2011 NFL Offseason Thread

[DustDevil61]

Well the players didn't vote today to end the lockout. Hopefully tomorrow.

Tomorrow should be the beginning of the end, worst case scenario. Everything's been essentially agreed on and DeMaurice Smith (the head of the NFLPA) has been given the go-ahead to finish discussions. The NFLPA is just holding back right now because they need time to get and go over the important documents. At least that's what I'm hearing from sources.

Once again, unless things absolutely go to hell, I don't see this lockout lasting past next week.

[dfwabel]

I love that Al Davis refused to vote on the agreement so that the owner's vote was just 31-0.

Now was Ralph Wilson there and did he repeat his statement from the 2006 CBA extension? In 2006 he did not vote for it.

"I didn't understand it. It is a very complicated issue and I didn't believe we should be rushing to vote in 45 minutes. I'm not a dropout ... or maybe I am. I didn't understand it."

[NEW.ERA]

Well no one cared about Al Davis had to say in the first place. Now if the stubborn as hell Players can vote, we can get this started.

[Mings]

Don't cancel the HoF game. I have an idea. AFC/L HOFers vs NFC/L HOFers in a flag football game. It would probably pop some decent ratings

[Rockstar Matt]

Well, now all we need is the players to agree on the new CBA then we'll have football! Hell yeah!

[NEW.ERA]

So this is what Goodell says when it comes to the tentative schedule.

Team Facilities open Saturday

Free Agency, Trading and Training Camps open on Wednesday

Preseason Week 1 - Aug 11-15

Only the HoF game is canceled.

All of this hinges on DMo and the Players.

[dfwabel]

NFL.com has part of the agreed terms.

PLAYER HEALTH AND SAFETY:

" Immediate implementation of changes to promote player health and safety by:

o Reducing the off-season program by five weeks, reducing OTAs from 14 to 10;

o Limiting on-field practice time and contact;

o Limiting full-contact practices in the preseason and regular season;

o Increasing number of days off for players.

" Opportunity for current players to remain in the player medical plan for life.

" An enhanced injury protection benefit of up to $1 million of a player's salary for the contract year after his injury and up to $500,000 in the second year after his injury.

" No change to the 16-4 season format until at least 2013; any subsequent increase in the number of regular-season games must be made by agreement with the NFL Players Association.

" $50 million per year joint fund for medical research, healthcare programs, and NFL Charities, including NFLPA-related charities.

RETIRED PLAYER BENEFITS:

" Over the next 10 years, additional funding for retiree benefits of between $900 million and $1 billion. The largest single amount, $620 million, will be used for a new "Legacy Fund," which will be devoted to increasing pensions for pre-1993 retirees.

" Other improvements will be made to post-career medical options, the disability plan, the 88 Plan, career transition and degree completion programs, and the Player Care Plan.

DRAFT/FREE AGENCY SYSTEM:

" An annual Draft of seven rounds plus compensatory picks for teams which lose free agents. " Unrestricted free agency for players after four accrued seasons; restricted free agency for players with three accrued seasons. " Free agency exceptions (franchise and transition players).

ENTRY LEVEL COMPENSATION SYSTEM:

" New entry-level compensation system including the following elements:

o All drafted players sign four-year contracts.

o Undrafted free agents sign three-year contracts.

o Maximum total compensation per draft class.

o Limited contract terms.

o Strong anti-holdout rules.

o Clubs have option to extend the contract of a first-round draftee for a fifth year, based on agreed-upon tender amounts.

" Creation of new fund to redistribute, beginning in 2012, savings from new rookie pay system to current and retired player benefits and a veteran player performance pool.

ECONOMICS:

" Salary cap plus benefits of $142.4 million per club in 2011 ($120.375 million for salary and bonus) and at least that amount in 2012 and 2013.

" Beginning in 2012, salary cap to be set based on a combined share of "all revenue," a new model differentiated by revenue source with no expense reductions. Players will receive 55 percent of national media revenue, 45 percent of NFL Ventures revenue, and 40 percent of local club revenue.

" Beginning in 2012, annual "true up" to reflect revenue increases or decreases versus projections.

" Clubs receive credit for actual stadium investment and up to 1.5 percent of revenue each year.

" Player share must average at least 47 percent for the 10-year term of the agreement.

" League-wide commitment to cash spending of 99 percent of the cap in 2011 and 2012.

" For the 2013-2016 seasons, and again for the 2017-2020 seasons, the clubs collectively will commit to cash spending of at least 95 percent of the cap.

" Each club committed to cash spending of 89 percent of the cap from 2013-2016 and 2017-2020.

" Increases to minimum salaries of 10 percent in Year 1 with continuing increases each year of the agreement.

2011-2012 TRANSITION RULES:

" Special transition rules to protect veteran players in 2011. All teams will have approximately $3.5 million in what would otherwise be performance-based pay available to fund veteran player salaries.

" Each club may "borrow" up to $3 million in cap room from a future year, which may be used to support veteran player costs.

" In 2012, each club may "borrow" up to $1.5 million in cap room from a future year. Both these amounts would be repaid in future years.

OTHER:

" No judicial oversight of the agreement. Neutral arbitrators jointly appointed by the NFL and NFLPA will resolve disputes as appropriate.

" Settlement of all pending litigation

[NEW.ERA]

Well now the Players aren't going to vote tonight according to Jay Glazer.

[DustDevil61]

Well no one cared about Al Davis had to say in the first place.

The senile old fool!!

Now if the stubborn as hell Players can vote, we can get this started.

Well, the bad news is that the NFLPA leaders aren't liking how this happened (and they won't plan on voting tonight), and that there is "No Agreement," according to DeMaurice Smith, but the good news is that the NFLPA is still optimistic about a deal.

As of right now, it seems as though the players aren't ready to vote; there hasn't been any rejection yet.

[rams80]

Only the HoF game is canceled.

Thank Jeebus.

[Sodboy13]

All the info I've gotten tonight is via Twitter, so feel free to correct anything I've got wrong here, but is this what's gone down today?

- The NFL and the Players agreed in principle to a deal.

- The owners ratify the deal 31-0, with Al Davis abstaining because Thursday is his formaldehyde transfusion day,

- The owners send it on to the players.

- The players look at the deal, say "Hey, wait a second, this isn't what we agreed to, Jerry Richardson, you sniveling cracker" and refuse to vote.

- The owners laugh mightily, reclining in their baby-sealskin chairs and sipping Johnnie Walker Blue while lighting Cubans with 500-Euro notes.

- The owners never wanted to agree to a deal, so they did something deliberately underhanded to make it look like they were ready to come to terms, when all they wanted to do was gain the upper hand in the PR battle. Now they can address the cameras saying "Oh, gosh, you know, we thought we had reached an agreement in good faith and all, but then, for reasons not clear to us, the players..."

- Average fan Joe Herp Derp will buy right into this, because league shills like Peter King and whoever's shouting on ESPN this afternoon will parrot it, while talking about those no-good greedy fatcat players with their gold teeth and baby mamas and traumatic brain injuries.

[Mings]

Yeah, pretty much. Ochocinco is pissed.

[dfwabel]

All the info I've gotten tonight is via Twitter, so feel free to correct anything I've got wrong here, but is this what's gone down today?

- The NFL and the Players agreed in principle to a deal.

- The owners ratify the deal 31-0, with Al Davis abstaining because Thursday is his formaldehyde transfusion day,

- The owners send it on to the players.

- The players look at the deal, say "Hey, wait a second, this isn't what we agreed to, Jerry Richardson, you sniveling cracker" and refuse to vote.

- The owners laugh mightily, reclining in their baby-sealskin chairs and sipping Johnnie Walker Blue while lighting Cubans with 500-Euro notes.

- The owners never wanted to agree to a deal, so they did something deliberately underhanded to make it look like they were ready to come to terms, when all they wanted to do was gain the upper hand in the PR battle. Now they can address the cameras saying "Oh, gosh, you know, we thought we had reached an agreement in good faith and all, but then, for reasons not clear to us, the players..."

- Average fan Joe Herp Derp will buy right into this, because league shills like Peter King and whoever's shouting on ESPN this afternoon will parrot it, while talking about those no-good greedy fatcat players with their gold teeth and baby mamas and traumatic brain injuries.

And there is nothing wrong with Johnnie Walker Blue.

[NJTank]

If you read the player tweets and listen to what they are saying it sounds like this whole deal may fall apart all because that empty suit Goodell did not get the paperwork to the NFLPA. Now some feel the deal is being forced on them and they may not vote because of it. If that deadline on Tuesday passes this will get ugly and the season will be in jeopardy. This is like fumbling at the 1 yard line.

[rams80]

I thought John Shaw wasn't handling negotiations anymore.

[Mings]

Tank siding with rich owners instead of players, who would have thunk it?

Whatever it is, they just need to get it done.

[NJTank]

I thought the lockout was a joke to begin with. The owners agreed now the players must agree. I dont give a damn who wins I just want football.

[dfwabel]

I thought the lockout was a joke to begin with. The owners agreed now the players must agree. I dont give a damn who wins I just want football.

NFL Players do not have to agree since there is no union and a federal case is still pending.

What would have been a better thing to do? Have players keep the union, but strike? Or rather then than the NFLPA keep the union since Tank is in court all the time and knows the legal system better than Nancy Gracy? NJTank knows and will reply on ever state and federal labor issues from is live as a court reporter.

[crashcarson15]

I thought the lockout was a joke to begin with. The owners agreed now the players must agree. I dont give a damn who wins I just want football.

NFL Players do not have to agree since there is no union and a federal case is still pending.

What would have been a better thing to do? Have players keep the union, but strike? Or rather then than the NFLPA keep the union since Tank is in court all the time and knows the legal system better than Nancy Gracy? NJTank knows and will reply on ever state and federal labor issues from is live as a court reporter.

I dunno, who the hell is this Nancy Gracy?

Oh, you mean Nancy Grace? I dunno, I still think even Tank might know more than her...

[Guest]

Yeah, not even Tank is as dumb as Nancy Grace. I sometimes wonder if Nancy Grace is too busy foaming at the mouth to remember to breathe.