The Turning of the Key – It's all kicking off
by Dan Ericsson
March 31st 2011
 
Speaking as a business strategist, recent events in the NFL have thrown up some interesting issues – not least last week’s owners’ meeting.
 
The owners’ meeting isn’t directly part of the ongoing lockout crisis, but it obviously comes into it in part – and the unresolved labor situation underpins all the assorted fun and games that go with it.
 
But it’s not just the owners who’ve been organizing a meeting. In an (sarcasm cough) obvious attempt to defuse the tensions between owners and players at the moment, it was announced the NFL Players-no-longer-a-union would be hosting a rival event to the NFL draft, and encouraging draftees to attend. There’s been nothing outright threatening, but vague muttering about “how it won’t endear players that attend the NFL draft to the defensemen like DeMarcus Ware.” I can’t stress enough how much I hate this move by the players. It looks pathetic, places pressure on the young players (and more to the point their agents who worry about tarnishing their players reputation) to bypass a night that should be one of the most special memories of their lives. The draft is an NFL staple and an event for celebration of players as much as the league – and the last thing that should be politicised.
 
So aside from Bill Belichick’s brilliant “Sorry, my alarm didn’t go off” late press conference (worth a look for Bill at his “I couldn’t care less about the media” deadpan best) what else happened at the owners meetings? Well you’ll be pleased to know that fields are going to be staying green, following discussion of allowing them to be other colours. There has also been a rather controversial discussion of changing the rules on kickoff returns, which has now passed.
 
The ball will be moved forward, and kicked off from the 35 yard line, with players not allowed to stand more than 5 yards from the ball – in theory reducing the amount of momentum players can build up to make tackles. Rules on wedge blocking have also been tightened. The rationale for all this is player safety given returners are often the players injured the most and hurt most seriously. To me is also sees pretty much an effective end to any kickoff return game – most NFL level kickers should be able to make the touchback highly consistently now, and ones who had big legs and did it before find that skill is now reduced in value (here rather than field goals at least.)
 
The question is why – I personally feel a kickoff returned for a TD is one of football’s most exciting plays. It would really be the kind of thing you’d have expected the players rather than owners to provide, so I expect at least part of these is a “soft” negotiating technique to demonstrate to the players and the wider public that the owners care. Problem is, I’m not sure the players are listening, because they just see at as a precursor to – well, less injuries…..so how about that 18 game season then?
 
These events got quite a lot of news coverage, but what to me was the biggest thing this last couple of weeks was the most important thing as far as the lockout is concerned. A certain Mr. Adam Schefter tweeted that he had been around at the owners meetings are heard multiple whisperings that different owners thought part or all of the season was going to be missed.
 
Schefter is one of the best reporters out there, and wouldn’t be tweeting that if it wasn’t pretty solid. First impressions may be that it was simply further negotiation – mention that to Schefter, he reports it and it demonstrates a “we’re not budging” signal at the negotiating table. On an individual basis however the owners stand to lose far more individually than the players – meaning this isn’t going to be something they’re saying unless they’re very serious, and the negotiations are SERIOUSLY wide apart rather than just a few issues that will be resolved when people stop posturing…
 
Lockout Situational Update Conclusion: Worsening. Little progress has been made in terms of advancing from anything, and those comments from the owners really do have me thinking that we’re moved from resolution just before the season begins (scenario 2 from my last post) to scenario 3 – missing part of the season. We’re still not past the legal courts yet which will likely form the basis of my next post, and that could see an enforced rather than a negotiated endgame.
 
In the meantime – more cheerfully the draft is upcoming! Be sure to check out all of the coverage at the diner as to how the teams are strategising – regardless of if the players are there or not!