2011 Thread for missing football during the offseason and possibly through the lockout

Oh special companion, you will be missed.

Just one weekend removed and I'm already experiencing THE PAIN.

Sound FX marathon on NFL Network!

Sad sad sad

sigh

I actually watched some rugby today. That's how hard up I was.

guess it just means the Packers will be world champs for another year (or eternity, depending on the apocalypse)

it WAS one of the foretold signs...

jerry richardson in full effect

Apparently, Richardson was particularly sarcastic when Manning started to talk about players’ safety. At one point, Richardson evidently said, “What do you know about player safety?”

“If he’s willing to talk to [Manning] and [Brees] that way, what do you think it says about what he and the other owners think about the rest of the players?” the source said, rhetorically.

Yahoo "reporter" in not getting the concept of "rhetorically" shocka.

If we end up with a lockout season I say we initiate ILNFL FAP: rent an RV, and take a road trip to personally visit Richardson and punch him in the face. Could he be any more of a sonofabitch?

It would be more awesome if a player did it. I vote for James Harrison.

omg yes.

they should just switch jobs and see who does a worse job (or dies)

^^^

i vote for jerry richardson to sign up for a most hilarious and schadenfreude-laden episode of 'undercover boss'

ohhhh that would be miraculous

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ms-richardsonnfl021411

I like that last idea: sit the Panthers down at the table across from Richardson, and watch what happens.

Fuck this guy in the ear, seriously.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1182007/index.htm

On DeMaurice Smith

Have fun trying to sign any free agents Richardson. That franchise is borderline flatlining now, they might as well sell the thing and move it to LA now.

The article about Smith was pretty goood, the one about Goodell the week before sucked. Peter King is a fucking corporate whore.

It appears the union just decertified.

I'll bite because I'm easily confused...what does that mean?

If they dissolve the union, they can take the owners to court.

excited to see the owners' financials exposed in court

interesting!

NFL spokesguy on tv now whining about how mean and unfriendly the union has been to the league and the owners.

I have a hard time feeling sorry for him.

wiping the tears with $100 bills and blowing their noses on PSLs

fuck the owners ....

otm

otm

Goodell's legacy begins .....

good stuff from florio

The statement issued by the NFL upon conclusion of mediation indicates several things about the offer that was made Friday by the league at noon ET, and to which the union responded four hours later.

Among other things, the NFL offered to keep the current scheduling format (16 regular-season games and four preseason games) for at least two years, with any subsequent changes subject to the approval of the league and the union.

The first part isn’t a surprise, since the length of the regular-season wasn’t going to change before 2013. (The league would have had no way to cram two extra games into the current schedule, since the dates of the next two Super Bowls are set in stone.) But the league’s proposal also contained an offer to push the entire length-of-season debate back by two years, necessarily forcing the NFL to make a fairly major concession when the time comes to try to grow from 16 to 18 games.

The offer also included a reduction in the offseason workout program from 14 weeks to nine and a reduction in the OTA workouts from fourteen weeks to 10. Moreover, the league offered “significant reductions in the amount of contact in practices.”

Whether the offer can be put back together remains to be seen. Though the league will huff and puff that it was a one-time only proposal (indeed, the league undoubtedly prefaced the offer by saying it applies today only), the league will quickly put those terms back together again whenever progress again is made.

this is a few days old but zirin: http://www.edgeofsports.com/2011-03-06-605/index.html

it'd be impossible for him to fuck this one up but zirin otm

feel like the way the owners are spinning the offer they had out there is total bullshit, nflpa just needs to hire a good publicist here & get in court

i don't even think the nflpa needs a good publicist. is anyone on the owners' side?

i was actually on the owners' side in the last nhl (which i care more about than football) stoppage, because the players seemed to have an outsized idea of just how popular and money-generating their sport is.

but i don't thing the nfl owners have anything going for them. they have obviously money-grubbing asshole owners like danny snyder and jerry jones. they have cool owners like the maras and rooneys who've owned their teams for 80 years and can hardly claim that football has lost them money. and then there's dave duerson.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft2011/news/story?id=6216135

this would be insane

wow

The players should have a counterdraft.

Like:

With the first pick in the NFLPA Draft, Nick Fairley has selected Doritos.

also (if you watch the schefter vid) apparently chris cook got arrested for brandishing a gun in a fight, but is no longer subject to the NFL personal conduct policy so he'll have to deal with the cops but can't face any nfl punishment

would be awesome if they recreated the player-waiting room scenes with muppets

http://nplusonemag.com/eff-you

Great article about the lockout with owner/commissioner zings left and right that ties in the way the Packers are owned with the way Scott Walker just screwed the public unions.

That article is fantastic, and just the sharp stick I needed to get a reaction out of my brother-in-law. He was reduced to criticising it because the writer used profanity.

Great article.

Martyball is coming to the UFL!

sigh....

We should all pick UFL teams to root for.

Martyball is coming to the UFL!

― reggaeton for the painfully alone (polyphonic), Wednesday, March 23, 2011 2:50 PM (1 week ago) Bookmark

http://i.imgur.com/CMIFf.gif

i didnt think marty would ever come back... let alone for the UFL. what on earth is possessing him

Wants to get out of the house, but doesn't want the 24/7 lifestyle of NFL coaching, apparently.

hope that whoever works the sound at martys games uses the "shots shots shots" song when hes shown on camera

Madden 12 will emphasize concussions, safety

haha

hope that whoever works the sound at martys games uses the "shots shots shots" song when hes shown on camera

― johnny crunch, Friday, April 1, 2011 8:20 PM (2 days ago) Bookmark

rofl

i didnt think marty would ever come back... let alone for the UFL. what on earth is possessing him

― ℳℴℯ　❤＼(◕‿◕✿ (Princess TamTam), Friday, April 1, 2011 4:19 AM (2 days ago) Bookmark Suggest

and yes, in MMQB this week king said that marty was drawn by the opportunity to coach football w/o the year-long time commitment of the NFL

"Okay guys: we're gonna throw the ball"

i haven't seen any UFL but I fear that it may be like the defunct XFL, where touchdowns were regularly scored because the defensive scheme consisted of "I'VE GOT NUMBER 87!!!!"

I watched a couple UFL games in its first season and it was a sensible time killer on a Wednesday or Thursday night, but not something I could see developing any affection for. I'd rather watch CFL tbh.

otm

The college football thread is going to be a lot busier this year.

Speaking of, Cris Carter's kid just transferred to Tuscaloosa. Hope skills are hereditary.

offseason weirdness. i never watch this show but there are a ton of ppl on the twitters (inc a bunch of nfl players) LOL'ing at the fools on 'to catch a predator' every sunday

http://twitter.com/#!/Huffy247/status/57293197034000384
http://twitter.com/#!/Jones_Drew32/status/57290066132860928
http://twitter.com/#!/kirkmorrison55/status/57294832305053696
http://twitter.com/#!/FABEWASH31/status/57282618810568704
http://twitter.com/#!/ChrisHarrisNFL/status/57296855813472256

would watch because WTF but cable tv here seems to be playing a different show

Really hope this season happens, because THE LIONS have a Monday night game!

Raiders at Broncos first Monday night of the season :D

And we get the Jets at home, lol yay
really want to go to that one

plz plz be no lockout plz plz

http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/american_football/9467889.stm

Judge backs players in NFL battle

NFL team owners have been ordered to end their lockout of players by a federal judge in St Paul, Minnesota.

The owners imposed the lockout on 11 March after negotiations over a new collective bargaining agreement failed.

The players, whose careers are often cut short by injury, claim they deserve a bigger cut of the $9bn generated annually by the NFL.

US district judge Susan Richard Nelson issued a preliminary injunction against the owners but the NFL plans to appeal.

In a statement, the league said: "We believe that this dispute will inevitably end with a collective bargaining agreement, which would be in the best interests of players, clubs and fans.

"We can reach a fair agreement only if we continue negotiations toward that goal."

Nelson heard arguments on the injunction at a hearing on 6 April and ordered the two sides to resume mediation while she was considering her decision.

The owners and players, who failed to reach consensus after 16 days of mediated talks earlier this year, met over four days with a federal magistrate but did not announce any progress on solving the NFL's first work stoppage since 1987.

They are not scheduled to meet again until May 16, four days after another judge holds a hearing on whether players should get damages in their related fight with owners over some $4bn in broadcast revenue.

If Nelson's ruling stands, it is unclear exactly what happens next.

The previous collective bargaining agreement has expired, so how the league would handle free agency, trades and off-season workouts at team headquarters, all of which were banned under the lockout, remains to be seen.

Yknow what sucks. It's fucking MAY and we are not talking about football. Lockout makes me sad.

hamnanski http://joeposnanski.si.com/2011/04/26/goodell-to-the-last-drop/

lol were people actually under the impression that goodell was bright? he is probably the most obvious empty suit i have ever seen, and the fact that he is so media-visible is legitimately weird.

Roger Goodell is undoubtedly a brilliant guy

like, no! i actually really, strongly, doubt this!

is it possible that an intelligent person would fall for this debate team bullshit?

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704132204576285090526726626.html

yeah that was the only part of the post where i was like "uh, joe..." but it just seems a parcel of posnanski's shtick of being as even handed as possible, even when he's bitingly critical

God there is so much good tv about the draft right now. NFL Network especially is just killin' it.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/04/27/nelson-denies-nfl-request-for-stay-on-ruling/

Nelson denies NFL request for stay on ruling
Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on April 27, 2011, 9:46 PM EDT

Judge Susan Nelson is doing her best to clarify the labor situation on draft eve.

Nelson, who lifted the NFL lockout on Monday, has denied the league’s request for a stay on her ruling. The league wanted to keep the lockout in place and avoid starting the new league year until their appeal was heard, but Nelson was unmoved.

She wrote that the NFL “has not met its burden for a stay pending appeal, expedited or otherwise.”

The NFL continues to lose in the courtroom, which means we are getting closer to teams being forced to fully open their doors for business. The league is rapidly running out of legal maneuvers.

Schef reporting that the lockout is back on.

how is the lockout supposed to make more money for the owners?

I heard last week that Collinsworth said we might not have football til November?

I'm not following too closely because I barely understand half of it & the rest is hearsay

And there's nothing really to report apparently? Like NOTHING in the times today about football.

nothing until june. fuck.

ugh this blows

from what i understand: the players are totally fucked now unless they can activate the nuclear option (Obama). the nfl cannot win the antitrust case, so their underlying legal strategy has always been to keep the lockout in place long enough to leverage a settlement. at this point the players have to commit to at least 2 or 3 seasons without football (best case) to win the antitrust suit. so the real question is when will the players capitulate - now, just to get it over with, or after sitting out a season to regain some leverage? for the first time, i am pretty much convinced that there will be no nfl football this year.

link?

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/michael_mccann/05/16/nfl.lockout/index.html

^this was p good; id be shocked if the players sought through the brady vs nfl antitrust case, its just too much to ask; i feel like the players will capitulate, unfortunately & there will be a season, maybe a shortened one

link?

― johnny crunch, Tuesday, May 17, 2011 7:13 AM (6 hours ago) Bookmark

http://www.ca8.uscourts.gov/nfl/ca8_live.11.cv.1898.3788031.0.pdf

here's the opinion granting the stay - most labor law people didn't think the Norris-Laguardia argument was tenable, but it's the position that the 8th circuit appears to be ready to adopt; it was expected that the stay would be granted on irreparable harm, but the way this opinion was written tipped their hand on the outcome of the interlocutory appeal itself, meaning the oral argument in June has no shot.

i do think the nflpa has prepped the players pretty hard for a season without football and i really expect them to stick to their guns this year. if they're still holding out late in 2012 things could get interesting, depending on the discovery schedule - if discovery opens, the owners would have to disclose their financials or at the very least make a strong argument for why they haven't done so. that would be potentially huge for the players from a PR and leverage perspective.

hm, yea that opinion is v pro nfl

dye's dissent is an interesting read

are there any team sports where the players arent unionized? i mean if the owners were enjoined from locking out the players & the players are decertified, the owners wld be forced to put in new employment rules w/ the players just as a generic body? rules that dont run afoul of antitrust laws obv...how the fuc would that work?>

the world IS gonna end ain't it

It does not look good right now. Fall will truly suck without the NFL. Especially late fall.

Thank goodness I rank football this way: Collegiate >>> Professional.

I'll def miss the NFL if it takes the year off, but I always view it more like a bright and noisy spectacle whereas I get really invested emotionally in college ball.

Unfortunately, I rank football this way: Professional > Soccer > Lacrosse > Women's Golf > Collegiate

^^^ hahaha, me too. This is going to be a bummer, but I hope the players can stick it out and do the owners some damage.

I thought that way when this first started, but now I say fuck both sides. they both suck.

Would definitely watch CFL if it makes some inroads during a potential long-term lockout.

ditto

I rank football this way:

Professional...aaaand that's all.

I hate the owners, I hate players, they can all shit in a hat. Jerks. *cries*

except ARodg <3

Nah, he's the worst. I heard he breaks in new shoes by kicking puppies to death.

well he'll have a lot more time for it

VG, you live in the wrong part of the country. Come down here and be an SEC fan with me!!!

I know, I know. I actually want to try & see a Cal game this year, the "experience" seems important to getting into it

If you live on west coast, definitely head up to a U-Dub game. that is a great experience.

Ridiculous hypothetical: If the top Euro soccer leagues (England, Spain, Italy, Germany) held a few marquee matches on Sundays, and Fox or a major network not only aired them at 12:00 and 3:00 Eastern but promoted them hard all summer and fall, would some people watch just through habit/inertia?

It's Sunday afternoon and Mike Tirico or whoever is holding a mic on television - would that would be enough to draw at least some people who don't want to reorder 1/7th of their lives?

depends on what you mean by 'some people'

You're right - I phrased it so vaguely it's not really answerable. Don't think I understand TV viewership stats well enough to do a better job. I'll try to read up on it.

whenever the big euro soccerball teams play exhibition matches here they tend to sell out and get a lot of attention so its not inconceivable

clearly this would be the time for MLS to step up though

I'd watch it. I feel like a ton of ilx types would watch it.

but I don't think ilx types make up a very big chunk of the nfl audience.

Googling "nfl lockout opportunity" has taught me that NHL, MLB, Nascar, and MLS fans are all hopeful to various degrees.

i feel like the EA fifa games + world cup are increasing in popularity in here all the time among 20-something sports fans, and that MLS could have its opening eventually

the mls averages 37k/game in seattle!

they're effete liberals tho

Cascadia's a special place.

xpost yeah that, basically.

I would definitely watch. Heck if they just aired the MLS soccer matches in place of locked-out NFL I'd be happy enough. Not ecstatic, but it'd ease the pain.
Or Englisher league matches or somefink

I always am glued to the World Cup whenever it's on, but I'm such a lazy ass about watching soccer outside of that.

I am the same way about World Cup. I would watch MLS from time to time, or even Sunday Game-of-the-Week type NBA (which seems more likely), but I feel like I sort of sacrifice my Sundays in order to watch football, my favorite sport. I was thinking about cutting back on football this year anyway, so I'm even less likely to stick around for a sport I don't care about as much. Will probably get into college ball in a big way this fall, really. It's the sport I like more than the league.

Not that I am indicative of a typical football watcher, or anything.

guys the pittsburgh passion is 5-0 and outscoring its opponents 174-22

the chicago force doesn't know whether to cry or wind its watch

holy crap!

I'm always sad I don't get NFL Network until I'm at my uncle's place and can actually watch it. Then I realize it's largely garbage.

repeats of Total Access all day interspersed with random boring games from the past 2 yrs...holidays they sometimes marathon Americas Game is the only upside

I was watching Total Access on Friday and it was lame. Tonight I peeped a little of that Top 100 of 2011 countdown and that was beyond lame. I assume it's less useless during the football season, but in May it may as well be QVC.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Bears-rookie-J-T-Thomas-takes-young-lady-to-eig?urn=nfl-wp2127

this is pretty awwwwwww

Some of the comments to that story are completely ridiculous. Accusing the guy of statutory rape. These are people that hide behind internet monikers and lob bombs from mommy's basement.

On topic, very happy this guy is a Bear, we've had our share of malcontents.

what a nice guy

Another cool guy: Davone Bess:

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/florida-marlins/fl-miami-dolphins-davone-bess-0528-20110526,0,4147885.story

i hate braylon edwards as much as any athlete but big ups on this

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/05/25/braylon-edwards-makes-good-on-cleveland-scholarship-promise/

seems like not having to spend all day dehydrated and beating men with their skulls is making these guys less generally bitter and egotistic.
i hate the lockout.

WHEN WILL THERE BE SKULL BEATING ;_;

MISS U DEHYDRATION :/

“As the 2nd most hated man in Clev....."

Come on, Kucinich isnt that bad.

I know a guy who was an asst coach for the Jets (their training facility is in the town next to mine). I asked him what kind of guy Braylon Edwards is, he surprised me by saying he is one of the nicest guys on the team, possibly the nicest.

Proposed CBA Details

Details of a proposed collective bargaining agreement being pitched to NFL owners Tuesday, according to sources:

• Players get 48 percent of "all revenue," without extra $1-billion-plus off top that previously had been requested by owners.

• Players' share will never dip below 46.5 percent, under new formula being negotiated.

• Teams required to spend close to 100 percent of the salary cap.

• Rookie wage scale part of deal but still being "tweaked."

• Four years needed for unrestricted free-agent status. Certain tags will be retained, but still being discussed.

• 18-game regular season designated only as negotiable item and at no point is mandated in deal.

• New 16-game Thursday night TV package beginning in 2012.

• Owners still will get some expense credits that will allow funding for new stadiums.

• Retirees to benefit from improved health care, pension benefits as revenue projected to double to $18 million by 2016.

-- ESPN's Chris Mortensen, John Clayton and Adam Schefter

rookie salary cap in exchange for 16 game season

::slaps table and declares this a done deal::

http://omg.yahoo.com/blogs/thefamous/kim-kardashians-ex-boyfriend-now-dating-a-kim-kardashian-look-alike/1576

um

reggie has a "type"

TO tore his ACL, possibly while filming his reality show, and his career is probably over.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8v9yUVgrmPY

aw that makes me sad even though his best days seem to be behind him

There are many sad things about TO, but his career ending (and hopefully his permanent disappearance) is not one of them.

Nah, the game is more entertaining with him in it. Villains are fun!

i love t.o.

Rosenhaus is saying the injury occurred during offseason training and NOT his tv show.

But it's Rosenhaus, so assume the opposite to be true.

i kinda like TO as a player and maybe even a LITTLE bit as a human being.
the situps in the driveway thing really cracked me up

Wish Rosenhaus would tear his ACL. And his mouth. Fucking hate that dude.

TO's a pain but I can't imagine how much more annoying he'll get if he can't play football.

I'd def take him for the woeful Browns wide receiving corps for one year if he's healthy but I dunno why he'd come here

Bowling night!

http://nbcprofootballtalk.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/mjskt-st-58.jpg?w=250

this makes me simultaneously happy and sad

I wouldnt want TO anywhere near the Bears, unless it was as a tackling dummy. The guy's a fraud.

crazy, hes just old. him on the 9ers in the hueg playoff game comeback is the best half ive ever seen a wr play, i think

comeback (vs nyg) is why i remember it so vividly

That was at least 10 years ago. The one where the Giants botched the long snap? Goddam, I think fucking Y.A. Tittle played in that game.

He still played well enough last year to help someone once he recovers. He may be a douche but his conditioning level is always very high.

So wait, is this almost over?

I don't believe a goddam thing until kickoff.

Today's the day!

I need to take a nap so my head doesn't swivel right off my neck trying to follow all the free agency pick-ups and trades that should be starting later.

I hope this week is fuckin nuts.

god, what a fucking non-story this turned out being

Anything that cuts into the preseason is a good thing imo

^

god, what a fucking non-story this turned out being

― J0rdan S., Monday, July 25, 2011 2:14 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark

uh excuse me we lost the hall of fame game!

it does make one p cynical that the first whiff of losing actual $$, the sides can compromise. not that it isnt in both sides interest but, i mean, ppl were talking of the lockout lasting TWO YEARS? cmon man

At least we won't have to hear about it again for at least ten years.

Here's a dece free agency roundup:

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/6800194/the-nfl-great-scrambling-act

^p good; idk abt this analogy on nnamdi tho~

He might intimidate his teammates in the same way that you get intimidated by talking about music at a party to someone who knows a lot more about music than you.

has anybody read a good moderately-detailed summary on the provisions of the new agreement and who "won" or "lost" from the players/owners?

officially game on.
N.F.L. team player representatives voted 32-0 to accept a a new 10-year labor deal early Monday, clearing the way for football to resume this week after a nearly five-month lockout. Teams can sign their draft picks and rookie free agents starting Tuesday, and they also can begin negotiating with free agents that day. Signings of free agents will begin on Friday. Camps open on Wednesday for 10 teams, Thursday for 10 teams, and Friday for 10 teams. The last two teams will open camp on Sunday.

ummmmm, peter king's column today lays it out pretty succinctly, i think

ok cool

as for who lost, well we did, for having to hear about this bullshit for months even tho literally nothing negative happened to anyone, aside from mid level team employees

^otm

also, i guess, areas that would traditionally have training camps were hurt cuz i think most teams are just gonna do stuff at their own facilities now right..i know the giants arent going 2 albany

Free Agency Madness 2011: A Thread for post lockout signings

& undrafted free agents got screwed

http://i.imgur.com/xpXNg.jpg

Our long national nightmare is over.

Yay football!!!