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.
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.
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