Players Want An Abbreviated Offseason If Schedule Is Expanded

Added on Nov 17, 2010 by Scott in

NFL

With NFL team owners pushing hard to institute an 18-game schedule perhaps as early as 2011, it seems all but inevitable that it will happen at some point. However, the Players Union is taking a not-so-fast approach on the issue until certain assurances are guaranteed. One of which involves drastic alterations to the offseason schedule. As part of their most recent counter proposal to owners, the union is lobbying for OTAs (Organized Team Activities) to begin in mid-June as opposed to mid-March.

If this were to be enacted, the post draft minicamps in April and May would be mandatory for rookies and first-year players only. Veterans wouldn’t be required to report until June 15th. This would lessen the physical demands on older players who will be enduring additional wear and tear, as well as an increased risk of injury, if the schedule is expanded by two games.

Coaches might not be thrilled by this idea if vets show up out of shape in June, but some sort of compromise will have to be reached for the players to be satisfied with 18 games instead of 16. Other hurdles, like increasing the 53-man roster and enforcing a rookie salary cap, need to be addressed too.

All of these unresolved matters and several others are what’s holding up a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. Depending on which side you ask on what day, there is still a better than average chance for a lockout in 2011. Nobody, especially fans, wants to see that, so let’s hope a solution can be negotiated before things turn ugly. For now, we should savor the remainder of the 2010 season just in case.

Source: NFL.com