Twitter burns as Owners ratify

I feel bad for the players, who obviously couldn't have voted on a document they haven't read. But the NFLPA pays its lawyers to do the same thing the NFL pays its lawyers for. Only, as far as I can tell, both sides lawyers hammered out these solutions in record time, while the NFLPAs group has consistently kept the people they work for in the dark.

These allegations of the Owners making a power play on the Players are unfortunate, but are only possible because the players couldn't wrap up their end of the bargain on Wednesday. And I don't think it was for lack of desire. I think the NFLPA did a piss poor job getting the 32 player reps adequately prepared to vote on a deal.

I fully expect the players to be the "bigger man" and do what it takes to bring us football, but that wouldn't have had to happen if their leadership had just done their jobs starting last Saturday and expedited the process of a deal. But there were just too many other motives out there for the NFLPA non-players.
What other motives are you talking about G?

Also keep in mind that the Raiders abstaining is in no way different than the players abstaining on Thursday night, except in the obvious: that the Raiders have no legal ability to hold up a deal. There would seem to be comparable dissent on the owners side to that of the players side.

But because 1) the NFL lawyers actually did their jobs, and 2) the NFL has proven far better at controlling negative PR leaks, the players side looks like more of an obstacle than the owners proved to be. I really don't think that is actually the case.

What other motives are you talking about G?Recertification delay is a red herring | ProFootballTalk (http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/07/21/recertification-delay-is-a-red-herring/)

Reluctance to reconstitute union is another red herring | ProFootballTalk (http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2011/07/21/reluctance-to-reconstitute-union-is-another-red-herring/)

Reports: Mankins, Jackson settlement an issue - Extra Points - Boston.com (http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/extra_points/2011/07/reports_mankins.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter)

Thanx!

The NFL PR machine is almost as good as the GOP/DEM PR machine. They agree to a deal THEY come up with, and act as if was something the players also agreed on and that they are the ones holding this up. The worst part is, people believe it...lol I guess that's why people keep voting in the same cats that continue to feed them bullshit at election time as well. /facepalm



What the **** is up with Al Davis? Hasn't this douchebag voted against each CBA agreement that has come up? Abstaining? Why can't the NFL just revoke the guys franchise from him much like MLB has done with the McCourts?

What other motives are you talking about G?

One man. JEFF KESSLER. He's either an evil genius that the NFLPA will keep around forever or an ego-maniacal obstructionist hell bent on cultivating an image as the next Marvin Miller. So hell-bent he'd kill football in the name of self-aggrandizement. My guess is when all is said and done he and De Smith have a little internal battle with the loser leaving town. Unless of course they've just been playing good cop bad cop.

This was the most encouraging thing I saw last night:

Jeremy Jarmon gets it | Rich Tandler's Real Redskins (http://realredskins.com/2011/07/jeremy-jarmon-gets-it/)

If you don't follow Jarmon on Twitter, you're missing out. The guy is really smart. May not help him make the roster in the end, but the NFLPA needs more leadership like him.

Nice to see there are some level heads out there.

Good breakdown by Andrew Brandt

We have a (proposed) deal | National Football Post (http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/We-have-a-proposed-deal.html)

Good read.

This is just one of the final steps of the process. Nobody said it was going to be smooth or easy. I think once the players have some time to step back from the ledge today and start digesting the deal, cooler heads will prevail.

This was the most encouraging thing I saw last night:

Jeremy Jarmon gets it | Rich Tandler's Real Redskins (http://realredskins.com/2011/07/jeremy-jarmon-gets-it/)

If you don't follow Jarmon on Twitter, you're missing out. The guy is really smart. May not help him make the roster in the end, but the NFLPA needs more leadership like him.

Yes he does seem to get it. I think the player reps were expecting to be able to show up and take a copy of the final product home and have several days to go over it with a fine tooth comb and then get back together to have their questions answered. I think they got offended when after the owners got together that the owners wanted yet another concession from the players, but do they realize that's he negotiation process? That's why the two negotiators had phone contact so if either party didn't like something or wanted something added they could immediately call each other and pass it along to be given to either the owners or player reps.


I think what ticks me off more is the players acting stupid like they didn't know or have a clue that they would have to become a Union again prior to signing the new CBA. The players should have had a plan, a plan on how to reach all 1900 plus players in a hurry to get their approval to re unionize and it sounds like they didn't or they were hoping to push the owners into a corner by making them lift the lockout first then the players could show up at the facilities to vote which does sound easy but is also BS because it puts the owners in a spot if the players decide they do not want to re unionize and the doors were opened back up.

And then there is the whole idea that they can't vote be aide they need time to look everything over. Did they not participate in the meetings? Not everyone but neither did the owners and they went over he material and voted.

If any average Joe can follow this on the internet, I am sure the majority of players should have been able to. That being said, I think both sides did quite a lot towards the end to keep this going (the owners throwing the right for first refusal and from the players side the whole settlement situation with the Brady case). I think at this point the players rep need to show leadership and just get everyone to vote on this and move on.