De Smith Asks Goodell To Run Away to Florida With Him

NFLPA boss DeMaurice Smith to players: No agreement in near future - NFL News | FOX Sports on MSN (http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/nfl-collective-bargaining-agreement-demaurice-smith-agreement-not-close-062911)

I think there are few sources better than Jay Glazer, but I don't know how accurate this is. I think you're going to get a lot of we're close, we're not close over the next few days. There will be a lot of lying, for lack of a better term.

Jay Glazer is too busy doing his MMA workouts. LOL.

For what it's worth, Glazer does believe a deal will be done and no games missed. He's just reporting the latest he's heard.

For what it's worth, Glazer does believe a deal will be done and no games missed. He's just reporting the latest he's heard.

I think it'd be ridiculous to make so much progress for nothing. Hopefully something will happen after the 4th of July.

Smith said this publicly like a week ago. Is it breaking news that he privately told players what he told everyone?

This meeting tonight could go all night

This meeting tonight could go all night

The negotiations didn't break for the night? This appears to be good news.

My guess is that there is significant progress toward a deal and that much of it has happened in the last week. Notice I said that was a GUESS; I do NOT have a wire into the negotiating room.

However, you should notice that when you hear from anyone on either side of the table these days, it is not a spokesperson. You are hearing ONLY from the principles and the people who "in the room". The PR guys on both sides have been muzzled; the loose-lipped "inside sources" have all gone silent - - probably because they have been told to shut-up or because they have been excluded from the sessions where the real work is getting done.

Here is my GUESS at a timeline:

12-15 July: There is a handshake agreement on the structure of the new CBA and part of that agreement is that the owners will lift the lockout and the players will withdraw their lawsuits.

48 hours after that handshake agreement, free agency will start.

Training camps will open between 22 and 24 July.

The season will start on time.

The lawyers will massage the outline agreement that both sides shook hands on and produce a final agreement that will be ratified by both sides sometime in Sept/Oct.

[BTW, if the lawyers for either side screw up the final text of the agreement with some kind of off-the-wall failure to dot the eyes and cross the tees, fans should declare open season on all of those lawyers and drive them out of the country to reside on Pitcairn Island.]

The negotiations didn't break for the night? This appears to be good news.

Nope, still going.

So I've got one report saying they're still talking, and another saying they're wrapping up for the night and will meet again tomorrow morning. Not sure which is correct

And in news that may only be interesting to me-while the NFL owners and players meet in Minnesota to end the lockout, the state of Minnesota itself can't come to an agreement and its government is about to shut down

http://www.startribune.com/politics/statelocal/124824189.html

So I've got one report saying they're still talking, and another saying they're wrapping up for the night and will meet again tomorrow morning. Not sure which is correct

And in news that may only be interesting to me-while the NFL owners and players meet in Minnesota to end the lockout, the state of Minnesota itself can't come to an agreement and its government is about to shut down

Broken deals, bitter words and a state shuts down | StarTribune.com (http://www.startribune.com/politics/statelocal/124824189.html)

No 4th of July party at a state park. :(