Seems like the Judge for moment ruled in favor of the players, ending the lockout. Of course NFL owners will file for a stay (continuation of lockout) and repeal of the Judges suspension.

Looks like players from some teams reporting back to the team office and training centers today. They need to if they had workout and offseason bonuses.

So, that could mean no cba for a couple more years while stays in the courts, is a thing speculated on.

That would mean no rookie pay scale and no salary cap most likely.

Perhaps we will have free agency sometime soon, that could be interesting.

I heard projected income is expected to continue rising from current 9B on up to 25B annually perhaps over next 10-15 years and owners want to keep reducing the players percentage of that over time, but who knows what really said.

could be something on the stay in next hour or so, or not. That could effect trades for players and when free agency might start and when some real serious negotiations will start.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-0...for-delay.html

Good for Antwuan Molden, the only player on Texans to show up at Texans facilities yesterday. Got to talk witrh Rick Smith a little.

Maybe help his cause at CB if he can stay healthy.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...t/7537439.html

judge denied the stay, but the NFL has still not decided what rules to put in place. Most likely they will go back to last years rules which will hurt FA pool.

Well, I'm getting tired of the owners and Goddells lockout and trying to spin it. Wonder when the owners will get serious about an upcoming season?

Anyways, here is an article on todays comments from 8th circuit appeals.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/A...t-fight-050311

Sounds like they are supposed to sit down and negotiate starting May 16.

Stay hearing or something on June 3.

Lower ticket prices and concession prices or I will be happy with HDTV is my own position now, maybe start following Coogs closer.

Just goes to show you that neither side gives a dam about the fans. However, the $4B the owners squeezed out of the networks in the interim, was a pretty cool move. Now they are squeezing the players up against their need to prepare their bodies for the upcoming season (assuming there will be one), and the owners are locking them out. The injunction has been lifted, so the owners are feeling pretty smug right about now. S.O.B.'s

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/...tml#finalframe


Rookie wage scale and veterans time in the league for free agency appear to be the last 2 stumbling blocks to getting a deal done at this point.

If they don't get it done by the 15th of July (4 days), I'm afraid it will go on on until we miss TC and the pre-season games. Only when the games start paying the players will someone start to agitate to end this stupid thing. Hope that doesn't happen. :mad:

PFW (my phone app thus no link to either site) are reporting that ESPN.com is reporting that sources from both sides of the negotiation are stating that a deal will be in place by July 21st owners meeting.

If a deal is reached by that date The Hall of Fame game would be in jeopardy, but all other games would be played on time and a full training camp would be in place.

Let's see, that would be Thursday week (10 days from now!). That is really pushing it up tight to get everything like contracts, FA, getting playbooks out to the rooks, and especially to the defense, since they will be playing a new defense. Wade Phillips version of the 3-4. But heck, I'm ready for some football.

In theory teams with the most stability should have an advantage. Makes keeping Kubiak around one more season seem more sensible now than it did seven or eight months ago.

...always the optimism for a new season this time of year, eh? :p

John Lopez of Sports Radio 610 am had this article posted yesterday about the "soon to end lock out" plan.

Don't know where Lopez is getting his info, but I sure hope he is right.

PFT says they are hearing the announcement is on for the 17th, so Lopez may have it pretty close to right. I've got even my toes crossed that he does.

Good luck on 'completing personnel moves' in 12 days, NFL. I'll believe it when I see it. The rookies should be easy as long as there's a wage scale and there's very little negotiating room (like contract years). But what's going to happen to the RFA's and UFA's is, a lot of them are going to get low-ball offers and the owners are going to wait it out until the player craters. Some will get big money, but a lot will get low-balled and be forced to re-sign with their former team, which will likely be late into camp/preseason.

One of the sticks in that wheel is the proposed 90% of the cap must be spent every year. Teams like Tampa Bay are no where near that floor amount and will have to spend gaudy numbers to hit that marks. It will put them in play for 2 or more of the top blue chip guys, and they will have to succeed at spending that money.

With teams having to be above a certain dollar amount, there will be overspending on marginal talents when the top guys have signed.

Assuming a cap of a 120 million, how much will we have to spend?

Sorry I don't have a link, but I remember reading, or hearing somewhere, that the league will give the teams 3 days to sign RFA, rookies, and any other FA's they may have their eye on. If the owners meeting ratifies the agreement Thurs the 21st., then the teams would have until Monday the 25th to get all that done. No way it can get done

ihttp://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/fb/texansfront/7656663.htm.

Found a link in the Chronicle today's paper, Jerome Soloman.

Sounds like owners have voted to accept new CBA. Now players need to vote in the next hour and hopefully recertify union. Press releases coming on when players report and FA starts.

Lots of details here:
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d...module=HP11_cp

Lots more to read in there.

Well the players opted not to vote, saying the owners were trying to pull a fast one on them. Still waiting.......

And today, out of respect for the Kraft families loss, and the burial of Myra Kraft the players will not make any public statements.

It gives the players side time to read the entire agreement that was approved by the owners.

Hopefully everything is finalized by Monday.

My understanding is the player can return to Reliant starting tomorrow without the player having agreed to the contract.

The league year and free agency will not start until they agree, but contact can be reestablished.