NFL Lockout News: Steelers Preparing For Training Camp

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NFL Free Agency: Reviewing The Pittsburgh Steelers Free Agent Situation Before Frenzy Begins

In a typical NFL offseason, clubs will have weeks to make their determinations about various free agents. There's not been much about this offseason that's been normal. Instead, with training camps set to open around the league in the next few days, teams will be a in a tizzy trying to re-sign their current players and replacing those they weren't able to retain with new FA signings. Before the craziness gets going in earnest on Tuesday, let's quickly review which Pittsburgh Steelers players are currently free agents waiting to learn their fate for the 2011 season.

Steelers Unrestricted Free Agents (four or more accrued seasons)

Pittsburgh Steelers Restricted Free Agents (three or more accrued seasons)

a

• almost 2 years ago
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Steelers 2011 Draft Picks Face Uphill Battle

The Trib has a recent piece on Steelers first-rounder Cameron Heyward who, like all drafted rookies, is going to have a tough time acclimating to the NFL given the short period of time before preseason games start. 

"I want to get out there as soon as possible, learn the defense and get to know the guys," said Heyward, the 31st overall pick. "I'm going to take advantage of every opportunity I get."

Steelers Depot has a good post on what sorts of salaries the Steelers' 2011 draft picks can expect. In any case, we shouldn't expect protracted periods of haggling, since players should be anxious to get going.

Steelers fans shouldn't expect much from the team's draft picks this year. For one thing, Heyward currently has Brett Keisel, Aaron Smith and Ziggy Hood ahead of him on the depth chart. The idea is for Hood and Heyward to gradually take over for Keisel and Smith. Third- and fourth-round picks Curtis Brown and Cortez Allen are cornerbacks, and the Steelers badly need those, but I wouldn't expect those players to make an impact right away. I would expect the learning curve to be very steep for the new Steelers in training camp this year, but they weren't necessarily expected to hit the ground running anyway.

• almost 2 years ago
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NFL Lockout 2011 (News): Lockout Appears To Be Over, Teams To Report To Training Camps This Week

The NFLPA has unanimously agreed to a new deal that ends the NFL Lockout, so the NFL season will, at long last, proceed as scheduled. Here's a basic idea of what to expect:

-P- Teams can begin trading on Tuesday, although I wouldn't expect the Steelers to do much in that area. Teams can also begin negotiations with their own free agents, such as Ike Taylor. Teams can also start signing draft picks and undrafted free agents.

-P- Some teams can begin to report to training camps on Wednesday, although it appears the Steelers will start theirs on Thursday. 

-P- On Thursday, teams can start cutting players.

A lot should be happening this week, and we might begin to get a firm sense of which players the Steelers might re-sign, such as cornerback Ike Taylor. For more on NFL Free Agency, you can follow the NFL Free Agency stream.

For more on the Steelers, check out Behind The Steel Curtain.

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Steelers Training Camp: Steelers Would Open Training Camp On Thursday

Matt Pomeroy of the NFL Network has been tweeting the opening dates of training camp for all teams, and he says the Steelers would open their 2011 training camp on Thursday. (The Steelers' camp is at St. Vincent College in Latrobe.) This assumes that the NFL Lockout really will end this week and all, and after all the fits and starts the process has had, I can't bring myself to believe it 100 percent. But it looks like it's probably for real this time.

The Broncos, Cardinals, Cowboys, Chargers, Eagles, Jaguars, Patriots, Raiders, Ravens, and Seahawks would begin camp on Wednesday, Pomeroy says. Besides the Steelers, the 49ers, Bengals, Buccaneers, Chiefs, Dolphins, Falcons, Lions, Redskins and Saints would be the teams that would start camp on Thursday. The Bears, Bills, Browns, Colts, Giants, Packers, Panthers, Rams, Titans and Vikings would kick things off on Friday. And the Jets and Texans would get started on Sunday.

As the NFL Lockout apparently draws to a close, this storystream at SBNation.com is a great place to get the details.

• almost 2 years ago
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NFL Lockout News: Lockout Coming To An End, Training Camps Should Open This Week

The NFL Lockout finally appears to be headed for an end, as teams should enter training camps this week. Also expect this week to mark the beginning of one of the weirdest, most frenzied free agency periods in NFL history.

As late as last week, there appeared to be a rift between the owners and players, as the owners passed their own version of a Collective Bargaining Agreement that included terms the players hadn't negotiated. But both groups were highly motivated to bring the lockout to an end, with lucrative preseason games approaching.

The players' executive committee is in Washington DC and will, apparently, vote to end the lockout Monday. Some teams will then report to training camps on Wednesday, and players will vote to recertify their union at some point soon after. The free agency period could begin late in the week. Here's a list of key free agents, although the Steelers are likely to focus on cornerback Ike Taylor.

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Pittsburgh Steelers Preseason Schedule: How Could The NFL Lockout Affect It?

As a reminder, here's the Steelers' 2011 Preseason Schedule. They'll play the Washington Redskins during Week 1 on August 12 at 7:30, then the Philadelphia Eagles on August 18 (at 8:00 PM on FOX). They'll then take on the Atlanta Falcons at some point between August 27 at 7:30. They'll wrap things up with a game against the Carolina Panthers on either September 1 at 8:00.

This, of course, assumes that the NFL Lockout will finish in time for all the games to be played. It would be surprising if it didn't, simply because the preseason is really lucrative. The NFL will have plenty of incentive to reach an agreement with the players if things go on much longer.

If the lockout lasts longer than, say, another week, it might be difficult for the NFL to play a full preseason slate. There will have to be a free agency period, and then, of course, training camp, where teams will have to familiarize all their new players with their system. It could get frenzied, and if the lockout continues, some preseason games may have to be cut.

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Pittsburgh Steelers 2011 Schedule (News)

This seems like as good a place as any to post the Steelers' 2011 regular-season schedule. Obviously, much remains up in the air, due to the lockout. But even if it takes out a preseason game or two - and I doubt it even gets that far - I imagine the regular season will still start on time.

Here's the Steelers' 2011 regular-season schedule.

Sept. 11 at Ravens (1:00 PM, CBS)

Sept. 18 Seahawks (1:00 PM, FOX)

Sept. 25 at Colts (8:20 PM, NBC)

Oct. 2 at Texans (1:00 PM, CBS)

Oct. 9 Titans (1:00 PM, CBS)

Oct. 16 Jaguars (1:00 PM, CBS)

Oct. 23 at Cardinals (4:05 PM, CBS)

Oct. 30 Patriots (4:15 PM, CBS)

Nov. 6 Ravens (8:20 PM, NBC)

Nov. 13 at Bengals (1:00 PM, CBS)

BYE

Nov. 27 at Chiefs (8:20 PM, NBC)

Dec. 4 Bengals (1:00 PM, CBS)

Dec. 8 Browns (8:20 PM, NFL Network)

Dec. 19 at 49ers (8:30 PM, ESPN)

Dec. 24 Rams (1:00, FOX)

Jan. 1 at Browns (1:00, CBS)

For more on the Steelers, check out Behind The Steel Curtain.

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NFL Lockout: Court Rules That Lockout Is Legal

Albert Breer describes negotiations during the NFL Lockout on Thursday. It sounds like an exhausting day, as talks continued from the morning until 10:30 at night.

The owners and players will return to the bargaining table Friday at 9 a.m. The possibility of continuing talks through the weekend exists, although that hasn’t been decided. U.S. Magistrate Judge Arthur Boylan, who’s overseeing the talks, is scheduled to begin vacation Saturday.

The possibility that Boylan might not participate if talks go into the weekend exists, but two sources said that alone doesn’t make Friday’s meeting more vital, citing preseason revenue as the primary motivation to quickly reach a settlement.

Meanwhile, a court ruling on Friday ruled that the NFL Lockout is a legal one, but suggested that the two sides had better get moving on resolving it, or the situation could get really nasty. Breer has done a good job boiling the ruling down at his Twitter page. Also, here’s a news article at ESPN regarding the ruling. It doesn’t sound like it will change much. Negotiations will continue, and the players and the owners have released a joint statement saying that’s what they want to happen. The fact that the two sides are releasing a joint statement might be taken as a positive, however.

For more on the NFL Lockout, follow this storystream at SBNation.com.

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NFL Lockout: Steelers Could Start Training Camp On Time If Lockout Is Resolved By July 20

Scott Brown tweets that the Steelers could begin camp on time (July 30) if the NFL Lockout is resolved by July 20:

Hearing that the drop dead date for camp starting on time at st vincent, per new labor deal, may be as late as July 20.

Mark Maske of the Washington Post, meanwhile, indicates that the lockout could – emphasis on could – be resolved within about a week.

Talks would extend into the weekend if there’s enough progress Thursday and Friday. A handshake deal by early next week could be possible. ESPN.com reports that the two sides are unlikely to come to an agreement this week, which means that beginning next week, the two sides will have a target of about a week to get a deal done if training camps, or at least the Steelers’ training camp, are to begin on time.

These next couple weeks, then, will determine whether camps open on time and whether the NFL is able to play their full-season schedule.

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NFL Lockout News: Steelers Holding Meeting To Discuss Training Camp

Scott Brown at the Trib reports that the Steelers are holding an “organization-wide meeting on training camp.”

This might be an indication that the NFL Lockout is about to end, or it might just be the Steelers doing their due diligence. As Steelers Depot points out, training camp would ordinarily have opened July 30.

There are still a bunch of obstacles that need to be cleared for training camps to open. There are a couple possible routes to resolution of the conflict between owners and players, but they haven’t resolved it yet, and a class-action complaint by former players could complicate things.

There’s also the fact that even after the labor dispute is resolved, there will have to be a free agency period before training camps can open. This is when guys like Ike Taylor will either sign with their old teams or find new ones, and due to the reduced time frame, it could be a frenzied period indeed. If training camp is to open on time, the players and owners will have to get moving.

For more on the NFL Lockout, head over to SBNation.com’s storystream.

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NFL Lockout: Agents Think Lockout About To End

Ray Fittipaldo reports that agents representing NFL players are beginning to prepare to shop their players, suggesting that the NFL Lockout could end soon. He speaks to Joel Turner, who represents Ryan Clark of the Steelers, and who thinks that it could be over in the next couple of weeks:

He believes a deal in principle will be reached by Friday or early next week, with a two-week period to follow for the lawyers on both sides to finalize the agreement. Turner said a person who was familiar with the negotiations told him neither side wants judges to be forced to rule on the case, and that might happen if an agreement is not reached.

The goal for the deal to be signed, sealed and delivered by July 15. Free agency would follow in the next week or two after that before teams report to training camp.

What this means - and we already knew this, but it's exceptionally clear when scenarios like this lay everything out in front of you - is that the free agency period is going to be a wild one, with a whole lot happening in a very short period of time. 

Fittipaldo notes that the owners will have ample reason to get a deal done quickly, since preseason games can be very lucrative for them, and if the lockout stretches much past the next couple of weeks, it will be hard to play a full slate of preseason games.

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NFL Lockout News: Players To Receive 48 Percent Of All Revenues In Proposed New CBA

It’s been several weeks since there has been any encouraging news on the NFL Lockout front. Well, today, over 100 days into the labor impasse, there was what I would consider very encouraging news. Sources close to the CBA negotiations revealed some of the specific terms and figures that the players and the owners have agreed on or are close to agreeing on.

In the next proposed agreement players will receive a 48 percent share of "all revenue," without the $1-billion-plus credit off the top that had been a point of contention in earlier negotiations, according to sources familiar with the presentation.

The players had been hoping for an even 50-50 split, but quite frankly this new arrangement would be plenty desirable for them for several reasons:

1. The players' take will never dip below 46.5 percent of all revenue. With the league’s revenue expected to increase substantially this decade, the players are still looking at a huge pot of money to divvy up amongst themselves, with the safeguard that their cut of the pie would never dip too precipitously.

2.Equally important for the players’ protection is that owners would be required to spend somewhere between 90 and 93 percent of that year’s salary cap. In the previous CBA, teams’ payroll floors were below 90 percent and were in cap figures, not cash. That allowed teams like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Cincinnati Bengals and other small-market teams to get away with spending less on player salaries than is desirable when trying to achieve a competitive balance and financial security for those players in smaller markets or on teams with owners less willing to spend.

Other terms of the proposed CBA include:

• The 18-game schedule that caused such a stir will remain open for negotiation but would no longer in any way shape or form be something the plaeyrs must agree to now or anytime down the road without their consent and approval.

• Owners meanwhile will see annual revenues increase by introducing a slate of 16 games on Thursday Night. Previously there had been 8.

• Owners will also see some financial relief by not having to pay such exorbitant rookie wages. There would be a rookie wage scale in the new CBA, though the specifics are apparently still being discussed.

• Perhaps most interesting is what would happen to free agency:

If and when an agreement is reached, all players whose contracts have expired and have four or more years of experience are expected to be unrestricted free agents, sources familiar with the talks told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter. Certain tags will be retained but that still is being discussed.

So, if a deal does get done, a number of restricted free agents that were offered tenders by the Steelers would suddenly be on the open market as URFAs — guys like Willie Colon, William Gay, Matt Spaeth, Dennis Dixon, and Daniel Sepulveda come to mind.

Of course there is plenty of time and ways in which the talks could breakdown, and as Roger Goodell noted, there’s still ‘much work to do’. But I feel we're close. And this deal sure looks like it would be a win-win for all, including us fans.

Get it done, gentlemen!

• about 2 years ago
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NFL Lockout: Steelers Defenders Mostly Working Out By Themselves

Following up on Michael Bean's post on players-only workouts among AFC North teams during the NFL lockout, it actually appears that the Steelers, and particularly the defenders, haven't been meeting much. James Farrior, William Gay and free agent Ike Taylor have been working out together in Orlando. But other than that, players have been working out on their own. Chris Hoke says that's just fine by him:

"I guarantee you this, our defense is not going to do anything. One day, when they lifted the lockout, our strength coach had everything out and ready to go at 7 a.m., and nobody showed up. How do you expect guys in Hawaii or here and there or down south to quickly get here to work out?

"I would say 90 percent of the veteran players are fine with this lockout right now. I want to be in training camp, but, if we're not going in now, when's the last time I could go work out 3-4 hours in the morning and have the afternoon with my wife? Never."

Ryan Clark notes that unless the whole defense practices as a unit, "there's definitely not much you can do there that you can't do on your own."

It's hard to blame them, obviously. If there's no guarantee that an NFL season will even take place, then they really should be where they want to be. Let's hope they're ready to play together when the lockout ends.

• about 2 years ago
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NFL Lockout News: Comparing The Players-Only Workouts Around The AFC North

Hopefully next week will bring good news on the NFL Lockout front when oral arguments are heard in a St. Louis courtroom. In the meantime, teams across the NFL have been doing the best they can to get ready for the lockout to be lifted by conducting players-only unofficial workouts. So, how have the workouts of the six-time Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers stacked up against those held by their rivals in the AFC North? Let’s take a cursory look at what we know about the efforts of the Steelers, the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals.

Pittsburgh Steelers – The veteran-laden Steelers roster has actually not been particularly cohesive in its workout efforts. That’s not to say that they’re not hard at work, just that a large group of 20-40 has not gotten together in a single location. Ben Roethlisberger did conduct some drills at a local high school, but particularly on the defensive side of the ball, guys have been working out in separate locations. The most notable sessions going on outside of Pittsburgh are somewhere down in Florida (Orlando, I believe), where guys like James Farrior, Ike Taylor, William Gay and others have been getting after it.

Baltimore Ravens – This week marks the first time that the Ravens have gotten together as a group. Led by Derrick Mason, the Ravens will have completed three sessions by week’s end. For the first session, which I believe was on Monday, 27 Ravens showed up. Not bad.

Cleveland Browns – Colt McCoy has been diligently rounding guys up to go through some throwing and catching drills. With a new West Coast offense being installed, McCoy has made sure to put in the extra work familiarizing himself and his teammates with the new system. Great leadership and work put in by McCoy. There hasn’t been the same type of joint effort on the defensive side of the ball however. I suppose it’s harder to find meaningful drills to do for defensive players, at least not without exposing themselves to the risk of injury. But there have been no workouts or organized activities of any kind by the Browns’ defensive players.

Cincinnati Bengals – I haven’t heard as much about the Bengals offseason itenerary, but apparently they have been working out in position groups. Palmer — Jordan, not Carson — has taken the lead in rounding up guys out in California to go through some route-running exercises.

Hopefully come next week we’ll be one step closer to reading about legitimate Organized Team Activities with coaches and training staffs present.

• about 2 years ago
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NFL Lockout: Roger Goodell Speaks To Steelers Fans

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell met with Steelers season-ticket holders on Thursday. It doesn’t sound like anything too noteworthy went down, but hey, it’s Steelers-related, right? Anyway, Goodell said this season could be tough for fans who want to make plans to see games:

“I can’t predict where we are going to come out other than I can tell you the intention and the preparations we are making are for a full season … so I can’t give you assurances on it other than we are going to continue to work as hard as we can. We know the uncertainty affects everybody, including the game and the fans.”

He also addressed the fines handed down to James Harrison and other players last year, saying the league would continue to punish players for illegal hits. He also conversed with fans about last year’s Super Bowl seating, and also whether the NFL would move to an 18-game season.

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Federal Appeals Court Gives Owners Crucial Victory, League To Remain Closed During Full Appeal Of Injunction

Say it ain’t so. NFL fans received bad news on Monday when it was revealed that a federal appeals court granted owners a full stay on an injunction that would have halted the ongoing Lockout.

What’s the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision mean? Well, quite simply, the league remains closed for business until the NFL has its appeal to the injunction issued heard in full. The appeal process will begin in earnest beginning on June 3rd in St. Louis when oral arguments are submitted. A final ruling is expected several weeks after that.

Though the decision was expected by both sides, it’s nevertheless a disheartening development for fans and for those players who are currently in limbo as free agents. For the players fortunate to be under contract, there’s still no interaction with their coaches, and any and all workouts will have to be conducted unofficially away from team headquarters.

If the owners had not been granted a full stay on the injunction, the league would have been immediately been back open for business, which in turn would have meant a system of rules would have been put in place to govern basic transactions and operations such as trades and free-agent signings. Most believed that the rules governing the league last year in 2010 would have been reinstated at least for the interim. Unfortunately, that didn’t come to fruition. Instead we resume the waiting game.

“This is the decision that, practically, means everything,” said Robert Boland, a professor of sports management at New York University and a labor and antitrust lawyer who has worked as a sports agent. “This is who has control of the game board. That’s far more important, practically, than who has the legal rights on their side. If the league is opened for business it’s very difficult for owners to push them back out. Every day they are open, the economic value and the optics says you need to stay open. This puts a lot of pressure on players. No roster bonuses will be paid. There won’t be per diems which are important to younger players. It’s the worst thing for them from a solidarity perspective.”

Mediated negotiations restarted on Monday, but in light of today’s legal news, it’s hard to believe that either side is ready to do much serious bargaining while they wait to see what transpires in a federal appeals court in St. Louis early next month.

• over 2 years ago
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Summary Of NFL Proposal Rejected By NFLPA

The NFL’s communications office has issued a summary of the proposal that was ultimately rejected by the NFLPA. Now, though the summary was officially submitted by the league, it’s impossible to say with absolute certainty how the negotiation process actually played out, not to mention what the union’s counter-offers or demands were that the league was unwilling to accommodate. Having said that, here is the summary filed and distributed by the league not long ago:

1. We more than split the economic difference between us, increasing our proposed cap for 2011 significantly and accepting the Union’s proposed cap number for 2014 ($161 million per club).

2. An entry level compensation system based on the Union’s "rookie cap" proposal, rather than the wage scale proposed by the clubs. Under the NFL proposal, players drafted in rounds 2-7 would be paid the same or more than they are paid today. Savings from the first round would be reallocated to veteran players and benefits.

3. A guarantee of up to $1 million of a player’s salary for the contract year after his injury – the first time that the clubs have offered a standard multi-year injury guarantee.

4. Immediate implementation of changes to promote player health and safety by

a. Reducing the off-season program by five weeks, reducing OTAs from 14 to 10, and limiting on-field practice time and contact;

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

c. Increasing number of days off for players.

5. Commit that any change to an 18-game season will be made only by agreement and that the 2011 and 2012 seasons will be played under the current 16-game format.

6. Owner funding of $82 million in 2011-12 to support additional benefits to former players, which would increase retirement benefits for more than 2000 former players by nearly 60 percent.

7. Offer current players the opportunity to remain in the player medical plan for life.

8. Third party arbitration for appeals in the drug and steroid programs.

9. Improvements in the Mackey plan, disability plan, and degree completion bonus program.

10. A per-club cash minimum spend of 90 percent of the salary cap over three seasons.

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NFLPA Decertifies, Labor Feud Heading To Court

Though it was somewhat expected, Friday brought the disappointing news that the NFL and the league’s Players Association were unable to reach on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. Not long before the CBA was set to expire, the NFLPA decertified as a union, a move that the league called a ‘sham.’

The league as we know it could all hinge on the ruling of a judge now. For example, a salary cap and other rules that foster parity in America’s favorite league could be banished altogether. That may not be likely, but it’s definitely a possibility. At the end of Friday’s negotiation sessions, Roger Goodell, league lawyer Jeff Pash, Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson, and New York Giants owner John Mara all gave statements to the media. Pash then fielded several questions from reporters about the week’s developments and what comes next in the immediate future.

The NFL’s communications office has provided transcriptions, part of which I’ve shared below.

Roger Goodell: We had 17 days of mediation here. We certainly want to thank George Cohen, Scott Beckenbaugh and the entire staff here. We worked hard. We didn’t reach an agreement obviously. As you know, the union walked away from the mediation process today to decertify. We do believe that mediation is the fairest and fastest way to reach an agreement that works for the players and for the clubs. And we believe that ultimately this is going to be negotiated at the negotiating table. They’ve decided to pursue another strategy and that is their choice. But we will be prepared to negotiate an agreement and get something done that is fair to the players and fair to the clubs.

Jerry Richardson: This is a time for our fans not to be discouraged. We’ve worked very hard. I view it as a bump in the road. In due course we will have an agreement. As the Commissioner alluded to, we’ll have to negotiate an agreement. I would also like to add there has been no anger and friction between the players and the teams and has been actually a real learning experience for all of us, and in due course we will have an agreement.

John Mara: This obviously is a very disappointing day for all of us. I’ve been here for the better part of two weeks now, and essentially during that two-week period the union’ s position on the core economic issues has not changed one iota. Their position has quite literally been ‘take it or leave it’ and in effect they have been at the same position since last September. We made an offer to them today to basically split the difference between the two sides. We made that approximately at 12:00 pm and at 4:00 pm they came back and said it was insufficient and they have apparently decided to decertify. One thing that became painfully apparent to me during this period was that their objective was to go the litigation route. I believe they think it gives them the best leverage. I never really got the feeling in the past weeks that they were serious about negotiating. And it’s unfortunate because that’s not what collective bargaining is all about. I think eventually we’ll be back at the table, but unfortunately now we will have to go through this process where we are in court.

Jeff Pash: As you know we’ve been here for the better part of three weeks, fully engaged and fully committed to this process. I said yesterday that an agreement could be reached if there was a shared commitment on both sides. I was disappointed and all of us were disappointed that at the very time we were face-to-face with the union and its executive committee, they had already made the decision to decertify their union. We were meeting with them after 4:00 pm this afternoon to talk about the offer that we tendered them. And an hour later, we got letters that as of 4:00 PM they had given up their status as a collective bargaining representative.

So I think we know where the commitment was. It was a commitment to litigate as we said all along. And that’s unfortunate because all it means is the eventual resolution of this business dispute is going to be delayed. We will have an agreement and we will have a system that is good for fans, good for players and allows this game to grow.

Will you lock the players out tonight?

Decision has not been made.

How do you plan to get back to the negotiating table when you are so far apart?

What do you say to the fans?

I can say to the fans as I’ve said before, the absence of an agreement is a shared failure and I think they should be disappointed, I think they should be unhappy and I understand that. I will only say that we will not waiver for one moment, for one day, in trying to get an agreement that works for fans, that works for players and that works for clubs. That’s what we want. It doesn’t do us any good to shut down our business. That was never our goal. It’s not our purpose today. No one is happy with where we are right now. We will continue our efforts. This is a part of the process, but it is not the end of the process. I think that’s the most important thing to remember. On many things, I don’t think we are that far apart. That’s my point. We accepted the union’s position on a wide range of issues in an effort to bridge the gaps, in an effort to get to an agreement. Evidently that was not good enough for whatever reason.

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NFL Lockout: Union Decertifies, Sides Now Headed To Court

After today, an NFL lockout is - unfortunately - even closer to happening as the Players Association has elected to decertify the union after they couldn't agree on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The NFL Players Association released the following statement around 5 p.m. on Friday evening after earlier in the day issuing an ultimatum that asked for ten years worth of audited financial statements from the owners.

The NFL Players Association announced today it has informed the NFL, NFL clubs and other necessary parties that it has renounced its status as the exclusive collective bargaining representative of the players of the National Football League.

The NFLPA will move forward as a professional trade association with the mission of supporting the interests and rights of current and former professional football players.

According to Sports Illustrated, the move is expected to transfer the labor impasse from the bargaining room to the court room. The owners previously said they would lock out the players if the sides failed to come to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement before Friday's midnight deadline.

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NFL Lockout: If Lockout Occurs, What Happens On Sundays In The Fall?

With news that the deadline for talks between the players and owners has been extended, many followers of the pending NFL lockout are now hopeful. Unfortunately, nothing is finalized until a new collective bargaining agreement is reached, and until that time, the future of the NFL is on shaky ground.

It is with this in mind that the Washington Post ran a great article today asking two related questions: if the lockout becomes a reality, which sports will see an increase in viewership and will any sports rearrange their fall schedules to pick up the coveted Sunday market?

Some experts think the response from fans will actually cause interest to dip, while most think that an NFL lockout would mean increased viewership for everybody. Consider baseball's sagging postseason numbers:

Ratings for two of the past three World Series (the Giants-Rangers in 2010 and Phillies-Rays in 2008) reached historic lows, about 50 percent below what was typical throughout the 1990s. And because playoff schedules are not yet set, Major League Baseball could target vacant Sunday afternoons for key games.

Similarly, the Washington Post argues, college football could see an increase in its already extremely strong audience:

Others say college football would benefit most, as fans desperate for a fix shift their attention to Saturdays, or opportunistic schools or conferences move their games to Sunday afternoons. During the 1982 strike, the networks aired some Division III contests.

"The importance now shifts to college football," said Wayne McDonnell, Jr., a former Madison Square Garden executive and sports management professor at New York University. "Nothing is going to replace the NFL, but college football is pretty close . . . I wouldn't be a bit surprised, if the NFL can't get its act together, for college football to try to take advantage in a lot of ways."

Since the future of the NFL is still in jeopardy, no one in the college football world wants to come out and say "Yes, we'll move our games to Sunday to fill the football fans' need." However, at least a couple of conferences have said that there have been no "formal discussions" on the topic, hinting at the idea that there may have been informal discussions, behind closed doors.

While all of this seems like a potential boon for other sports, who could move in and steal some of the NFL viewership, it is a risky business, as Yahoo! Sports college football blogger Dr. Saturday points out:

It would also be a risk for any teams or conferences that decided to try, when the NFL can essentially say "game on" at any point. (The player strikes in 1982 and 1987 both threatened the regular season, with far, far less money at stake, but the show eventually went on in both cases.)

Don't expect to see any radical changes anytime soon, but this is certainly something on the mind of the executives of the other major sports leagues.

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NFL Lockout News: Despite CBA Extension, Free Agency Is Officially On Hold

Friday brought big news on the NFL labor front. The NFL and the NFLPA agreed to another week of rigorous negotiations about a new labor deal before allowing the current Collective Bargaining Agreement to expire. A lockout -- or a preemptive decertification of the players union -- can be avoided if a new CBA is reached before next Friday at 5 pm.

The past two days can only be descirbed as incredibly positive. There's a long ways to go next week, but the fact that the CBA has been extended not once, but twice now, strongly suggests that we're talking about 'when' a new deal is going to get done in the near future, not 'if'.

Fingers crossed. In the meantime, take note of the fact that the March 4th deadline to re-sign free agents has come and passed. All 2011 free agents are officially in a holding period while negotiations resume next week and until a new CBA is executed. In other words, even though the another week has been granted to reach a new deal, the rule that prohibits any player and/or free agent transactions is now in effect just as it would have been had no extension been mutually agreed to on Thursday and Friday.

For the Steelers, that means no more restricted or unrestricted free agents will be offered new deals or tenders for the time being. Earlier in the week though, the Steelers offered tenders to all of their eligible restricted free agents - OT Tony Hills, QB Dennis Dixon, TE Matt Spaeth, and CB William Gay.

Stay tuned here and at Behind the Steel Curtain for more NFL labor updates throughout the weekend and particularly next week as we eagerly await news of a new CBA.

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NFL Lockout: NFL And Players Association Will Talk For Another Week

The NFL and the NFL Players Association have reached agreement on a week-long extension of talks. The two parties will continue negotiating next Monday.

The new CBA expiration date is next Friday, sources tell ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

The extension also includes a “tolling agreement” — in this scenario, the league’s 32 teams still will be prohibited from executing player transactions — the same agreement reached via a 24-hour extension of talks Thursday. During this period, teams can talk about players but signings or renegotiations of current contracts cannot occur.

The week-long extension and the 24-hour extension that preceded it have stalled an NFL work stoppage. This is good news – as SB Nation recently pointed out, Yahoo’s Mike Silver recently reported that if the league and the players were to reach an extension like this one, it would likely mean that they were headed toward an agreement, which they would reach within a few weeks.

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NFL Lockout Becomes Reality In Just Over 24 Hours

When the clock strikes midnight on Friday, March 4th, the much-ballyhooed and -expected lockout will officially be here. The league's ownership group and the NFL Players Association have just one day remaining before the Collective Bargaining Agreement officially expires. Is there a possibility that a last-minute deal gets done? I suppose so. But all signs point towards the negotiation process dragging well into the spring and even summer.

The NFLPA is expected to decertify their union on Thursday afternoon, then promptly seek a court injunction that would prevent teams from locking them out. Translation? This mess is about to be handed over to lawyers. There had been hope that both parties would agree to an extension of the 11:59 Thursday deadline, but don't hold your breath on that one now that Wednesday has come and passed.

If you want to look at the bright side, perhaps the media frenzy that will kick in once the lockout is actually here will put a bit of pressure on both sides to negotiate more frequently and cooperatively. And don't forget that we're still five full months away from what would have been the normal start to the 2011 season. Lots of time to get something done that makes sense for both sides.

The main points of contention are a proposed 18-game schedule, and how to equitably divide up the league's approximately $9 billion in annual revenues. Sounds ludicrous to think that they both sides couldn't ultimately find a ratio that left them both satisfied, but this is not just a case of billionaires greedily bickering with millionaires. Players' health are at stake, while NFL owners rightfully want to turn an annual profit and not have to wait until selling the franchise before seeing any real return on their exorbitant investments. There are guaranteed contracts to discuss, a new set of rules governing free agency, and the need to implement a rookie wage scale much like the NBA's rather than seeing new record contracts signed each spring by the latest first-round talent. That's just to name some of what's at stake in the negotiation process.

So be patient. I think in the end we as fans will ultimately find that the new-look NFL is even better than the product we've grown to love so much in this country since the historic 1993 CBA that introduced free agency into the NFL in earnest.

Stay tuned here, at Behind the Steel Curtain, and around the SB Nation network for news updates, commentary, and discussion about the looming 2011 NFL lockout.