NFL Lockout Thread

Tom Kessenich · Post by **Tom Kessenich** » Wed Jul 06, 2011 4:23 am

Marc, I'm not expecting the NFL (or any corporate entity for that matter) to give a rat's ass about those of us who support it. I'm far too cynical for that. But what boggles my mind is how both sides - who badly need this entity to survive and continue to flourish - are showing no sense of urgency to get this deal done.

I think when push comes to shove the players want to play and the owners want to continue taking in billions of dollars. That's just common sense. So why not aggressively work to get a deal done when many reports indicated you were moving in the right direction last Thursday. Why take time off? Haven't you had enough time off already?

I've said since Day 1 of this fiasco that there hasn't been a shred of common sense applied by either side. And as we sit here on July 6 that sadly remains the case. The owners and players don't need to end this lockout for you, me or anyone other fan of the game (although it would be nice). But they should be ending it for themselves.

Diesel · Post by **Diesel** » Wed Jul 06, 2011 4:41 am

Unfortunately, we love this game so much that we feed this monster each year. Everyone says that money will never change you, but there is a point(definitely in the billions) where money clouds your judgement of straight forward common sense. This is what's going on today.

Tom Kessenich · Post by **Tom Kessenich** » Wed Jul 06, 2011 4:45 am

This has been about greed from Day 1. Pure and simple. That's what makes it the most pathetic and unnecessary work stoppage I can ever recall in professional sports. This isn't like what's going on with the NBA, which BADLY needs a massive overhaul with its system. This is about a system that's clearly working for everyone but one party (in this case the owners) decided they wanted to get greedy and get their hands on more of the dough.

While I blame the owners for this lockout ever occurring, at this point both sides are to blame for ignoring common sense and refusing to work more aggressively to get a deal done. Pathetic.

Old School · Post by **Old School** » Wed Jul 06, 2011 5:34 am

The last CBA was one-sided in favor of the players. But with a booming industry the owners were still making money. Following from Forbes:

Stung by the economic recession and looming possibility of a lockout in 2011, the average value of an NFL franchise has dropped for the first time in 12 years, according to Forbes magazine.

The average worth of NFL teams fell 2% to $1.02 billion in 2010 from $1.04 billion last year, according to the study. That's the first drop since the magazine began tracking team values in 1998."

Greed is on both sides, with lawyers fanning the flames.....

Erok · Post by **Erok** » Wed Jul 06, 2011 5:58 am

Originally posted by Tom Kessenich:
quote:Originally posted by W. Klown:
No Roger and no D Smith yesterday??? Or today???? Really??? At this juncture? It is truly incomprehensible to me that they are not involved until tomorrow. There was no excuse whatsoever to take the momentum gained last Thursday (which by all accounts was significant) and then p**s it all away by barely negotiating Friday and then taking a three-day weekend. They should have stayed in the room and worked overtime all weekend if necessary to hammer out a deal. I continue to be amazed at the lack of urgency being shown by both parties. [/QUOTE]That is exactly right Tom, it does not make sense. That is why I am trying to read between the lines here..........they were just off on an extended weekend, then take off two more days. It makes no sense.......unless a tentative deal was reached & needs documented and drawn up. Hence the off days. Tomorrow and Friday they can tweak the final few things or reword certain parts of it then announce it as a done deal. Lets hope. If this isnt whats going on, then who knows.

Old School · Post by **Old School** » Wed Jul 06, 2011 2:37 pm

Originally posted by W. Klown:
quote:Originally posted by Tom Kessenich:
quote:Originally posted by W. Klown:
No Roger and no D Smith yesterday??? Or today???? Really??? At this juncture? It is truly incomprehensible to me that they are not involved until tomorrow. There was no excuse whatsoever to take the momentum gained last Thursday (which by all accounts was significant) and then p**s it all away by barely negotiating Friday and then taking a three-day weekend. They should have stayed in the room and worked overtime all weekend if necessary to hammer out a deal. I continue to be amazed at the lack of urgency being shown by both parties. [/QUOTE]That is exactly right Tom, it does not make sense. That is why I am trying to read between the lines here..........they were just off on an extended weekend, then take off two more days. It makes no sense.......unless a tentative deal was reached & needs documented and drawn up. Hence the off days. Tomorrow and Friday they can tweak the final few things or reword certain parts of it then announce it as a done deal. Lets hope. If this isnt whats going on, then who knows. [/QUOTE]i think you got it Klown. I now think a deal is pretty much done and they know it will be finished shortly and that's why the lack of urgency over the holiday. .. hopeful thinking

Tom Kessenich · Post by **Tom Kessenich** » Thu Jul 07, 2011 2:27 am

Update from Don Banks saying the two sides are "in the Red Zone" with negotiations with today viewed as a critical day.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/w ... xid=si_nfl

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Thu Jul 07, 2011 6:45 am

I know that everyone is sick of hearing about every little nugget that gets our hopes up or down, but hopefully this could be good news from ESPN's Adam Schefter. He just tweeted that:

"The plaintiffs in the Brady vs. NFL case have been contacted about participating in a conference call tonight. More on ESPN today."

And he added right after that:

"Keep in mind: Conference call tonight with Plaintiffs can be simply to update them on status; isn't automatically to approve any settlement."

[ July 07, 2011, 12:53 PM: Message edited by: Greg Ambrosius ]

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Thu Jul 07, 2011 6:52 am

Nobody cares about my opinion, but I feel like we're finally near the end here and not even greed can get in the way of a labor agreement soon. These guys have come too far now and they are close enough to get this done in time to save the entire pre-season. Now it's just a matter of when, not if this labor deal gets done.

The fact that the lawyers have most of the legalese in place means that things could move quickly from the approval process once the players and lawyers hash out these final details. And word is that they will work through the weekend to get that done. There's still time for the legal documents to be adjusted and the courts to approve this by the 15th or shortly thereafter. I think we're going to see free agency in no time and the pre-season intact. That includes the Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio, but even if that game doesn't go off the 64 other pre-season games will go off.

I'm ready to go and all signs are pointing to a labor agreement soon. Get ready folks because this is going to be a wild ride for all of us. We've never seen an off-season like this one and in eight short weeks we'll see 400+ free agents signed, 64 pre-season games, plenty of injuries, plenty of surprises and then right to Draft Day. Those fantasy owners who digest it all in the next few weeks could be the ones who win our top prizes at season's end. Good luck all and BE READY!!! This baby is going to be delivered soon.

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Thu Jul 07, 2011 7:35 am

Okay, so maybe I don't know what I'm talking about!!

ESPN.com just reported that it looks like negotiations will carry over into next week. But that still doesn't mean it's all bad. Here's ESPN.com's latest update:

"While there remains a focused approach toward completing a labor deal between the NFL and its locked-out players in the near future, finalization of one Thursday is close to impossible, sources close to the negotiations told ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen.

It still is expected that negotiations will spill into early next week to achieve a "done deal," the sources said. Even with progress, there are unresolved issues that require further negotiations."