet he suspends Sean Payton an entire year. This does not compute. Harbaugh and Schwarz only receive a verbal scolding for their actions after the Lions-49ers game last season. Does anyone really think if a similar incident involved 2 players instead that they would have only received a verbal scolding.
And then there's the simple common sense stuff that he's screwed up. For example, any knowledgeable nfl fan knew that who got to play the first home game in the new stadium for the Giants and Jets was a pretty big deal. Goodell works for the owners, so he should have had the common sense to know he had to communicate with the 2 teams how it was going to be decided who got to play the first home game in the new stadium. Instead, however, Goodell apparently decided to just flip a coin during his lunch break to make the decision without consulting either team prior?
In conclusion, he's done a lot of really good things. And he's made a lot of mistakes and blunders. He's a mixed bag at best. As far as NFL commissioners in my lifetime go: Rozelle>>>>>>>>>Tags>>>Goodell.