The longest work stoppage in NFL history is officially over.  The owners and players can pat themselves on the back (they already did) for biting the bullet and signing a deal that will continue to make all of them very rich.  Must’ve been tough.  What I would really like to see is a “Yes We Did” type press conference with Clark Hunt, DeMaurice Smith, and Roger Goodell all trying to look über cool up on stage with fog machines and lasers.  This would be a great day for DeMaurice Smith, finally making it on stage after being beat out by Doctor Teeth as front man for Electric Mayhem.  They could have an entire hour long narcissistic show about their decision to ratify the new CBA as well (I love they used this term like it was the freaking Constitution on the United States).  It would include what thoughts were going through their mind, where their inspiration to sign the document came from, how they did all of this for the fans, what type of pen they used, what type of shoes they were wearing, how it’s all for sale on eBay…

If I am correct though, you all did not come here to read about the lockout though, right?  Screw the past four months.  Addicts, it is time to talk real football!

(more…)

Hey De Smith. You look like a muppet. Shut up and get a deal done.

The NFL lockout is still going strong despite recent reports of progress at the bargaining table.

ESPN is reporting that the latest round of super secret talks at an undisclosed location inside a secret bunker outside of Boston have wrapped up for the week. ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio reports via an unnamed source that talks are heading in the “right direction.” Talks are expected to resume next week, though both sides are expected to continue working and hammering out details until that time.

Now that we got the good news out of the way, Pro Football Talk is reporting via an unnamed source (surprise) that NFLPA/Trade Association representative DeMaurice Smith told the players that a deal is not close and to “not believe the hype.”

Well damn.

First of all, and I am sympathetic to the players, Smith needs to shut the hell up. For a couple of weeks now, both sides have been talking and we have been getting nothing but positive reports that things were moving in the right direction. For the first time in a long time we haven’t had to hear either side taking shots at the other in public. We haven’t had to hear any pro union/player or pro owner spin campaigns.

Now, when it seems things might finally be happening, Smith has to go off and run his mouth. He knew damn well his “message” to players would leak out. I am not sure what his motive is but I can tell you his actions, if he did indeed do this, are not productive.

This is a tense situation and the last thing we need is one side or the other to start shooting off their mouth in a sly attempt to try to gain some leverage, whether it be in the negotiations or with the court of public opinion. While Smith’s words weren’t a direct shot at the owners, they were not helpful to the effort to keep the mood positive and the talks focused.

I’ve been very supportive of the players throughout this entire process. If the reports I have been hearing about the potential framework of the new CBA, the players are closer to getting a fair deal than they have been at any time throughout this process.

So please, DeMaurice Smith, shut the hell up.

AdamSchefter Adam Schefter
We’ll see if anything changes, it always could, but De Smith told players during his conference call the plan is to decertify.

This does not look good at all. Smith gave this update to the players at 2PM EST. The union must decertify by 5PM tonight…just a little over two hours from now. There are various reports that the league is hoping talks can continue after Smith’s announcement. Stay tuned.

The NFL reportedly gave the players one last offer this morning and that offer is being looked over. The players were supposed to get an update from union rep DeMaurice Smith at 2. Smith reportedly had a conference call but we do not know yet what is going on.

Basically we could be looking at:

1. Decertification/Lockout (decertification must happen by 5PM)
2. Extension of talks
3. A deal

Keep it here. We coul dfind something out any time.

Update: Tweet from Chris Mortenson of ESPN:(2:39 EST)

mortreport Chris Mortensen
DeMaurice Smith proceeded with his update @ 2 w players via conferencing. Owners’ team hopeful talks continue after their proposal today.

The labor extension agreed upon by the NFL and the NFLPA will come to an end tomorrow night and if an agreement is not reached by around midday Friday, chaos will begin to ensue.

NFLPA executive director Demaurice Smith took to Twitter this evening with a message for the players.

“Players stay strong! Stay informed, update by 2pm tomorrow.”

What does it all mean?

Well in short, if an agreement is no reached by tomorrow afternoon then both parties will have some big decisions to make. If the sides reach a stalemate, they will likely break off talks to plan their next move. The NFL will make the final decision on whether or not they are going to try to lock the players out while the union will decide whether or not to decertify. The union must decertify before the end of the labor agreement so that is why Smith is promising to give an update to the players by 2 PM (EST). Without a deal, the union will fire an antitrust lawsuit against the league and a whole mess of boring legal stuff that nobody wants to know about will ensue.
(more…)

Yesterday Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports reported that the NFL and the NFLPA had agreed on the basic terms of a new rookie wage scale. Cole sited two unnamed sources to backup his report.

Good news, right? Not so fast.

Later in the day, a couple more reports popped up claiming that no deal had been reached. The guys at Pro Football Talk reached out to Cole via email and they report that Cole is standing by his claim.

Whether or not a deal for a rookie wage scale has been agreed upon at this point is kind of irrelevant. A deal on a wage scale will be reached because it will benefit both the owners and the players in the long run. Teams won’t be stuck paying draft busts for years after it becomes apparent that they are flops and for the players, more money will go to proven veterans.

On another front, we got word from NFLPA rep DeMaurice Smith that the union will be saying no to an 18-game schedule. Smith spoke yesterday from the union’s Washington offices in an event jointly scheduled with 106.7 the Fan.

“First of all, the league has never presented a formal proposal for 18 games,” Smith said.  “But more importantly, it’s something that our players don’t want.  Eighteen games is not in the best interest of our players’ safety, so we’re not doing it.”

Pretty cut and dry, eh?

(more…)