The NFL Lockout: The Good, the Bad, and the Winehouse
Let’s skip the foreplay and get balls deep:
The Good: Football is back. Thank the good Lord! Sundays would not have been the same if games were cancelled. We would have no excuse to get drunk and miss church/spend time with our significant others. Betting on baseball doesn’t have the same excitement as football. Now, we can go back to watching the Red Zone channel all day, celebrating our fantasy tight end catching a 4 yard touchdown, and watching NBC’s pregame show to catch the highlights of all the games we already saw.
The Bad: Concerned with player safety, the new CBA banned padded two-a-days in training camps and limited the number of padded practices through the course of the year. While this may save on the wear-and-tear of the players, I also think it makes them pussies. Let the coaching staffs and players figure out if they should hit or not. Plus, it might not be a bad idea for players to practice proper tackling, since most players launch themselves recklessly nowadays. The league has a weird way of showing concern of player safety as the owners can re-open the 18-game regular season discussion as early as 2013 under the new CBA.
The Winehouse: The lockout lasted for 132 days, the longest work stoppage in NFL history. We knew a lockout was expected once the owners chose to exercise their opt-out clause of the previous CBA in 2008. For three years, the players and owners knew a new agreement was needed, yet it still took them all that time to agree on a deal. It’s easy to understand why the fans got frustrated as each side appeared selfish, fighting for mere percentage points in this multi-billion dollar industry.
The Good: It was rumored the new ten-year CBA would have an opt-out clause for the owners and players after five years. Those rumors turned out to be false. We shouldn’t see another NFL lockout for at least ten years, which should only upset the lawyers who made bank with this lockout. Another good thing to come out of the CBA is lower contracts for the rookies. It is ridiculous that Sam Bradford received a guaranteed $50 million contract before ever playing his first NFL game. The rookies should earn their eventual rich contracts by proving themselves in the league first. Less money for the rookies means more money for the veterans. Hopefully, that will mean fewer holdouts during the course of this agreement.
The Bad: While this week should be crazy with free agency, trades, and cuts, certain teams are at a disadvantage this season while trying to implement new systems. The Houston Texans now have six weeks to install their new 3-4 defense, after playing the 4-3 for years. Second year QB Sam Bradford only has six weeks to learn Josh McDaniels’ new offense. Veteran teams should be able to take advantage of their familiarity early in the season as some teams will still be learning on the job. I’m talking parlays and teases early and often until Vegas understands this. Make that money sonnnnnnnn. I also feel bad for the undrafted free agents, who had to train on their own this summer, not knowing when they’d get their chance to sign with an NFL team. It’s possible to be a starter in the NFL without being drafted (Tony Romo, Kurt Warner, Miles Austin, and Arian Foster are recent examples of undrafted players who have had success in the league), but all benefited with a full summer of team workouts. The 2011 undrafted free agents have about six weeks to deal with this uphill battle and show why they deserve to be part of the final 53 man roster.
The Winehouse: Last Thursday, Myra Kraft, wife of Patriots owner Bob Kraft, passed away from a long battle with cancer. Unfortunately, no player on the team could send their condolences to Kraft, as that would have been a violation of the lockout terms. This was highlighted by defensive tackle Vince Wolfork angrily tweeting how he could pay his respects to the Kraft family during their time of need. While the image of Colts center/player rep Jeff Saturday hugging Kraft at Monday’s joint press conference was endearing, it’s a joke no NFL player could reach out to Bob Kraft (one of the more popular NFL owners) until there was a new CBA in place.
The Winehouse: During the lockout, the NFL maintains only two events were cancelled: the NFL Rookie Synopsis and the Hall of Fame preseason game. Ha ha ha…….BULLSHIT! Thanks to the lockout, there will be no “HBO Hard Knocks” this season. While it was expected, it’s still devastating. Rex Ryan may have made the show more mainstream when he cursed on it approximately 53,304 times last year, but the show has been a favorite for true football fans for years. Every year, they follow the same basic formula to create a successful season: highlight key position battles, get insight from the GM/coaching staff, follow around the draft picks new to the league, and focus on players who on the bubble of making the team. It makes for riveting television and Roger Goodell and DeMaurice Smith have denied us of that this year. Seriously, I was sadder about this than I was for Amy Winehouse. Then again, I was sadder about losing a close match of “Call of Duty: Black Ops” over the weekend than about the “Rehab” singer. Nevertheless, RIP Amy. People will miss your music. I’m just not one of them.
-Written by Marcus Boyd
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