Washington Redskins: Could Change in Mentality Bring Repeat of History?

The Washington Redskins players are not alone in their attempt to stay in shape and be ready for football when this work stoppage is finally over. While the player-only workouts during the lockout have been attempted in secret, they have ended up being regularly attended by the media and so have gotten attention. There have been many tweets about it, YouTube videos of players working out, and articles about teams working out together during this strange off-season. The theme of staying in shape is a common one around the league these days. 

There was a time, however, when that wasn’t necessarily the case.

Once this lockout is over, there is going to be a huge push by coaches to get teams ready for a football season. There will have been no mini-camps, no strength/conditioning programs and no official organized team activities (OTAs) when the players finally get into their facilities. Depending on the date an agreement is finally reached, it’s likely that training camps will follow shortly and hopefully, on time. There is hope that no games will be missed – preseason or otherwise – but there is no guarantee of that. With the lack of OTAs, injuries to players are a concern in the coming season.

Long-time or knowledgeable Redskins fans know that two Super bowls won by their team came in seasons immediately following work stoppages. In 1982, the season was shortened from 16 games per team to nine because of a players' strike and Washington beat the Miami Dolphins 27-17 to win Super Bowl XVII. That season, the strike began on September 21, 1982 and lasted 57 days until November 16th. No games were played during that time, unlike the later strike, in 1987, where replacement players were employed and games were played.

In 1987, The NFLPA struck for 24 days and the regular season was reduced from 16 games to 15. The only games missed were in the third week of the season and the Washington Redskins, as in 1982, won Super Bowl XXII that year.

It would be awesome – however naive - to fantasize that Washington could go on to win a Superbowl in 2011 after another player work stoppage. However, this team is in no way similar to the teams that made up the Redskins back in 1982 and 1987. In those two years, the previous seasons’ teams were already very good.

In 1981, the Redskins' record was 8-8 and it was then head coach Joe Gibbs’ first season. He had the likes of Joe Theisman on his roster at quarterback, Joe Washington and John Riggins at running back, Art Monk receiving, Don Warren and Rick “Doc” Walker at tight end. There was Jeff Bostic, Joe Jacoby and Russ Grim on the offensive line and Mike Nelms returning balls.

Gibbs had a defense that consisted of Dave Butz at defensive tackle and linebacker Monte Coleman scoring six touchdowns. It was a team of veterans who were with the team the following season and were ready to take the next step.

By 1987, the Redskins had won 10 or more games per season for the last four years. In 1983, they were 14 and 2; in 1984 they were 11 and 5, in 1985 they were 10 and 6 and in 1986 they were 12 and 4. All but one of those years, they made playoff appearances. In 1987, the Washington Redskins were a team that could withstand a strike and still have a chance to win. They had players like pro bowlers Charles Mann and Darrell Green, Gary Clark and an amazing amount of players who had been on the 1982 Superbowl team.

It is admirable that the Redskins, as a team, have been so involved with the player practices and with individually working hard to stay in shape. They will need to be both unified and physically fit this year to have a chance with so many other things working against them in this lockout year. In going back and looking at that 1987 strike year, I found contrasts in how the players conducted themselves then compared to how the 2011 Redskins have during this lockout.

Most Redskins in 1987 were heavily involved in picketing during the strike in an attempt to keep the replacement players from getting into the Redskins’ training facility. Middle linebacker Neal Olkewicz was the NFLPA player representative and he would organize the rotation of players, making sure someone was always on hand to hold up a sign and represent the striking players.

However, although they were involved with that activity some of the time, the rest of the time there was not a lot of emphasis put on staying in shape physically - at least not publicly. According to an article dated September 28, 1987 in The Washington Post, striking Redskins were “running errands, mowing the lawn or sunbathing by the pool at the Dulles Marriott Hotel.” Even Joe Gibbs took rare time off the day the article was written.

“I’ll probably have a fight or two around the house,” he said to the reporter with a chuckle according to the reporter.

Dave Butz spent time during the strike trying to fix his home computer – with caulking, no less, according to another Washington Post article written on September 19, 1987. This was, of course, early in the strike, before he knew it was going to last for 57 days. Butz had been through the previous strike and knew that down time was not good for professional football players. He said that there had been too much “leisure time” from September 20 until November 17 in 1982. And so, he decided that during that 1987 strike, he would go hunting.

Other players were happy to tell reporters what they would be doing and much of the time, it wasn’t working out.



“I mowed lots of grass,” said Pro Bowl guard R.C. Theilemann.

In the articles I was able to find, only one player openly admitted he was trying to stay in shape.

“I hung out, worked out quite a bit,” said linebacker Rich Milot. “But I don’t remember doing anything special.”

I did find out that the 1982 and 1987 Redskins worked out and/or practiced together a few times... just not as much or as publicly as the 2011 players. In fact, according to Washington Post reporter, Ken Denlinger, that is one of the reasons the 1982 team recovered so well from the strike.

After the 1987 strike, Joe Gibbs knew he was going to have his work cut out for him getting his players back to shape.

“It’s my job to work with them and make the most out of this break,” he said. And his players seemed to agree. They were much more successful than the current team at keeping their practices secret.

“We’ve gotten together and gone over stuff,” linebacker Mel Kaufman said, “but we don’t want to be disturbed or to have any distractions.”

The willingness and enthusiasm to work out together that the current Washington Redskins players have displayed is such a great thing. We don't know that this is hugely different from the 1982 and 1987 teams. They might have felt the same way. Because any practices they had were not made public, there is no way to truly know without talking to all of them.

The lack of team OTAs is likely going to be a problem for every team in 2011 but some have bigger problems than just that. There are teams with brand new coaching staffs (Oakland Raiders, Denver Broncos, Cleveland Browns, and Carolina Panthers) and teams with new quarterbacks (Cam Newton/Panthers, Blaine Gabbert/Jacksonville Jaguars, Christian Ponder/Minnesota Vikings, Andy Dalton/Cincinnati Bengals, Colin Kaepernick/San Francisco 49ers).

The Redskins have their own set of problems. The lack of a prototypical nose tackle is a dilemma. There are questions at so many positions: quarterback, cornerback, running back, wide receiver and all along the offensive line. Those questions may be answered as soon as the lockout ends and Free Agency opens up. General Manager Bruce Allen has said that the team will be aggressive during this period. And once training camp begins and guys can begin competing for positions, coaches and fans alike will have a more clear idea of who will actually be filling the aforementioned positions. Going into the second year of head coach Mike Shanahan’s system will help.

But what will also help is the fact that the players for Washington have been working together once a month during a time when there is no other way for them to build any sort of game timing or cohesiveness. That is not to say they should not do things together like fishing or playing golf but these activities would not really help them get ready for a fiercely violent game that is going to come very quickly once this lockout is over.

I don’t know if the current players have much knowledge of how their predecessors spent their work stoppages. I do know that the current players have shown a real dedication to their craft during this lockout. If history can ever repeat itself in the NFL, let’s hope that this is the year and the Washington Redskins are the team.

Hail.

Washington Redskins 2011 NFL Draft: Immediate Impact Critical

Marcell Dareus

NFL head and position coaches all across the league are salivating over some of the elite players in this year’s very talented NFL draft. And why not? What coach wouldn’t give his headset for an Aldon Smith or Cameron Jordan? These young men will likely make an immediate impact for the teams that draft them (this, of course, is assuming there will be football in 2011).

There are any number of draft moves that would help the Washington Redskins this year and we can only guess at whether head coach Mike Shanahan will draft the best player on the board with the teams’ first-round pick or draft for need. (Perhaps there is no distinction between the two?) This is a very talented draft class. It would almost be impossible to go wrong - whoever they draft. And whoever that player is needs to make an immediate impact on the team if they are to be more competitive in 2011.

Quality first round draft pick players have the potential to make serious contributions to their teams in their rookie years. In the last 10 years, the Redskins' organization has been fraught with instability and uncertainty, except during the short reign of Hall of Fame head coach Joe Gibbs. On either side of those years, there was no continuity in the coaching staff and the system. Those players that were play-makers on the team were stifled by the instability and winning seasons were the exception rather than the norm. The first round athletes in this years' draft can make a difference quickly and help this team win.

Think about LaDainian Tomlinson, Julius Peppers, Dwight Freeney, Terrell Suggs, Andre Johnson and Kevin Williams. These were all first round guys who made major contributions to their teams in their rookie years.

That's not to say that the Redskins haven't had some great first round picks. We had LaVar Arrington, Chris Samuels, (the late, great) Sean Taylor (RIP), Carlos Rogers, LaRon Landry, Brian Orakpo and Trent Williams who all came in and contributed. But there were also years when the team had no first round picks because they had been traded away for free agents that may or may not have made notable contributions to the team. Ouch.

In the second year of a regime in which we have a Super Bowl winning coach and lingering high hopes, Redskins fans are ready for results. There are guys in this 2011 draft that can provide them.

Identifying the draft needs of the Redskins is easy because they (ahem) don’t have too many. They only need a few players on the defensive line, at outside linebacker and at the cornerback position. Oh yea… and all along the offensive line they need depth. They could also use a running back and yes, a quarterback. And, oops… I forgot about a special teams position or two. It’s not that much… right?

OK, fine… so I’m a wise guy.

The possibility that Shanahan will trade the 10^th pick (overall) back to get more picks is high. In Washington’s draft War Room, they will have plans for every situation and we won’t know what’s going to happen until it does. For the sake of this prose, I’m going to work on the premise that Shanahan & Co. will use the 10^th and 41^st draft picks overall without trading up or down.

In 2010, the team switched from the 4-3 defensive scheme that they had played for a zillion years to the 3-4. Disaster ensued. Shanahan should have (my favorite phrase) phased in the new scheme more gradually (but that’s another discussion for another day).  It was a sad testament to how difficult it is to convert schemes in a single year when we saw a consistently high-ranking Redskins defense go from one of the top ten (or even top five a few times) to 31^st in the league last season.

Two positions that would immediately make the Redskins’ defense better are a good pass rushing end and a pure nose tackle. While Redskins linebacker Brian Orakpo handled the transition to the 3-4 system well, his stats suffered due to the lack of the right personnel - the right nose tackle - pushing people around up front and distracting offensive linemen. D-tackle Ma’ake Kemoeatu did not come back as quickly from his injured Achilles heel as predicted and, while Anthony Bryant filled in well towards the end of the season, he is close to 30-years old. The 'Skins need to get younger along the defensive line

Nose tackle is not a glamorous position though and, while I personally think Washington should draft one early, I would be surprised if they did… especially if any of the aforementioned “elite” potential draftees are still on the board at #10. Another bookend to compliment Orakpo would make a huge difference for Washington. I can think of several talented young players that would make an immediate impact along the line.

A lot of draft gurus have suggested that the Redskins should take Texas A&M’s Von Miller or North Carolina’s Robert Quinn but the guy I’d most like to see the Redskins take (and for which I’ll probably get some grief) at defensive end is J.J. Watt (6’5”, 290 lbs. out of Wisconsin). Watt is a natural pass rusher and a beast. He has long, long arms and can defend the run. Also, he’s a “character” guy and after last year, the Redskins need this. It doesn’t even bother me that he’s skipped his senior year to go into the draft.

Football fans have all heard about Aldon Smith (6’4”, 263 lbs., DE out of Missouri) and it's true that he would be a good fit opposite Orakpo. Not having some of the off-field issues that other guys have had is a plus.

Here’s the thing however... what if, the Redskins did acquire a nose tackle with that #10 pick?

The 3-4 scheme will work most effectively - the way it was designed - with the anchor of a good nose tackle. Washington has enough talent at the other D-line positions that, if all they could do is draft that one position, they could get seriously better defensively in 2011, even as the rest of the squad continued to learn their jobs.

Alabama defensive tackle Marcell Dareus would be a good acquisition for Washington. At 6’3”, 319 lbs., he is bit lighter than some of the other nose tackles available but an upside is that he is listed as a defensive end, defensive tackle and nose tackle. He is versatile.  NFL Hall of Famer Bruce Smith says that Dareus has a “…tremendous amount of talent and upside.” If Bruce Smith likes him, that’s another plus.

The D-tackle ran the 40 in 4.92 at the Combine. That shows athleticism.

There were rumors earlier in the week that Washington has talked to the Denver Broncos whose first-round pick is number two overall. The Broncos have a need for a defensive tackle and there are mock drafts out there that have them taking Dareus. Hmm… could the Redskins be thinking of moving up rather than back?

Baylor’s Phil Taylor has been ranked to go in the first or second round. He is 6’3”, currently listed at 334 lbs. and is more the prototypical nose tackle. Heavier than Dareus, he ran a 5.18 40 at the Combine - faster than projected - and that speaks well of his work ethic. His scouting report lists some his attributes as: “Massive frame, carries weight well, great strength and power.” It goes on to say that he has “violent quick hands” that he “uses well,” that he can “push the pocket with bull rush,” that he is a “space eater who occupies blockers” and that he has a “mean streak.”

What more could you ask for in a nose tackle?

Dareus’ scouting report lists some of the same attributes as Taylor including the ability to “shed blockers.” He might not have the size and/or power that the Baylor tackle has but he had a good pro day. Either of these young men would make an immediate impact in Washington.

Were the Redskins to use the 10^th pick on a position other than nose tackle, there are others at the position the team could take later, if available, with their second round pick (41^st overall). Hampton’s Kenrick Ellis (he is heavier at 346 lbs. but unfortunately, is listed as  having some work ethic concerns) or Jerrell Powell out of Ole Miss are just a couple of them.

Again, I’m focusing here on the scenario of the Redskins keeping the 10^th and 41^st picks. While I am as anxious for the 'Skins to find a franchise quarterback as the next fan, I would be surprised if Washington was able to take one in the first round. They’ll never get Auburn’s Cam Newton (the Carolina Panthers are reportedly looking hard at him and they pick first overall) or Missouri’s Blaine Gabbert (Washington would have to fight with the Buffalo Bills at number three overall) unless Shanahan trades up. Hopefully, they will find a QB later and either Washington’s Jake Locker or Florida State’s Christian Ponder would be worthy of any pick beyond the first round. TCU’s Andy Dalton, 6’2, 215 lbs. is more recently making noise in the news and there are mock draft gurus who grade him as a decent quarterback if he gets – and accepts - some coaching up.

Call me overly optimistic but, before they spend the early picks on a player like  Alabama wide out Julio Jones or Georgia’s A.J. Green (who will likely be unavailable anyway), I’d like to see the receivers that they have given a chance to progress through the second year of the offense. Receiver Malcolm Kelly was put on injured reserve last year rather than released for a reason. Why go out and draft a receiver when Kelly, at 6’4”, could be the end zone, jump-ball player the Redskins have needed since they drafted him?  The guy is healthy (actually, he was before the end of last season) and talented. Recall Shanahan’s mantra: “You wouldn’t be here if we didn’t think you gave us the best chance to win.”

I say bring back Santana Moss, let Anthony Armstrong do what we know he can do, give Kelly a chance to SHOW us what he can do and keep the 41^st overall pick for a d-lineman; Locker or Ponder; or an offensive lineman to protect whatever quarterback Washington ends up with (don’t even get me started on the McNabb debacle).

I’d be ecstatic if Florida State guard Rodney Hudson was still available at the 41^st pick though he probably won’t be (the New England Patriots could take him). USC’s offensive tackle Tyron Smith could be an important addition with the expiration of right tackle Jammal Brown's contract. Offensive line depth has been neglected for so long that I almost hate to suggest the Redskins take any other position in the first or second rounds.

The other position that could be addressed is running back (Alabama’s Mark Ingram visited Ashburn yesterday) only because Washington’s guys are still unproven or have some issues. We know what Ryan Torain can do. He justified Shanahan's keeping him last season but he needs to stay healthy. Keiland Williams only carried the ball 65 times last year. While he showed flashes of talent, we didn’t see enough to really know.

I like Redskins' RBs Chad Simpson and James Davis. They both have experience but the former did not carry the ball at all last season and the latter, while only carrying the ball 15 times in three games, had an 11.3 yards-per-carry average. Not bad.

The cornerback and safety positions have a few question marks in 2011 but they are not dire. DeAngelo Hall’s record speaks for itself (as does he) and new Redskins safety A.J. Atogwe is an upgrade at the position.

Once the CBA is completed, some position issues could be addressed via free agency. I do think that the team should not waste first and second round draft picks on positions that are not critical.

The two lines – offensive and defensive - are two critical areas of need for the Washington Redskins. Whether the team keeps the 10^th and 41^st picks overall, or trades back to get more, these are the positions that need to be addressed in the draft first. In my humble opinion, unless Shanahan somehow finesses the acquisition of one of the class's highly ranked quarterbacks, a solid nose tackle would address a critical need and benefit the team the most.

As always... Hail.

Former Redskin Frank Grant Offers Fitness Lesson from Back in the Day

Former Redskins wide receiver Frank Grant

The state of affairs in the National Football League (NFL) will affect more than the financial health of professional football players. We really have no idea when the league will get it together and work out a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). Even after the two sides reach an agreement, players will have lost valuable time in the team weight rooms and on the fields with their teammates. How will they stay in the specific physical shape required to play the game well?

Were there no lockout going on, many professional players would already be gearing up for formal team strength and conditioning programs/organized team activities (OTAs) or receiving injury treatment or rehab by trainers or team doctors.

Several football players have said that they will continue working out until a CBA is in place. I applaud them. They may use this time of uncertainty to organize workouts with teammates and personal trainers while they are not allowed into their team facilities. (Of course, professional athletes, even during down-time, are 95% more fit than the average American!) But I can’t see how these athletes can become as football-ready as they would if they were in a formal team environment.

Serious formal emphasis on fitness during the off-season was not always the case in the NFL. I spoke recently to former Washington Redskin Frank Grant, a wide receiver for the team from 1972 through 1977, about the training of professional football players in general and we began talking about what the fitness training was like “back in the day.”

“Even when I went to college there was little to know about weight training whatsoever,” Grant said. “In preseason or before the season, we might jog a couple of miles and think that would keep us in shape for the season. There was no regular or consistent weight training system. As a matter of fact, my school had one Universal Gym. We’d go in after practice and kind of do whatever we thought we should do. No one knew anything about how many reps to do, or circular training … you kind of did what you came up with.”

Grant was drafted by the Redskins out of Colorado State University-Pueblo (known at the time as Southern Colorado State College) in the 1972 NFL Draft by then head Coach George Allen (one of the few draft picks Allen didn’t trade away for a veteran!). He told me that the real reason he was in any shape at all going into the July training camp that first season was because he, being a track & field star at CSU, had just finished the track & field season when he was drafted.

Going into a team mostly made up of the “Over-the-Hill-Gang” - a bunch of wily veterans like Diron Talbert, Ron McDole, Speedy Duncan, Richie Petibon, Jack Pardee, Charley Taylor, Roy Jefferson, Billy Kilmer and Sonny Jurgenson (who was 38 at the time) - Grant was a rookie in every sense of the word. But he was lucky enough to come into the league in decent shape from his track & field season.

“The one thing I brought from college - I’d run two years of track when I came to the Redskins,” he said. “I had just left the track circuit. My last track meet was the latter part of June and training camp started in July. I was really in good shape when I got to camp having run track for the previous five or six months.

“When I got to the professional level with the Redskins, most of the guys at that time were older ball players and it was kind of relaxed in regard to training. George Allen had traded for a bunch of veterans and there wasn’t a lot of emphasis on weight training.  Not [many] ball players in the Redskins had [lifted weights] at all. They’d come up doing it their way. I mean, my rookie year, we’d do a little bit of this and a little bit of that. And most of the older guys, they’d think, ‘Well, I’m already in the pro level. What the hell do I need to do all this other stuff for? What’s it going to do for me now?’”

It wasn’t until a few years after Grant’s rookie year with Washington that the idea of team-wide fitness training came to Ashburn.

“It was my second or third year when the Pittsburgh Steelers won the Superbowl,” Grant explained, “and one of the things that the Steelers attributed their success that year to was an off-season weight training program. Even being the stickler that George Allen was, he was not opposed to hearing someone else’s road or way to success and applying it to his program. He immediately applied a weight training program [to the team]. He brought in trainers and instructors to develop a training regimen and schedule for the ball players.”

However, getting the team to the next fitness level wasn’t going to be as easy as writing up a schedule.

“I was a rookie. Now unfortunately, for a lot of the vets at that time; the older guys who had grown up without that type of system, they never got the right type of training. What they’d do – after practice they’d go in and put on [the weight that] they thought they could lift and they’d get in there and…,” (Frank starts growling and imitating lifting motions here) “…they’d do a couple of reps and leave because they considered that was what their workout was going to be.”

“We had a couple of guys throw their backs out trying to do squats,” Grant continued, “which they’d never done before. We had several injuries due to the fact that they were trying to get into lifting weights, which is something that George Allen was now requiring.

“We had something that was supposed to be good turn into something bad for some people who just didn’t understand how to do what was expected of them.”

I had to question where the trainers were during these ‘workouts’ and the answer illustrates how far the league – all of society, in fact – has come with regard to the specifics of how to use the equipment and the techniques to gain strength and conditioning. The trainers were there…. they just did not know what they know today.

“There were trainers [that] were still learning themselves,” Grant said. “There were trainers there insisting that, ‘Yeah, I can tape your ankles… Yeah, I can tape your knees… I can tape your shoulders… all that kind of stuff. But they weren’t trained in regards to giving you an outline or a detailed weight training program and most of the guys were already older guys –trying to start at the maximum weight because they didn’t want to take the time to build up [their strength] by [starting with] light weight and then [moving up] to the heavy weights.  They wanted to start out with the heavy weights so they could say ‘I’m just gonna do three sets of this and then leave.’ That led to torn muscles, bad backs and other ailments.”

This early attempt at weight-training, combined with the lack of better uniform equipment, different rules and a different mentality, might certainly have contributed to the physical ailments that many retired players are dealing with now. These conditions, in turn, have contributed to one of the issues that is being negotiated today by the NFL and NFLPA into the new CBA: that of long-term health insurance and benefits for both current and retired players.

While many NFL players will continue to work hard during the lockout, I am concerned that a CBA may not get negotiated in time for them to receive an adequate amount or the right kind of strength and conditioning training before the season begins. If the negotiations go on too long, OTAs, mini-camps and training camps will be so shortened before the regular season begins, that players will not be in the necessary shape to play the game without undue injury. It is not unimaginable that they will be rushed onto the field for the first game of the season, no matter how much or how little strength and conditioning training they have been able to participate in. This is risky. And I haven't even begun to discuss what how it might affect the quality of the game.

Grant’s stories illustrate how important the off-season strength and conditioning is to the players and, if the NFL can’t do something about getting a CBA negotiated in a reasonable amount of time, these athletes will suffer physically as well as financially.

NFL CBA Negotiations: Figuring Out Who Has Done What – Or Not

Vonnie Holliday: Redskins' NFLPA
representative

The letters from the NFL and the NFLPA to the fans explaining what happened in the CBA negotiations are nice gestures and I’m sure they have nothing to do with public relations (ouch… that tooth is sharp!). Trying to figure out where the disconnect between the two parties occurred based on these letters is close to impossible, however. All I can say is that either they are each speaking entirely different languages, or somebody is not telling the truth.

In the NFL letter (one version is posted on Redskins.com), they sound like a very reasonable, if not victimized group. The NFLPA, who dismantled their official website during this situation, is releasing their information through nfllockout.com, and they sound wounded as well.

Paragraph by paragraph, I went through the two letters, trying to compare the issues they discuss. Unfortunately, it was like comparing artichokes to bananas or squash to jalapeno peppers. It would have been nice if each issue had been addressed point-by-point for the reader.

Here is some of what they wrote:

NFL: “The union was offered financial disclosure of audited league and club profitability information that is not even shared with the NFL clubs”

NFLPA: “The NFL’s offer on March 7 to give the NFLPA a single sheet of numbers was NOT financial disclosure. The players’ accountants and bankers advised that the “offered” information was meaningless: only two numbers for each year.  The NFL demanded a multi-billion dollar give back and refused to provide any legitimate financial information to justify it.”

***********************

NFL: “It included an offer to narrow the player compensation gap that existed in the negotiations by splitting the difference…”  “ …the clubs offered a deal that would have had no adverse financial impact upon veteran players in the early years and would meet the players’ financial demands in the latter years.”

NFLPA: “…NFL demanded 100% of all revenues which went above unrealistically low projections for the first four years.  The NFL demanded a multi-billion dollar giveback…” “…The NFL offered no proposal at all for long-term share of revenues “

***********************

NFL: “…guarantee[d] reallocation of savings from first-round rookies to veterans and retirees without negatively affecting compensation for rounds 2-7; ensure no compensation reduction for veterans…”

NFLPA:  “The NFL wanted to turn the clock back on player compensation by four years, moving them back to where they were in 2007.”

***********************

NFL:   “…implement new year-round health and safety rules…”

NFLPA:  “The NFL refused to meet the players on significant changes to in-season, off-season or pre-season health and safety rules.”

***********************

NFL:    “…retain the current 16-4 season format for at least two years with any subsequent changes subject to the approval of the league and union…”

NFLPA: “The NFL kept on the table its hypocritical demand for an 18-game season, despite its public claims to be working toward improving the health and safety of players.”

I was under the impression that some of these things had been worked out; like the safety issues, the decision to stay with a 16-4 season format and a rookie wage scale. Obviously I was wrong.

The biggest problem for John Q. Public in all of this is that we are not being given all of the information available.  The letter to the fans from the NFL certainly will only tell their side of the story. And, as much as I am in the NFLPA’s corner, I am sure there is information they are not releasing either, not necessarily because they are pulling a con but more because it is in their best interest not to do so at this point. This is likely the case with both parties. But then why bother to pacify the public with letters that don’t mean much?

The two documents obviously summarized, simplified, abridged, condensed, reduced and compressed (or any other term that could be used) the issues and we, the public, are not getting the whole story.

You know, at this point, that’s just as well. We are likely to be in this position for a while; waiting while the court system gears up for litigation on anti-trust issues between the players and the owners, while players figure out how to deal with the lockout and their attorneys get moving on that whole issue.  Since we, the fans, will likely never get all of the facts regarding the negotiations – or know exactly why they failed – we might has well do something else for a while rather than wrack our brains trying to make sense of it all.

It’s a nice day today. I just might go fishing.

Hail.