rumored NFL lockout in 2011

The question to DeMaurice Smith was simple, coming from Cincinnati receiver Chad Ochocinco(notes), asking how serious he viewed the possibility of football not being played in 2011.

Smith did not hesitate.

“On a scale of 1 to 10,” Smith said Thursday, “it’s a 14.”

source

Originally posted by Overkill:

Originally posted by horsecore:
De Smith: "Virtually impossible" to go back to capped system
Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on February 4, 2010 5:01 PM ET

The NFL is expected to play 2010 without a salary cap in place. NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith said that once that genie is out of the bottle, it will be "virtually impossible" to go back to a capped environment.

If Florio was here, he would write "Wow."

It's the first time Smith has used words that strong about the salary cap. Whether it's rhetoric or not, the battle lines here are being drawn. According to Smith, the salary cap system as we know it may be done for good one month from now.

Link

It's going to be interesting to see how this whole situation unfolds. If the NFL goes into a lockout, will it be able to regain it's popularity?

A lockout will hurt them, but I think they'll recover fairly quickly.

To me, the most important thing is that they do not sign some agreement that screws up the league just to avoid the temporary black eye a lockout would give them. Eliminating the cap or raising it to the point that the smaller market teams have no hope of keeping/signing good players will kill this sport imo.

I believe that's exactly what happened to baseball. MLB is set up so that smaller market teams like the Kansas City Royals have no hope of ever competing with high revenue teams like the Yankees or Redsox. The moment teams like the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys can simply outspend everyone else to build better teams is the moment this sport dies imo.

Yes. And this is a great concern. I would rather have a strike/lockout which results in a stable sport where every team can achieve success. If this means losing a season and some of the fair weather fans, so be it. But I do not want to see a New York Yankees of football.

mutha f**kas

Having the Cap is one of the best things about this sport. Makes it fir for everyone. Damn if football goes like Baseball i will be pissed.

Originally posted by Kalen49ers:
Having the Cap is one of the best things about this sport. Makes it fir for everyone. Damn if football goes like Baseball i will be pissed.

Football is different in baseball, cowboys and redskins out spend every one and have 0 super bowl wins, 2 playoff wins between the both of them over the last 10 years. They have luxury tax or something to offset overspending. Jones and Synder are not in the best financial footing right now. (makes no sense I know cause they are still rich) Plus they do not know how to run teams.

Also , no lockout, both sides get a deal done.

Originally posted by 49ers1:
The question to DeMaurice Smith was simple, coming from Cincinnati receiver Chad Ochocinco(notes), asking how serious he viewed the possibility of football not being played in 2011.

Smith did not hesitate.

“On a scale of 1 to 10,” Smith said Thursday, “it’s a 14.”

source

He shoulda said on a scale of 1 to 10 its a 85

The salary cap isn't coming back. the owners don't want to share revenue amongst each other anymore. The NFL players had to sue them to stop that from happening. They also want the players to take 18% pay cut after the owners get there 5 billion off the top of tv contracts. This is gonna be a major battle. Even with the salary cap right know the same teams are good and the same teams have stunk and it's b/c of who is making the decisions not who is spending the most money that matters. you get a surprise team every know and then but for the most part the same teams are always contending.

Originally posted by Jamespowers:

Originally posted by Kalen49ers:
Having the Cap is one of the best things about this sport. Makes it fir for everyone. Damn if football goes like Baseball i will be pissed.

Football is different in baseball, cowboys and redskins out spend every one and have 0 super bowl wins, 2 playoff wins between the both of them over the last 10 years. They have luxury tax or something to offset overspending. Jones and Synder are not in the best financial footing right now. (makes no sense I know cause they are still rich) Plus they do not know how to run teams.

Also , no lockout, both sides get a deal done.

Football is different now because there has always been a cap and/or restrictions on FA. Teams like Buffalo, San Diego, Green Bay, Kansas City, St. Louis, Denver, Jacksonville, and Carolina have all fielded competitive teams in the past despite not playing in the largest markets precisely because the larger market teams could not out simply outspend them. Those teams won't be able to compete if we enter an era with liberal FA rules and no cap (which would be unprecedented in football). Teams like that will essentially become farm teams for the rest of the NFL.

Jones has a few SB rings and one of the better teams in the NFC despite the cap and revenue sharing agreements. Snyder now has Shanny, proving good management can be bought, too. The Yankees are so good because of the talent they buy every year, not because Steinbrenner is a master decision maker. And that is killing baseball despite the luxury tax.

There is no reason to believe football would be different. Just look at all the hand-wringing that has taken place among SF fans since about 2004. Now imagine not being able to sign guys like J. Smith or N. Clements. And watching Willis, Davis, Gore, or Crabtree leave the way JP did. The fan base would revolt on the Yorks and that stadium in LA would look better all the time.

Originally posted by lamontb:
The salary cap isn't coming back. the owners don't want to share revenue amongst each other anymore. The NFL players had to sue them to stop that from happening. They also want the players to take 18% pay cut after the owners get there 5 billion off the top of tv contracts. This is gonna be a major battle. Even with the salary cap right know the same teams are good and the same teams have stunk and it's b/c of who is making the decisions not who is spending the most money that matters. you get a surprise team every know and then but for the most part the same teams are always contending.

Not really. Look at the NFC West the last 10 years. Start of the decade the Rams and 49ers were the best. Then the Seahawks took over and now the last 2 years the Cards have won the division.

NFC South, heck that division is nuts, Each team is up and down there every year.

NFC North, Lions have been horrible but besides that, the Bears made the SuperBowl a few years back, and now Green Bay and Minnesota close in that division.

NFC East, This division is usually close and always changing hands. Usually the Redskins are the odd team out but they made the playoffs like 2 or 3 years back.

Every division is up and down and teams are up and down. Pretty much shows it's the best system. If the Lions had actually hit on a few of their recent draft picks they'd be good too.

i can't imagine not having football for a year

Originally posted by sincalfaithful:
i can't imagine not having football for a year

I do not believe it will happen, also doubt we will have replacement players either. Way too much money to be lose on both sides. NFL does better than MLB, NBA and NHL combined I would think. They agree to deal next offseason. Owners and Players reach a compromise.

I hope this doesn't happen... Oh well at least the UFL will be around I guess...

If it does and its a big if, there will be replacement players. Owners can still make money off replacement players, no doubt.

I guess Tim Rattay, Ken Dorsey and Cody Pickett will be able to return to the league then.

Originally posted by Jamespowers:
If it does and its a big if, there will be replacement players. Owners can still make money off replacement players, no doubt.

I guess Tim Rattay, Ken Dorsey and Cody Pickett will be able to return to the league then.

Get ready for the Rattay vs. Dorsey thread .

I am not a 100% sure of this.....but I did HEAR on the radio that Replacement players are a thing of the past.....labor laws in place now...will not allow that option....