The NFL CBA: Zero Hour Negotiations and Revenue

It’s no secret that NFL players, coaches, owners, fans and the industry surrounding the game of professional football are extremely concerned about what is going to happen when the current Collective Bargaining Agreement expires on March 4, 2011.

Some owners and coaches are acting in anticipation of a season without football. Teams have laid off workers. Free agency movement is slow. The NFL Scouting Combine and 2011 NFL Draft are the only events that are sure to take place.

Commissioner Roger Goodell has indicated that he wants to get negotiations completed – or at least begun - before the ‘critical’ deadline of March 4^th but not much could happen until the last minute according to NFL outside labor counsel Bob Batterman. The attorney spoke on an Atlanta, GA radio station recently and said that it’s not unusual for negotiations in situations like this to not progress at all right up to the deadline or beyond.

“Unfortunately, it is in the nature of collective bargaining,” he said. “It is a process in which it is usually deadline bargaining. Sometimes you do go over the edge. It is not usual when there are difficult, contentious issues that you have an early resolution.”

There are certainly “difficult, contentious issues” in this negotiation. Not only has an 18-game season been added to the table, there are revenue-sharing issues between team markets, owners and players; medical care and insurance issues, safety issues and basic money issues surrounding the salary cap, rookie pay and more.

The issues are complicated. However, the bottom line is a lack of equality (perceived or not) between the players and the owners. Whether it is revenue sharing of television profits or enough money for players to get proper medical care after they stop playing the game, it all comes down to the almighty dollar in one way or the other.

The issue of the owners receiving revenue from the TV networks whether football is played or not has been publicized but not correctly interpreted by the media according to Batterman. Whereas many think that the Snyder’s and Jones’ of the world will get a check from FOX even if there are no games played next year, Batterman says that no cash will cross any palms. Rather, credit will be given for when the games are finally played. Owners’ wallets will not become fatter, in other words.

To be believed when it is seen.

“This is an issue which has been so misreported,” Batterman said during the interview. “The owners have the right under circumstances to draw down payments from some of the broadcasters even if there is a work stoppage but it is not a cash payment which they get to keep. It is like a line of credit.  It is like a home equity loan. They have to pay it back the following year with interest, with significant interest. All it is [is] the equivalent of another bank line of credit. That is all. It is not something where if they draw down the money it is a gift from the network.”

“Draw down payments…” and “not a cash payment...” These words are contradictions in terms. It’s no wonder there is confusion about the issues.

Batterman feels the need to make a distinction between the owners' “revenue” and their “profit.” When asked about the accuracy of reported $9 billion in annual NFL revenues he says, "It is close, but that is revenue not profits. That is revenue.”

Anyone who’s taken a basic economics class knows that (in simple terms) revenue is the total amount of monies made from product sales before any operating overhead or expenses (i.e., bills) are paid. Profit is the amount of money left over after payment of operating expenses. R – OE = P. So revenue less all of the costs or expenses leaves the profits.

Hey… even if the billions of dollars that the owners make annually are “revenue” and not “profit,” we are still talking about a lot of money here. It’s not hundreds of dollars. It’s not thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars. We are not even talking about millions or tens of millions here. The issue is about billions of dollars. Fans who are scraping to pay their water bills and buy gas to go to work are having a problem getting upset for the owners who want more whether the current state of affairs is equal or not. Especially because it is the players providing the entertainment that are getting beat up on the field.

Recently, the owners and the union agreed to meet with a federal mediator for a week in an effort to come to some resolution. It is non-binding mediation but mediation all the same. Since at this point, they have barely been able to decide when to meet, much less how to come to some common ground between the very difficult issues, I heartily applaud this step.

"This is not binding on the parties," said Seth H. Borden, according to The Washington Post. "The role of the mediator is to try to find common ground and narrow the areas of dispute between them. He's going to be working with what he has to work with. At the end of the day, if one party or the other feels it's not productive, they can withdraw from the process."

While things may be starting to move forward, they likely won't move forward in earnest until the zero hour. A previously scheduled owners meeting for March 3 in Fort Lauderdale, FL was just changed to be held on March 2^nd near Dulles Airport according to Mark Maske. Well, every little bit helps. One day is definitely a little bit earlier.

Now, if both sides (and in my opinion it is the owners that need to give the most on the issues) can agree that to keep football on the field is the most important thing here, things could move quickly once they actually start meaningful communication.

Arizona Cardinals kicker and player representative Jay Feely has the right perspective on things. “We have record revenue, we have record TV ratings, we have record worth of franchises and players have never made more money,” he said according to nfllabor.com. "It is inherent on both sides to find a way to get a deal done."

From a fan perspective, a lockout is unacceptable. Football must be played in 2011.

Washington Redskins/NFL: Quality of Product in Danger

In another time, in another place Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder would be rubbing his hands together in gleeful anticipation of a check writing marathon. With all of the big name free agents up for grabs from this 2011 free agent class, it would have been a fantasy football team owner’s dream come true. The possibility for spending money boggles the mind.

The sad truth is that, as the deadline for the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) approaches, it is more and more likely that nothing truly constructive will happen between the owners and the NFLPA. It appears that the “L” word is going to be the big one of the off-season… and guess what… it isn’t “love”.

Rick Snider of the Washington Examiner wrote a fine article predicting a timeline of the coming off-season and it’s pretty scary. He describes a realistic scenario where the off-season is thoroughly interrupted because of the strategy of both sides of the CBA battle not wanting to give in too soon. The real possibility exists that nothing will get done until as late as mid-August.

Beside the casualty of small businesses sustained by the game of professional football in cities all across America in this battle, there is another victim – a product named "Quality NFL Football.”

Snider predicts that the negotiations will not be completed until the zero hour, two weeks before the regular season begins. If things take as long as Snider thinks they will, there will be no time for Organized Team Activities (OTAs), mini-camps, training camps or preseason games.

They will push the season back a couple of weeks and by the time a CBA is in place, enough money will have been lost that I would bet that owners will want to "get the show on the road."

“Hurry up!” they will say. “We did it! Let’s play football!”

Although most players will continue to work out this off-season as usual (will they want to pay for trainers?), what kind of product are we going to see when they finally take the field? OTAs, mini-camps and training camps not only help players learn their team’s systems; they get them into football shape. Players get strong. They increase their endurance. They make violent physical contact with other players.

We’ve heard Redskins safety LaRon Landry talk about that first hit in preseason and getting it out-of-the-way. How many players will get hurt because they are not in good enough shape to play the game - especially if the league moves to an 18 game regular season?  What kind of product are teams likely to put on the field with players that have had an inadequate amount of practice?

(All of the teams will have had to deal with the same problem of no practices… this lends equality to the situation at least...)

An irony in all of this is that Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder has finally become the owner fans have wanted him to be for ten years: hiring General Manager Bruce Allen and a credible head coach in Mike Shanahan, and then stepping back and letting them do their jobs. This is the beginning of this team becoming successful. Even so, this past 2010 season had the Redskins struggling to put a quality product on the field several times. I would hate to see this (think Philadelphia Eagles, Monday Night Football and a score of 59 – 28) become the norm rather the exception because of this situation with the CBA.

In 2011, the Redskins will be heading into Year Two under Shanahan. In any other situation, there would be optimism that the offensive and defensive systems would be more successful. If Rick Snider has become the Nostradamus of the NFL (and he gets it right a lot), it likely won’t happen for the Redskins this year.

Will the successful teams in 2011 be the teams that have the least amount of change both in system and in personnel? With such few practices before the regular season begins, I would not be surprised if not bringing in new talent requiring learning a new system is the recipe for success in 2011.

Unfortunately for Redskins fans, there are so many needs on the team, that new talent must be introduced into the team. Without camps and OTAs, how are the players going to learn the system and what are we going to see when they finally take the field?

All of this doesn't even take into account the prospects of scrubs coming in to play if there is a player lockout or strike and the resulting fan revolt if said fans are forced to pay full price for tickets.

Hail.

Washington Redskins: Santana Moss Is Best in Burgundy and Gold

Washington Redskins wide out Santana Moss might possibly have worn the burgundy and gold for the last time. Becoming a free agent in a little under 48 hours, reports assert that the Redskins are not going to re-sign Moss to a contract this off-season.

This is not good. Not that head coach Mike Shanahan checks in with me every day but, the guy has given too much to let him go without an argument.

Looking back on Moss’s time in Washington, there are plenty of reasons to give him another contract.

1)      The state of the NFL. In an off-season that will focus on the lack of a Collective Bargaining Agreement, salaries and cap space will be guarded and even a willing spender like Redskins owner Dan Snyder could keep his cash close at hand.

Santana Moss has renegotiated his contract every year since 2006 to free up salary cap space on the team. It is certainly within his right to test the free agent market but having a productive player who has shown a willingness to help out the team in these uncertain times deserves consideration.

2)      Moss works hard. The former Miami Hurricane has only missed six games in nine seasons. He has been consistent for Washington over the years, not complaining and continuing to produce under new coaches and new systems.

Even more importantly to die-hard Redskins fans, Moss always… ALWAYS shows up to play the Dallas Cowboys.

3)      Moss has character and gets along with his teammates. He has remained sane and reasonable for the Redskins during seasons fraught with trauma that no fan or coach could have envisioned. His teammates recognize this in him and appreciate it.

"I don't think Santana gets as much credit as he's due," center Casey Rabach said according to David Elfin. "He had that one Pro Bowl season, but he means so much more to this team. He's the go-to guy. He's the big-play guy. A lot of people say maybe he should be the No. 2 guy on another team, but the guy just catches ball after ball and make tremendous plays for us. The guy works hard. He puts in his time. He cares about winning football."

4)      Speaking of a 'go-to guy,' Moss can play. In 2010, Moss had a career season, not only playing in all 16 games but catching 1,115 yards worth of passes and scoring 36 points. Those catches and points were a hot commodity given the problems at the quarterback position and a new system. These issues make Moss’s accomplishments even more impressive.

In 2010, he was the number three ranked wide receiver in the NFL behind only Roddy White (Atlanta) and Reggie Wayne (Indianapolis).

For the record, Moss has made five All-Pro teams in his career and a Pro Bowl. He is ranked 63rd in single-season career receiving yards (out of 248 positions).

In his six years in Washington, Moss has played 92 games, starting in all, caught 442 passes for 6,142 yards (13.9 yards-per-catch) and made 33 touchdowns.

5)      Despite several losing seasons, Moss wants to stay in Washington. In my opinion, this loyalty is commendable, especially in light of the some of the administrative shenanigans he has witnessed. He must see potential in the new regime and coaching staff, and he considers himself a Washington Redskin.

"I just feel like once I became a Redskin, I felt like it was meant for me to be here," Moss said according to Matt Terl. "Once I got that opportunity to come here, you know, coming into the league in 2001, I heard that's where I was going anyway. The whole week leading up to it, they had me under Washington, Washington, Washington. For whatever reason, the Jets got me. And when I got a chance to come anyway, I was like, hey, maybe it was meant. And when the career has went the way it went here, when it comes to just having the success I've had here, you know, you kind of say, well this must be the team for me."

6)      Even with the free agent wide receivers out there: Randy Moss, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Vincent Jackson, Steve Smith and Santonio Holmes to name a few, Moss should still remain with the team. There is room for any one of these guys AND Moss. The Shanahans found him to be as valuable in the slot as he is anywhere else on the field. His route running and ability to separate from defensive backs is a thing of beauty in my humble opinion and even if the Redskins bring in an 8-foot tall receiver, Moss will continue to make important plays on the field.

OK. Cliché time. This is the National Football League. It’s a business, blah, blah, blah. Coaches, general managers, owners, scouts, etc. do what they feel is best for the team when it comes to trading or releasing players. When a veteran player has old injuries that continue to pop up, when a player has done more damage to his relationship with his coach than can be repaired or when a younger player has simply outplayed a veteran to the point where there is not enough room left for that veteran in the same position, well then… trades or releases must be made – obviously.

There have been cuts or trades made in Washington that I have never forgiven. When the Redskins let safety Ryan Clark get away after the 2005 season, I almost left the fold (especially considering what they paid Adam Archuleta and how badly he failed). It is not as if Clark was not playing well. His contributions to the Redskins went beyond intercepting a Donovan McNabb pass late in an important game, helping the Redskins go on to the playoffs. Anyone who knows much about the late Sean Taylor knows the impact Clark had on Taylor’s life, development and maturity.

Dissecting the reasons behind the releasing of former Redskins players like defensive end Renaldo Wynn, defensive tackle Cornelius Griffin, special teams standout/running back Rock Cartwright and quarterback Jason Campbell result in logic that does, in fact, penetrate the brain. The moves were understandable. When cornerback Fred Smoot was cut last year, I understood why but I hated it because Smoot was important to the team in ways that did not always translate on the field.

Santana Moss has it all. Regardless of his 31 years, he should not go the way of Clark, Smoot, Cartwright or Campbell. A player with his talent and experience in the second year of a proven offensive system will be valuable to the team on and off the field. The Redskins should negotiate a contract worthy of him and keep him on the team.

Besides, he looks much better in great in burgundy and gold than say, silver and black.

Hail.

Redskins: Snyder’s Lawsuit Great Publicity for Defendant

No disrespect to the author but there could be a lot of fans that might not have even read “The Cranky Redskins Fan’s Guide to Dan Snyder” yet. This is a very entertaining article by Dave McKenna which is an A-Z listing some of Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder’s movements since he has owned the Washington Redskins.

Snyder is now filing a lawsuit against McKenna’s employer, The Washington City Paper and in doing so; he is going to give that paper and that article more publicity than the outlet’s marketing crew could have paid to get. It has been less than 24 hours since the story of the lawsuit broke and there is already a huge uproar in Washington and thousands of visits to the article have most likely taken place in the last eight hours.

In an effort to execute damage control I'm sure, Tony Wyllie, Redskins Senior Vice President of Public Relations and Media Information; and David Donovan, General Counsel (among other things), appeared on local radio station 106.7 The Fan this afternoon. Hosts LaVar Arrington and Chad Dukes had been talking about the story and were happy to give Snyder's employees the opportunity to tell their boss's side.

Wyllie and Donovan said that Snyder was upset because of several untruths printed in the article and the disrespect it showed to himself and his wife, Tanya. They seemed to take real issue with the doctored picture of Snyder in devil’s horns that accompanied the article and insisted it was a case of anti-Semitism. They also said that the article disrespected what Tanya had done for breast cancer awareness and slandered her by saying she was “out selling the transformation” of Snyder.

When Arrington and Dukes asked about other issues that Snyder has with McKenna’s article, Donovan said that the lawsuit would be public record when filed and that the details could be viewed in the document.

The Washington Post reported that Snyder was seeking the dismissal of McKenna but Wyllie and Donovan were quick to deny this allegation and in fact, were vehement that this was not the case. The Redskins want the City Paper to correct those items in the article they feel are not true.

Snyder’s attorneys are trying to get copies of emails sent between McKenna and Washington Post columnist Dan Steinberg to see if there was any collaboration between the two according to the Washington Post. It sounds to me like this lawsuit is trying to get to the Post as well as the City Paper. This is no surprise since the Redskins have had issues with the Post over the years.

Snyder should not have even brought Tanya into the equation. Her body of work for the breast cancer community speaks for itself.  I hope that Snyder is simply going to bat for his wife and not using this to get sympathy for his suit. Of course, one never knows what the attorneys and spin doctors are advising.

News of this lawsuit has begun a wave of turbulence that will last for months in Washington and for what? For an entertaining article, read by fans in-the-know with a chuckle?

The owners of the Washington City Paper are probably ecstatic.

Washington Redskins: Multiple Needs Means Hard Choices in 2011 Draft

Just for kicks, I went through as many mock drafts as I could find to see the different positions NFL draft gurus are predicting the Washington Redskins will take with their 10^th pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. The list was actually pretty long. As usual, there are a lot of opinions out there but with the needs of the team being so long, this is no surprise.

The issue of what happens with quarterback Donovan McNabb will play a part in who the Redskins select in the first round as will needs for depth along both the offensive and defensive line. There is popular thinking that the wide receiver corps needs additions though I haven't thoroughly bought into that thinking... yet. The Redskins have some hard decisions to make.

Most Redskins fans already know that Mel Kiper, Jr. of ESPN believes that Auburn’s Cam Newton from Auburn University is the man for the job. He is not the only one who thinks so but he is one who people watch.

"I think [Redskins head coach Mike] Shanahan needs to address this position with a young quarterback”, Kiper said according to the Washington Post. “He went the veteran route with [quarterback Donovan] McNabb. It didn't work," Kiper said. "I think he needs to bring in -- as he did in Denver [where] he drafted [Jay] Cutler out of Vanderbilt -- to get a young quarterback that he can mold."

Newton ended the year with a 66.1% completion ratio. Strong points for him are his size (6’5^1/2”) and ability to run. In terms of a body of work from which to evaluate, there isn’t much on the Tiger because he only played one full season as a senior. But, with his size and raw talent, I can see why Kiper thinks Newton might work for the Redskins.

It would be strange if the Redskins took another quarterback from Auburn in the first round but it could happen. Hopefully, Newton would have a better career in the nation’s capital than now Oakland Raiders’ quarterback Jason Campbell, who former Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs picked in the first round of the 2005 draft.

WalterFootball.com has the University of Missouri's quarterback Blaine Gabbert as a good match for the Redskins at number 10, saying his is the best quarterback available and suggesting that he could fit into head coach Mike Shanahan's offense.

One of the problems with Gabbert according to some is his inaccuracy. The Missouri offense is “gimmicky,” he has a 63.4% completion ratio and he has reportedly not always been motivated enough to stay in shape. Maybe this would not be such a good fit. Redskins fans know how Shanahan feels about his players being in ‘football shape’.

He is another big guy – 6’5” - which is helpful but the Redskins do not need another player – especially in a high-profile position like quarterback - with any sort “issues.”

If it is true that he has somewhat of a bad attitude (one scout compared him to the Oakland Raiders former number one draft pick JaMarcus Russell), I would be surprised if Shanahan really wanted him. A strong arm and size are good but, as with the 'football shape' issue, we know how things go with players that have bad attitudes at Redskins Park.

Jake Locker of the University of Washington is another name in the mix for the Redskins at number 10. Matt Millen, of the NFL Network, thinks highly of Locker. He said the other day during a Senior Bowl pre-game show that Locker’s abilities are off the chart. Millen agrees with Mike Mayock (NFL Network) that he has amazing skills. At a 55.4% completion ratio, he is another one that needs to work on his accuracy but his rating is 124.2. Millen thinks he will measure well at the combine.

Like anything, opinion runs the gambit on this young man and, while Millen thinks he is raw enough that he would do well to be mentored for a year or two behind a veteran quarterback, others believe he is NFL-ready – perhaps the most ready in this year’s class.

A couple of mock draft groups have explored whether the University of Arkansas’ Ryan Mallett would be a good fit for the Redskins at number 10 but none have stuck with him that I can find. The Razorback looks more like a pro-style quarterback than Locker or Newton.  His completion ratio, at  64.7% is comparable but at 6’6”, he is bigger than the other quarterbacks.  At that size, you’d think he’d be hard to bring down. I love his rushing statistics:  Mallett rushed 44 times this past year and logged -74 yards. Hmm.... He did make 4 rushing TD’s though, even with a -1.7 yards-per-attempt average.

I looked at 20 mock drafts and a few had the Redskins taking other positions besides quarterback. Footballsfuture.com has the Skins taking Julio Jones, a wide receiver from Alabama. At 6’4”, here would be the big wide out that many feel the Redskins need to round out their receiving corps and compliment standout receiver Santana Moss. Jones is considered to be a brave player, unafraid to get hit, who caught 78 passes for 1,133 yards and an average-per-catch of 14.5 yards and seven touchdowns. Being tall helps a lot as long as you concentrate on catching the ball and it is in this regard - the concentration - that some folks have concerns.

Another mock draft has the Redskins taking a much-needed defensive end and, in this case, it is Cameron Jordon out of the University of California. According to his college bio, the first-team All-Pac-10 player finished the season with 175 tackles (88 unassisted, 87 assisted), including 34 tackles for loss, and 16.5 sacks. He has one interception that he returned for three yards, five pass breakups, four forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries that he returned twice for touchdowns.

According to mockingthedraft.com, Jordan is ahead of many of the DE’s in this year’s draft class because he has so many powerful pass rush moves and because he is quick off of the snap. While these are great attributes, this group feels he isn’t particularly fast on stunts. If this is the case (I haven’t yet watched any game film on Jordan looking for this) this will give him trouble with the speed he finds once he gets to the pros.

The other defensive player I found being picked for the Redskins was OLB/DE Aldon Smith from the University of Missouri.  What bothers me about the 6’5” Missouri Tiger is that he will be going into the NFL straight from his third year of college. Apparently a gifted athlete, the redshirt sophomore feels he can handle the pros. Obviously that doesn’t mean he can. Time will tell.

In all, I looked at 20 drafts. A lot of them predicted first a quarterback and then allowed a “but… if they don’t take him, they might take this guy.” These "but maybe's" were all either wide receivers or defensive linemen – the defensive positions especially a real need in Washington.

I did not see any mock drafts with offensive linemen predicted or suggested. The Redskins addressed this last year by selecting left tackle Trent Williams in the first round (4^thoverall). It's a Catch-22 situation... there are so many other areas on the team needing help, I would suspect the O-line will not be addressed in the first round this year. By the same token, one of the reasons the team is hurting so badly on the line is because the offensive line positions have been so badly neglected in the draft in the last 10 years.

What's a team to do?

Even if Nate Solder (offensive tackle, University of Colorado) were still available at number 10, the Redskins already have their talented, young left tackle with Williams.

But since depth along the line has always been an issue, it would not make me mad if they went after someone like Michael Pouncey (guard/center, University of Florida) to compete with – and possibly win the job of center or right guard with the Redskins.

Not an offensive lineman but an interesting thought is A.J. Green (wide receiver, Georgia) who unfortunately will not still be around at number 10 (the Cincinnati Bengals could use him at #4). Having had to sit out of the first four games of the 2010 Georgia season because of a suspension, he drops down a notch in the “character guy” department. His forced hiatus was because he sold a jersey to a person in the NCAA classified as an “agent”.  The infraction does not seem like a serious locker room problem… it’s only that he didn’t “think things through” according to Tim Tucker of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. I don't think this is as bad as refusing to talk to a head coach, driving drunk or any other number of violations that have been known to be committed by Washington Redskins’ players.

As is the nature of the beast (the NFL beast), the mock drafts will likely change many times before the Big Day arrives. On the assumption that Mike Shanahan and Co. will have done their homework, let us hope that this April 28, they fulfill the head coach's mantra and select for "what's in the best interest of the organization."