NFL/CBA Understanding the Issues of a 2011 Season.

[cardken]

These are the issues facing the Owners and Players Association in avoiding a non or strike shortened season. Which ones do you agree with?
The owners are justified in their demand for a new CBA. Here is a list under the current CBA that the owners must follow, and the big issues surrounding these negotiations:

-Guaranteed Spending

Every year there is an increase in team salary that every team must pay. In 2006, each team's salary had to be at least 84% of the current salary cap. That number rises 1.2% every year, so teams are forced to spend money on players to stay above the minimum.

-The salary cap rises every year

The salary cap rises based on projected league revenues, so naturally, it rises every year. With the increase in the minimum and a higher salary cap, teams are forced to spend a lot more money than they may want.

-Teams must pay 50% towards contracts

50% of total league revenues must be paid towards player contracts. Why is this even in there? In the end clubs are forced to spend almost 60% of their revenues towards player contracts.

-Rookie salaries

This is a large sticking point, and where common sense has seemingly been thrown out the door. The first pick in the 2008 NFL Draft was Left Tackle Jake Long. He signed a five-year, $57.5 million deal with the Dolphins. Good for him, right? That contract made him the highest paid Left Tackle in the NFL, and he hadn't even played a down yet. This isn't the only instance of a rookie making more money than Pro Bowl players. Rookies taken in the top 10 of the draft are making Pro Bowl type money right out of the gate. I wonder how that makes 5 and 10 year veterans feel? I think this is one of the issues that both sides will agree on and a slotting system will be put into place, or a rookie pay scale, similar to what the NBA is using.

Effect of No Salary Cap

If no agreement is reached and 2010 is an uncapped season, it's not going to be the spending free for all that many people think. Provisions under the current CBA state that in the event of an uncapped season, the number of seasons required to become an unrestricted free agent goes to six. Another provision states that each club will be able to use a Transition Tag on any of their unrestricted free agents, which works a lot like the franchise tag. These two provisions will severely cut down the number of free agents available in 2010. So don't look for the Redskins to sign 27 Pro Bowlers.

The biggest issue will be getting the salary cap back, as the Players Union insists that if it's gone in 2010, they aren't agreeing to bring it back. While I don't think the NFL without a salary cap would be as unbalanced as MLB, there would definitely be some changes. For instance, in 2007 the Redskins grossed over $130 million more than the Minnesota Vikings, so there would be built in advantages for some teams with unlimited spending power.

[bevischief]

Salary cap max and min and rookie cap. Get it done.

[Ming the Merciless]

Obviously Rookie Salaries and 'no salary cap' are the two biggest issues...

But the other one is the '50% of revenue must go to the players'. That seems pretty arbitrary to me;why not just agree on salary structures and cap levels and then let owners make more than enough money to pay the agreed on salaries. If an owner finds a way to make more money....good for him. If a player wants more money, earn it. Simple.

[ShowtimeSBMVP]

Card weekend
Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on January 10, 2011, 5:58 PM EST
At this point, it’s a surprise when the NFL doesn’t report record-breaking television ratings each weekend. Still, the numbers from a terrific Wild Card weekend are eye-opening.

The Jets-Colts game on Saturday night earned the highest ever rating for a primetime Wild Card Saturday game. The Seahawks-Saints matchup had the best numbers of the first Wild Card game since 1991, and the combined ratings were the best on Saturday since 1994.

FOX cleaned up on Sunday with 39.3 million viewers, making the most watched program since the 2010 Oscars. It was the most watched Wild Card game of all time.

Even CBS’ relatively drab and one-sided Ravens-Chiefs game did well. It drew nearly 28.5 million viewers, the best for a Wild Card game on CBS since 2006.

In short, the players and the owners better not screw this up. We really don’t care who is right and who is wrong. Getting a deal done is right and anything else is wrong.

[Chiefaholic]

Common sense that more money needs to be set aside for retired players who have to deal with medical issues. Guys like Willie Roaf played their asses off their entire career and will require permanent medical assistance due to wear and tear on their bodies.

A rookie should NEVER make as much as the top 10 to play the position. I don't give a flying **** if he was #1 overall or Mr. Irrevelant. Set a pay scale and contract length based upon position and draft status. This will end money hoarding agents and rookie holdouts which only stunts their impact the first season. Players drafted will have a vague idea of their salary before negotions even begin. And rediculous rookie contracts only raise the bar on players who actually EARNED a pay raise, thus hurting teams who want to resign their own FA's.

And if you're a Chief fan, you better pray there's a set cap or we'll be the farm team to the top money making franchises.