Monday, July 25, 2011

The NFL Is Back, but Did It Ever Really Go Away?





Well, the federal government is on the brink of shutting down, but all is right with the world because the NFL Owners and Players have come to an agreement and the lockout is now over. Joy exists throughout the land! Are you ready for some football?????


When this whole nonsense began, I vowed to pay no attention to it, not read about it, not write about, and I am happy to say that I pretty much stuck to that vow. I also said, although I am not sure if I wrote it here, and I am not sufficiently motivated to look it up, that not a single regular season game would be lost as a result of this labor nonsense.


So, not only has this been settled with no regular season games being lost, no exhibition games (at regular season prices) will be lost either. Wow, what a surprise! (Yes, I know that the Hall of Fame game in Canton has been canceled, but this is not a "home" game for either of the two teams involved. The only people who get hurt by the loss of that game are the people and businesses of Canton, Ohio, and I am sure that the 32 lodge brothers who comprise the NFL will not shed any tears for them.)


So, what we missed out on were mini-camps and "voluntary" OTA's, or, as Michael Wilbon put it, "things that didn't exist 20 years ago."


I did read Peter King's Monday Morning Quarterback this morning, and I was struck by another predictable outcome of the new agreement: whining of the coaches over the fact that mini-camps, OTA's, training camps, two-a-days, padded practices, etc. will be reduced and/or eliminated under the new agreement. The game as we know it will cease to exist because the coaches won't be able to work these guys out 52 weeks a year. Or, so they say. My guess is that the good coaches will not miss a beat, nor will the viewers who devour the games every Sunday afternoon...and night...and Monday night...and Thursday nights.


OK, now that this is over, who do you think will be the Stillers long-snapper this coming season??????

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