2011 NFL offseason thead.

[d_phaneuf]

not a lawsuit but

Vikings punter Chris Kluwe has never been one to hide his feelings and that remained the case on Tuesday.
Kluwe took to Twitter (www.twitter.com/chriswarcraft) to express his dismay about the reports that a few of the 10 named plaintiffs in the Brady vs. NFL antitrust lawsuit are trying to get their own deal in the settlement. The players are supposed to be representing all the players.
Kluwe tweeted: "Sigh, and once again greed is the operative byword. Congrats [Drew] Brees, [Peyton] Manning, [Logan] Mankins, and [Vincent] Jackson for being 'that guy'." The punter then added a hashtag word at the end that isn't fit for a family newspaper.

the word add rhymed with bouchebags

[valo403]

Originally Posted by transplant99

The Chris Chelios of the NFL


Moron...and it will cost him games IMO.

I don't see how it can. He had no relationship to the NFL when the comments were made, there was no active CBA in place that would grant the NFL the ability to punish him.

[Montana Moe]

@drewbrees:

I hesitate to even dignify the false media reports with a response, but obviously they are leading people astray.

I want no special perks. My job is to get a fair deal for all players, and I am proud to represent them all - past, present and future.

All media claims about me wanting a personal reward for this deal are false. I hope you all know me better than that.

[OILFAN #81]

Originally Posted by Montana Moe

@drewbrees:

Peyton Manning and Vincent Jackson both also released similar statements. Mankins hasn't released anything yet. I just want this lockout to be over!

Brees and Manning's agent said they haven't asked for anything:

Tom Condon, agent for Brees and Manning: Drew and Peyton haven't asked for anything individually and continue to be 100 percent behind the players' efforts to resolve the negotiations."

http://twitter.com/#!/mortreport

[transplant99]

Myra Kraft, the wife of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, died Wednesday morning after a battle with cancer.

The Patriots issued a statement Wednesday.

"Words cannot express the deep sorrow that we feel in learning of the passing of Myra Hiatt Kraft," the club's statement read. "Myra passed away early this morning after a courageous battle with cancer. We are all heartbroken. The global philanthropic community and the New England Patriots family have suffered a great loss."

[CofR]

Seventy-five former NFL players filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court this week, alleging that the league has covered up the harmful effects of concussions since the 1920s. Former Miami Dolphins wide receiver Mark Duper and former New York Giants running backs Otis Anderson and Rodney Hampton were among the litigants in the potentially explosive suit.

The suit claims the NFL commissioned a study in 1994, titled "NFL Committee on MIld Traumatic Brain Injury" and published a report in 2004, concluding there was "no evidence of worsening injury or chronic cumulative effects" from multiple concussions.
And, the suit alleges, it was not until June, 2010, that the NFL acknowledged concussions can lead to dementia, memory loss, CTE and related symptoms. All of the players are claiming they suffered injuries as a result of multiple concussions.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shu...urn=nfl-wp3575

[transplant99]

Sounds like the lockout will end sometime tomorrow....good.

Now its time to get back to the serious business of off-season predictions and over analysis of anything and everything NFL related.

Here is one to start it off....

If you expect your team to stand out in the NFL in three to five years, it's a given you need at least three of the following ingredients beyond a young, stud quarterback:


Star young players just coming into their prime on offense.

Star young players -- especially a pass-rusher -- just coming into their prime on defense.

Great coaching.

A top-flight personnel department that knows what it takes to build through the draft and doesn't rely on free agency.

The Pigskin Panel: Most dominant team from 2014-2016


And the winner by a nose....the Green Bay Packers.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/67...rs-own-2014-16

[CofR]

Nice to see the Bucs as a close second on that list

[d_phaneuf]

I think for the NFL especially that is silly to look ahead 3-5 years

thinks change more quickly than in any other league because of the parity

[CofR]

Originally Posted by diane_phaneuf

I think for the NFL especially that is silly to look ahead 3-5 years

thinks change more quickly than in any other league because of the parity

While I do agree that the NFL is harder to predict then any other league in North America, its hard to argue that the teams on that list aren't on the path to being elite.

[Sylvanfan]

The only thing with looking that far ahead, is that you can't predict injuries that can occur. If Matt Staffard was healthy...maybe a team like Detroit is on that list.

The NFL is unique because a team can get 3-4 guys out of a draft who step in right away and make an impact. So a team who look like a disaster now could grab two or three absolute studs in the future and suddenly find themselves as a real contender.

Although with the likes of Atlanta, Tampa Bay, and Green Bay I would agree those teams are all built in a way that they should be solid teams down the road. But I don't think a team like New England should be discounted with the way Bellichick stock piles draft picks.

[OILFAN #81]

Owners vote 31-0 to accept the new CBA (Raiders abstained from voting)!

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/67...abor-agreement

YAHOO! Now it is just up to the players. They might conduct a vote tonight.

This mess is all but over. Awesome!

[CofR]

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced that the Hall of Fame preseason game between the St. Louis Rams and the Chicago Bears has been canceled.

http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcnorth/pos...-game-canceled

Drafted rookies will have 4-yr deals, with 5th yr option for 1st rounders. Undrafted rookies will have 3-yr deals. "Anti-holdout" rules.

99% cash minimum spend requirement in 2011-2012; 95% for rest of deal. Big "get" for Players.

Cap number of $120.375M would go into place Wednesday. Teams would have until then to release/restructure to get under the Cap.

http://twitter.com/#!/adbrandt

[transplant99]

Still a somewhat big hurdle to cross yet....

"It puts the onus on players to make a decision to agree; paints us into a corner with fans," a high-ranking NFLPA executive committee member said. "We'll discuss tonight but the idea of reconstituting as a union as never been a slam dunk as the owners have already assumed."

Another high-ranking NFLPA official said: "We are not happy here. We had to honor to not vote on an agreement that was not final (Wednesday). This is not over. This actually takes away incentives from players to vote yes tonight."

In an email to the player representatives of the 32 NFL teams, the NFLPA said the NFL's proposed procedure for finalizing a settlement included the following:
• Demands that players re-form as a union and provide evidence by Tuesday, July 26 that a majority of players have signed union authorization cards.
• Requires that the players also vote by Tuesday, July 26 to ratify a proposed CBA that would contain virtually all of the provisions of the old CBA along with the non-CBA items that class counsel and the NFL have agreed to in the Brady mediation.
• Gives the players only three days -- Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of next week -- to try to bargain any changes to the old CBA. Any such changes would have to be agreed to by the owners in order to be incorporated into the Agreement, which would then become final on Saturday, July 30. If the NFL does not agree to the players' proposed changes, the old CBA terms on benefits, discipline, safety, etc. will remain unchanged for another ten years.

[Hockey]

Seems like it's not for sure the players will ratify this latest deal.

you can take it to the bank that the players are not going to ratify this proposal as currently presented. #nfl
Echofon • 7/21/11 4:47 PM
Retweeted by jwyattsports

[sureLoss]

Yup NFLPA says the players did not agree to the terms with the owners

http://www.twitter.com/SBJLizMullen

Breaking--NFLPA's De Smith says Players did not agree to terms passed by NFL owners today, in letter Smith just sent to Players

[OILFAN #81]

Yeah just saw that too after I posted my other comments..............ugh. Just want this to be done.

[CofR]

So did the owners really believe that the players would be cool with this, or is this simply a move to put all the pressure on the players and make them look like the bad guys?

[valo403]

Originally Posted by CofR

So did the owners really believe that the players would be cool with this, or is this simply a move to put all the pressure on the players and make them look like the bad guys?

I'd go with the latter. Looks like the NFL took a shell agreement and popped in terms they wanted throughout and then approved it, which was a no brainer for them. The players end up caught with their pants down, they look like the bad guys now to the general public, largely due to a lack of organization that's really tough to come by when your constituents are hundreds of guys with varied interests. The owners have the benefit of aligned interests and being people that are professional businessmen, not professional athletes. I still think that the vast majority of terms are there to make this deal happen, hopefully it doesn't get into a court battle as that could drag out for who knows how long.

[Sainters7]

Originally Posted by CofR

Drafted rookies will have 4-yr deals, with 5th yr option for 1st rounders. Undrafted rookies will have 3-yr deals. "Anti-holdout" rules.

I'm very interested to see what the actual #'s are that rookies would be making in those deals, especially top 5 picks. Hopefully its substantially less than the past few years, been beyond ridiculous.