CBA Progress (or Lack thereof)

One of the biggest storylines over the next month and a half will be what progress, if any, is reached in the CBA negotiations. Will they have any chance of avoiding an uncapped year? A lockout next year?

Well, NYG owner Mara has made the first public statement of an owner, and it is not a very positive one:

Giants’ John Mara Cites Lack of Progress in Labor Talks - NYTimes.com (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/20/sports/football/20labor.html?ref=sports)

Mara said he still had hope that a lockout could be averted.

“I don’t think we’re making any progress,” Mara said in a telephone interview. “We made a proposal in early November. I don’t think we’ve received a meaningful counterproposal. The point that we try to make to them is that the costs and risks are much greater than they ever have been. Especially in this economy. I don’t think there has been enough of a recognition on their part of that concept.”

Mara added, “They want a deal that is equal to or better than the existing one, and that is not acceptable to us.”

According to the article the owners are also talking about a rookie salary cap that could be effective as early as this draft. (for what it's worth, the NFLPA president is on record as saying that is an issue for the owners, not a CBA negotiated fact, but that doesn't mean they want that money going anywhere other than players.)

From the article, uncapped seems inevitable, a lockout a very real possibility.

ugh.. neither side can ever be satisfied.. a lockout would really suck

ugh.. neither side can ever be satisfied.. a lockout would really suck

We have our best years during strikes and lockouts, bring it on.

Ask the MLB and NHL how well their lockouts went.

What is a lockout No season in 2011

I think it would be in the players best interest to make concessions. They are not going to bring the NFL to their knees IMO and with their salaries they won't get any public support. Baseball was hit bigtime with this sort of thing and the players were portrayed as ungrateful, money-hungry prima-donnas. They may have some legitimate gripes but you don't want to kill the goose that layed the golden egg. In this economy it's hard to feel for players (especially rookies) who are guaranteed millions of dollars, no matter what the conditions.

What is a lockout No season in 2011

A lockout means that the owners do not allow the players to come to work. This is unfortunately going to happen in 2011 but I seriously doubt there will be no football in 2011.

A more likely scenario is the owners lock the players out in the offseason which will linger until mid summer and push back the start of the '11 football season (maybe a 14 game season rather than 16 games).

The owners and players have far too much to lose and don't want to screw up the best thing going in sports today with an in season work stoppage.

I think it would be in the players best interest to make concessions. They are not going to bring the NFL to their knees IMO and with their salaries they won't get any public support. Baseball was hit bigtime with this sort of thing and the players were portrayed as ungrateful, money-hungry prima-donnas. They may have some legitimate gripes but you don't want to kill the goose that layed the golden egg. In this economy it's hard to feel for players (especially rookies) who are guaranteed millions of dollars, no matter what the conditions.

The ironic thing is that the general public will often show sympathy for billionaires (the owners) over the millionaires (players) by calling the players selfish, greedy, etc.. In no other industry does public perception favor management/ownership over labor so greatly.

These things always come down to the last minute.

It's going to take a great deal of compromise but I believe a deal will get done in time to avert a lock-out to the 2011 season. For sure the owners are not content with the deal that's in place now, and for the PU to demand even more concessions is going to present a difficult challenge.

Upshaw was a tough negotiator, his experience now being absent from the process will be an issue most players don't have the knowledge of being without. We'll get a glimpse of the kind of negotiator the new Union boss is going to ultimately be.