Is It Much Adieu About Nothing?

The NFL is still back, and everyone still seems to be breathing a collective sigh of relief.  No courts have invalidated the labor deal....and none will.

The NFL beat the deadline of missing out on preseason game revenue...something the owners were very in tune with.  What many people don't realize is that everything during preseason is full price (namely tickets) and that players are only being paid a stipend (basically for food and lodging) during training camp.  Players' big checks don't come until the regular season starts, so preseason games are cash cows for
the owners.

The NFL did have a different offseason than in years past, but free agents and rookies (drafted and undrafted alike) are negotiating and signing with teams, and trades are also taking place.  Except for a much smaller time window for these events to happen, as well as the new financial rules to operate under with the new CBA, how is this year different?

In previous years, when the free agency window opened, all of the big name free agents were signed within the first few days...often on day one...just the same as this year.  For example, in 2009 when Albert Haynesworth (that years most sought after free agent) left the Titans for the Redskins, his deal was announced during ESPN's morning show Mike & Mike in the Morning (which runs from 6-10 a.m. EST) on the first morning of free agency.  Bottom line, the big names go quickly.  The only part of free agency that's different this year concerns second and third tier players who usually start signing with teams a week or two after the big names have inked their deals.  Now, a little of that will happen this year, but their timeline has shifted, as most are signing deals no so that they can get into training camp with their new teams.

As mentioned in my last post, OTAs were missed this year, but many teams still had players get together and practice on their own.  It wasn't officially OTAs, but it was teams preparing for the upcoming season.

A few days of training camp may be missed this year, but each team will still get four preseason games in advance of the 16 game regular season.  The 20 games are almost exactly what each team had last year, with the only difference being the Hall of Fame preseason game was cancelled this year.  (This was supposed to be a fifth preseason game for the Bears and Rams.)  After all the drama of the lockout, no real games were missed and only one 'fake football' game was skipped.

So back to the title, are the events, post lockout, in the NFL much adieu about nothing?  I believe the answer is yes...expedited...but yes.  When the regular season kicks off in Green Bay on September 8th, the events of this summer will be a distant memory.

Does Anyone Else Feel This Way?

So professional football is back.  The deadline league struck again.

Congratulations to the NFL (Owners) and Players Association...I mean trade union...for figuring out a way to share at least $9 billion ($9B) annually.  I say 'at least' because in a few years the TV deals will expire and new richer ones will be negotiated.  Experts...whomever they are...say that the nine billion number may be more like 13-15 billion.  Holy crap.

Now that the lockout is over, who won and who lost?

The Winners

The Owners – One of their overall goals was to keep the players' share of the revenue under 50%.  At one point the players thought 49% of the revenue was a real possibility for themselves, but in the end, the players settled for 48%.  Players received other benefits that brought the number down to 48%.  Also, now that everyone's giddy about football being back, nobody seems to remember that it was the owners who (in 2008) opted out of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that was just two years old and put us in the current situation.

The Players – Grown men are going to be paid a lot of money to continue playing a game.  Yes, it's more than just a game because of the entertainment it brings to countless people, but when you cut out the fluff, it really is simply a game.  Players also got to miss out on their spring organized training activities (OTAs).  Like Allen Iverson, NFL players don't like to attend offseason practice....yes Allen, we're talking about practice (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGDBR2L5kzI <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGDBR2L5kzI> ).  One final benefit the players acquired is guaranteed contracts for injury.  Players who have remaining years on contracts who suffer career ending injuries are now guaranteed at least $1.M.  Nice deal.

The Fans – We get uninterrupted professional football for the next ten years.  Unlike the CBA of 2006, the CBA just agreed to has no opt out clause for either side.  That's right, ten years of labor peace, with absolutely no mention of either the 8th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals or Judge Doty.

Retired Players – This one is missed by a lot of people.  Over the next ten years of the CBA, retired players are going to be a paid a total of $945M in retiree benefits.  One thing that I can't find good clarification on is who is paying this money?  Yes, the NFL owes the players of yesteryear a great deal for helping build the game into what it is today, but isn't it the players who should be taking care of their own?  Come on, without Archie Manning, there's definitely no Peyton or Eli...both on and off the field.

DeMaurice Smith – The Players brought in a labor lawyer to get a new deal done for them, and that's just what he did.

Robert Kraft (Patriots owner) – Numerous reporters have said it, and the Colts’ Center Jeff Saturday confirmed it, a deal would not have gotten done without Kraft’s work.  When the CBA was falling apart, he was the driving force for working through all of the differences.  That said, Kraft has been through too much lately.  On top of the contentious negotiations, his wife of 48 years, Myra, lost her battle with cancer.  Hate the Patriots as much as you want to, but Robert Kraft is one of the best owners in sports.  He was before this summer’s saga, and he will continue to be going forward.

The Losers

Roger Goodell – Yes, it's only a few, but there have been some very vocal players preaching their dislike and distrust for the Commissioner.  Unfortunately, the loudest, most outlandish voices are the ones that get microphones put in front of them because "they're always good for a quote."  What's lost on me is that Commissioner Goodell is the head of all the owners.  He represented all 32 owners though out the entire lockout.  Yes, he's the overall face of the league, but the hatred shown towards the Commissioner should be pointed at all 32 owners.

The Players – A couple things come to mind here.  The CBA starts this season with a salary cap number of $120M per team.  While many teams will have to increase their 2010 payrolls to get to this amount, what makes this a loss for the players is that the salary cap number for 2009 (the last capped season) was $128M.  (2010 had no salary cap.)  Yes, the cap will increase in the years to come, but the players lost out on at least $8M per team.  (‘At least’ because that was in 2009 money.)  The other potential loss for the players is just a question from me right now.  Why did the owners not want an opt out clause in this contract?  Please don’t say that it was for the good of the fans.  In my opinion, there is at least one thing in this contract that is very favorable to the owners, which they don’t want to have the players take away after just a few years.

Sal Paolantonio, Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen (and their counterparts at other tv networks, websites, newspapers, etc.) – This was supposed to be their offseason.  At least they get a break now…oh wait…season’s about to start.

Rookies – Missing spring OTAs may be a good thing for veterans, but rookies need the extra snaps.  I believe offensive rookies (especially the QBs) will have slower development this year than in years past, which is especially troubling because four of the top 12 picks in this spring’s draft were QBs.  Also, a new rookie wage scale has been agreed to within the new CBA.  This year’s number one pick Cam Newton can make $22M over four years, while last year’s number one pick Sam Bradford will receive a guaranteed $50M.  Tough for some of these guys to make it on $22M, but it is over a 50% decrease.  (At least the money previously spent on rookies will go to the veterans who’ve actually earned their money on the NFL playing field.)

All Other Professional Sports – This was supposed to be the time during the year that other leagues had their day in the sun, but the lockout was talked about on tv and on the radio every day this summer.  Even when there were great sporting events to cover, the NFL loomed large.

The Fans – Finally, we lost too.  We’ve gotten jerked around for the last 135 days, under constant threat that there would be no football.  Also, who do you think gets to pay the $9B for the NFL to divvy up?

I have to admit that I’m kind of soured on football right now.  Of course that may all disappear with fantasy football drafts and the kickoff to the season on September 7^th.