NFL Fans Being Used as a Pawn in Players Union Scheme

Okay fans, the NFL Players Union wants to let us know that we haven't done enough. Fans coming to games -- some local and some from halfway across the earth -- simply isn't showing enough support. Dropping anywhere from hundreds, to thousands of dollars, to even hundreds-of-thousands of dollars in some cases (albeit rare), simply is not enough! I for one agree with them. We haven't done enough. We need to do more. And it may require something as drastic as turning our backs on the monster we have helped to create.

The Mess Continues - NFL Labor Talks Cancelled Today

Many of you have probably already seen this news, but it would be remiss of PCR not to chime in on the current NFL labor update.

Ken Belson's article from the New York Times is one of many sources reporting that the scheduled labor-negotiation meeting today was cancelled.

2011 NFL Combine; NFL Draft Breaking News

NFLPA E.D. DeMaurice Smith

Union officials and player agents are meeting to discuss the withholding of players from NFL Combine and NFL Draft activities. NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith has been and will continue meeting with agents to discuss boycott options. 


In the end, while both sides claim to have the fans' interests at heart, both continue serving themselves. 

Life Without The NFL Is No Life At All

Monte Pool of the Oakland Tribune, in an eloquent syndicated article this morning, again made the point that so many have made and so few of those in power seem to understand.

Fans, quite frankly, don't care about [NFL Commissioner Roger] Goodell and [NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice] Smith.

Fans care about having an NFL team nearby or seeing one from their living rooms. They care about tailgating or sitting before bigscreen TVs. They care about the price of season tickets, the price of NFL Sunday Ticket, the price of NFL Network.

They care less about the chiefs in the labor beef than they do about the price of the jersey they'll torch in a moment of outrage.

Michael Vick Will Remain A Philadelphia Eagle in 2011 / Pro Bowl Kicker David Akers May Not

Eagles QB Michael Vick

It has been reported on NFL.com that Pro Bowl quarterback Michael Vick will be the Philadelphia Eagles' franchise tagee in 2011.

We're unsure how this will work considering the ongoing CBA negotiations. If there is no franchise tag in the new deal, then Philadelphia may not be able to use it now on Vick.

In other Philadelphia news, it turns out Quintin Mikell, an Eagles safety, was right.

CBA Dispute: The NFL Owners Hold The Upper Hand

NFLPA President Kevin Mawae

The New York Daily News today ran a column discussing how the owners in the NFL hold all the chips, as it were, in the ongoing CBA debacle that could result in no football next season. 


The article, by Gary Myers, makes this simple point that few have discussed: The players cannot band together. He points to examples of Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie attacking NFLPA leadership via Twitter, the mass crucifixion of Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, and more to show that the fraternity of players simply can't hold together in their battle against the owners. 

A Logical Solution to NFL Games Played Overseas

Which teams are scheduled to travel 14 hours overseas to play an important regular season game on foreign soil? There are fans who favor the international games, and of course there are fans who really feel that the NFL has no business sending its product overseas for a regular season battle. Where do you stand?

Until recently, I hadn't an issue with the NFL scheduling two teams to play an international game. However to me, there is a more logical choice that should be strongly considered when league officials decide which teams head overseas to entertain fans.