Your NFL Lockout Update: Really, they are going to finish (Rich vs. Rich)--Day 9,107

NFL Owners Mtg in Atlanta

((ht: nfl.com))

It should be over. As we said on Monday, it isn't an "if" just a "when". And that when should be today (Thursday). Though it isn't a guarantee.

Said NFLPA (not a union) president Kevin Mawae on Wednesday, "We want to go back to work, but we will not agree to a deal unless it's the best deal for the players." He also said they weren't tied to having the deal done by Thursday.


The Thursday timeline is a somewhat media created time we believe because there is an owners meeting in Atlanta that fit the timeline. It also is pretty much a "Drop Dead" time for things to get started without a significant delay in exhibition games and/or training camps.


NFL Executive VP Jeff Pash says the league is prepared to do their part and the plan is for both sides to hold their votes on Thursday. 


We also know that several friends of the OSG have been put on notice to be prepared for work. We have several friends who do a variety of jobs associated with both covering and working for NFL teams.


You can also read a "Where things are" story from NFL.com RIGHT HERE


So there you have it. Yes, we know we said Monday this would be done on Thursday, and we stick by that.

Pretty much every Sports Journalist with a travel budget is in Atlanta right now because that will be where the "Let's Play" announcement will finally, ultimately come from. So stay tuned, keep an ear on the ground and keep reaching for the stars. ((sorry, went Kasey Kasem for a second))

Really that's all we've got. The NFL Hall of Fame game will kick off the exhibition season on August 7th, we still think that game will be played. And then your NFL season will be upon you and there will be much rejoicing by the masses.

Interpret this as you will:

Your NFL Strike Update: Nothing from nothing means nothing (Rich vs. Rich-Day 13)

DeMaurice Smith of NFLPA (not a union)

Well...there really isn't too much to report here. On the good side, nobody from either side said anything stupid. Which is a change from previous days.

Both sides have spent the better part of the past couple of weeks. No, actually the past couple of years saying stupid things to each other and just being entirely unproductive.

According to many, the players primary complaint really is more the "Lack of respect" shown to them by the owners. And while on one hand we understand that, on the other, it's completely and utterly childish.

Read a good story on respect from Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com RIGHT HERE

For their part, the players are sticking to their revenue complaints. They maintain the league is inflating the figures that the players receive from extra revenues.

You can read the story the refer to RIGHT HERE

Okay. We don't dispute the math here, but the whole thing misses on fundamental issue that neither side is willing to address. This is an ASTRONOMICAL amount of money. Why or how can you not work this part out?

We cringe at comments such as the one by NFLPA President (not a union, a trade association) Kevin Mawae. Mawae is concerned that young players don't have insurance and have to get COBRA insurance and that they may not have the ability to pay it long term.

Ok Kevin, we get that COBRA is not cheap. But the league minimum salary is somewhere close to $400,000 a year. We are pretty sure if the money is budgeted well, it can be afforded.

Do we think the owners should do more for players in terms of medical? Absolutely. Players and former players are injured and have health problems that don't go away. Why can't you take some of the $Billions we are talking about and put it in a HSA?

As for the Owners/Greedy bastards. They seem to be coming across as just looking for more bucks. They already, routinely hold city's hostage for new stadiums paid for on the backs of taxpayers in those cities. At last check, there are a ton of cities and states going broke these days.

We suspect that is the crux of most of their issues. None of them want to dish out of their own pockets...to build a stadium themselves. Which it appears is what the owners believe can drive revenues.

Anyway, we've rambled on and on about this, we could talk for hours. We still maintain this is all about greed...on both sides of the issue. We suspect nothing is going to happen before the "Class-action" case goes in front of a Minneapolis Federal Judge on April 6th. Legitimately, there isn't a reason this can't be resolved before the season starts. It's more a battle of egos than issues, but we suspect it is going to drag on for awhile. So we better do our homework, because it's going to be tough to come up with material every day.

In the meantime, here is your title music, which really...kind of sums everything up: