2011 Detroit Lions

[smogboy]

Well there you have it, we beat the Super Bowl champs. Can't wait for next season.

Next season, eh? Let’s see how the league fares come March 3rd when the lock out could conceivably start. Roger Goodell needs to do everything in his power as commissioner to make sure that the NFL continues- not just for the fans’ sake but for the owners as well. It’s a huge money making juggernaut that really shouldn’t stop moving forward at all.

There are fewer than four weeks to hammer out such hotly contested issues such as:

-A proposed 18 game season, to which I would not want to see. As much as I love watching the game, it’s a long enough season already and people are just getting hurt way too much. I’d much rather see more quality than quantity.

-A rookie wage scale, which makes sense considering how much some of these completely unproven players are making. Some of these busts are still crippling teams in this day and age of the salary cap [[think Jamarcus Russell of the Raiders… ouch!). This is an issue that I think needs to be resolved quickly for all professional sports. If money is saved here somehow for the owners, I’m sure the NFLPA will want to see it distributed elsewhere for their rank & file.

-Health and safety issues which will always be a work in progress. Concussions have been on the rise and something needs to be done there from the players, the equipment manufacturers, and the League. Again, another reason NOT to have an 18 game season. Esquire magazine [[of all places) ran a great and scary article about the injuries:

http://www.esquire.com/the-side/feat...l-lockout-2011

-Players retirement funding which is huge considering the career lifespan of a lot of these players is minuscule. Sure the elite players get guaranteed contracts, huge upfront bonuses, incentive clauses and all sorts of perks but what about the fifth round draft pick or journeyman player that goes from team to team? It’s always sad to see once great players destitute because once they left the game, they no longer had an income. The NFL makes more than enough to cover its own and some of it should go to taking care of these folks who were once in their ranks.

-Possibly the most contentious of the negotiations will revolve around the profit sharing. There’s an $8 billion dollar pie to be divvied up. The owners want to skim a hefty $2-2.5 billion right off the top before it gets distributed to the players. That’s a full $1 billion up from where they’re at now. It’s the same routine where owners cry about how much it costs to build new stadiums, but last time I checked- none of us really head down to Ford Field to see the architecture on Sundays. And once it’s built, it’s a cash cow for the owners. With the revenue stream that the NFL gets from television and other marketing, I just see the owners getting greedy over this part. I don’t blame them for wanting to re-negotiate it but please don’t dig their heels in so deep that it can’t be resolved and we end up losing an entire season to it.

Super Bowl’s done with now. It might be awhile before we see another football game. I know as Lions fans, our team finished on an impressive four game winning streak. We’re hopeful, guardedly optimistic, and want to see where this team can go. But if the higher-ups in the NFL can’t get together and hash things out, come Fall- we could all be raking more leaves, cleaning out more gutters, attending more family functions, and pretty much be a much more productive human being- instead of enjoying those few hours on a Sunday watching our beloved football games.

[Downriviera]

If the NFL is locked out this fall, it could be a huge opportunity for the NHL to get some exposure. Bettman should schedule back to back Sunday afternoon nationally televised games. I'm sure a lot of people would rather have a few ginger ales and watch a little hockey than clean gutters and rake leaves. lol

[smogboy]

If the NFL is locked out this fall, it could be a huge opportunity for the NHL to get some exposure. Bettman should schedule back to back Sunday afternoon nationally televised games. I'm sure a lot of people would rather have a few ginger ales and watch a little hockey than clean gutters and rake leaves. lol

It would be a shrewd move on Bettman's part but as far as commissioners go, I think Roger Goodell is just a tad brighter than Gary Bettman. I'd be willing to bet he's going to do everything he can to keep the NFL going forward- whereas Bettman just doesn't exactly strike me as a commissioner who's in touch with the NHL and their fan base. I look at the growth of the leagues and the NFL is by far the top banana when it comes to maximizing its exposure and growing its fan base. Sadly the NHL has branched into geographic areas where it's barely received which much enthusiasm and might fall below NASCAR for a fan base.

Besides I'd like to think I'm doing my part to keep capitalism going by hiring the local kids to rake the leaves on Sunday.

[Thruster315]

-A proposed 18 game season, to which I would not want to see. As much as I love watching the game, it’s a long enough season already and people are just getting hurt way too much. I’d much rather see more quality than quantity.

I think it's a crock having to watch four pre-season games already. Having an 18 game season just makes for lousy play by third and fourth stringers filling in for the battered first stringers we bought season tickets to see. This extended 18 game crap is just a money grab by the owners and I seriously hope the NFLPA shoot this stupid idea down in flames. Hell, I'd even consider shortening up the pre-season a game or two. Three games to get the teams up to speed is plenty considering how much these guys do in training already. SAY NO TO 18 GAMES!

[smogboy]

C'mon people. Get it together. You're supposed to be grown men & women who are able to discuss and hammer things out here. This didn't sound like good news to us fans:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=6107737

And I'm not so sure about this quote the NFLPA got from a Ford Field employee who they brought in to nudge the negotiations along:

""Football and other major sporting events are some of the only things that bring people to downtown Detroit after 5 p.m.," said John Marler, who has worked at the stadium since 2007."

That's probably because I'm a loyal Detroiter who does hang around downtown Detroit after 5 p.m. for all sorts of other things beyond sports. Don't get me wrong either- I love being downtown for the sports but it I think it also paints a pretty narrow view of what downtown Detroit has to offer too.