Lockout - 2011

[jonzr]

Man, I hope I'm wrong, but this doesn't look like it's going to get solved anytime soon.  We're talkin' months, peeps.

Wonder what the tipping point is where they cancel the season?  I mean, if they can get started in Nov, they'll still get in 8+ games, which I could see them doing.

[aj_law]

Wonder what the tipping point is where they cancel the season?  I mean, if they can get started in Nov, they'll still get in 8+ games, which I could see them doing.

They lost a game or two in '87; six (I think) in '82.  I can't see them going with a shortened season that equates to anything less than about half a normal one.

Let's play that scenario out and follow the usual season timelines (I could be wrong with some of these dates so somebody correct me if I'm wrong.  And yes, I know...the season never ends and we're all still enjoying the fruits of the 1970 merger season, yada, yada, yada.  Just humor me here).  Minicamp and OTAs run from May through June~ish.  Training camp runs from mid July into August with the Preseason usually kicking off in early August to early September.  So, that adds up to about 3 to 4 months worth of work that precedes the start of a normal NFL season. 

If we assume that the clock strikes midnight tonight without any sort of agreement (HA!) or extension (highly doubtful...I'm talkin' you're more likely to catch a TMZ report that Charlie Sheen was just spotted leaving a church doubtful) and nothin' gets done for most of the summer, you're starting to flirt with the point of no return for the season.  If they manage to get something nailed down by August or so, that leaves not a whole lotta time to crank things back up and get everything in gear.  Sure, I'd expect that they'll shorten up the "offseason" activities somewhat like skip over OTA or minicamp type activities, but I can't imagine they'll be able to shave it down below a couple months.  This ain't Madden '11 on your xBox 360.  They won't be able to just flip a switch and start having regular season games.  Remember, they won't be able to do shit until they come to an agreement -- sign FAs; sign draft picks; drills; walkthroughs; gameplanning; nothing.  At that point, we're looking at an October~ish start, at best, which equates to around 10-12 games.

Fingers crossed that these guys don't spend their summer procrastinatin'.

[Finnegans Wake]

Why do I see this scenario in my head?

Jason Garrett:  Can we send the guys DVDs with OTA materials on them?

Jerry Jones:   You can't so much as take a shit without permission till this thing gets done.

Several weeks later...

Jason Garrett:  Oh God, Jerry, my bowels is about to explode...

[otismalibu]

Ok, which one of you...

http://deadspin.com/#!5775431/the-real-villains-of-the-nfl-lockout-a-gentle-reminder

[aj_law]

Ok, which one of you...

http://deadspin.com/#!5775431/the-real-villains-of-the-nfl-lockout-a-gentle-reminder

Regardless of how this shit plays out, starting tonight, this is all 100 percent the owners' fault.

Definitely wasn't me.

[jonzr]

And while Goodell may continually try and spin it otherwise as we go on (no doubt with help from his accordion monkey Peter King), and while some people might start buying into joint blame, I won't. And neither should you. The players are cool. The owners are worthless titblisters. There's no need for even-handedness here.

I think that about sums it up.

[leighclay]

And while Goodell may continually try and spin it otherwise as we go on (no doubt with help from his accordion monkey Peter King), and while some people might start buying into joint blame, I won't. And neither should you. The players are cool. The owners are worthless titblisters. There's no need for even-handedness here.

I think that about sums it up.

Ditto that.

[jonzr]

So, a one day extension begets a 7-day extension.  Dare I say that sounds ... hopeful?

[Merman1983]

So, a one day extension begets a 7-day extension.  Dare I say that sounds ... hopeful?

You gotta think that at this point. Why would the extend it if there wasn't at least a little progress made? I guess so us nerds have something to talk about.

[pensodyssey]

Nothing particularly hopeful here.  No doubt the owners pushed for the extension because it costs them nothing, and because the players could hardly refuse without seeming recalcitrant.  It's an ownership PR move, in other words, because once the union decertifies (which will happen .0001 second after the cba expires) lockout is inevitable.

That's why Smith was ho-hum about it and Fat Ginger Fuck Goodell treated it like the dawn of a new day.