God I hope they can hammer something out.

 

Right? A lock-out with the economy the way it is, would be devastating.

 

This doesn't appear to really say anything unfortunately. The press release simply states that the players would agree to not having to take a pay cut. I don't suppose that was something that was hard for the players to come to an agreement on.

The press release actually appears to provide some insight into the "bickering" though. If you go to the NFLLabor.com/FAQ page referred to in the press release (http://nfllabor.com/category/faqs), you get to read the question that was posed to the NFL and the league's response. This puts everything in context.

Here's the quote:

So, basically the league is responding to Smith's contention that the league's proposal would reduce player's salaries. The league counters by stating that this would not in fact be true. Of which, the players definitely like.

 

I'll gladly pay you tomorrow for a hamburger today.

 

If they sign right away does it effect this years cap?
And if it does, does Ronnie Brown become a free agent?

 

Thursday night at midnight or Friday morning however you want to look at it is the deadline from what I have heard

 

Once the NFL hired an attorney thats probably one of the most notorious union-busters in the world, I knew a lockout was inevitable.

 

Yeah, basically the players are just saying that they would agree to not having a reduction in salary. Whether or not that's actually a byproduct of the league's proposal is obviously being debated by the NFLPA and the NFL (per the FAQ link, NFLPA is stating there will be, the NFL is stating there won't be). And as far as the rest or actually any specific part of the proposal, there's nothing stated on any agreement between the parties.

 

Posturing, grandstanding, positioning, PR. It's jumping on the NFL's rhetoric as if it were a proposal. A CBA takes much, much more to complete.

ASUFinFan, Gish: Dudes, that is one VERY disturbing sig, on so many levels. Talk about not a pretty picture.

 

There are always two ways of looking at this. The owners know, by going into an uncapped year, they win. Coming out of an uncapped year they win.

Of course the players will sign that because they know now that the hype of an uncapped year is about to bite them on the rear. Too little too late. Players were poorly educated, the union was poorly ran, and as a result us the fans will suffer through a lockout.

The owners now control the deal!!

From the owner's side now they get to set the price ceiling where they want, when a cap is re installed and when REAL PRO FOOTBALL resumes in 2013.

Players will take massive pay cuts, rookies will play for minimum salaries under rookie contracts and they will like it cause face it, thats all they are trained too do....

Owners are smart and they did not get where they are being uninformed. All the NFLPA has ever seen was dollar signs no matter what dangers truly existed to the game or the fans....

Now we as fans get to sit back and root even harder for our fins to win this year as we will be watchig nfl replays for the next season or 2.

My advice is buy stock in EA sports

 

This whole process will take a LONG time and will probably hurt the fans more than anyone because it is likely IMHO, we have a lockout before they finally come to some agreement on a new CBA. Anything less is just posturing.