AP: NFL: What's Ahead If No Deal This Week

[Omaha Steve]

http://sports.excite.com/news/07122011/v3013.html

Jul 12, 6:26 PM (ET)

By BARRY WILNER

NEW YORK (AP) - Think back four months to that disappointing day in March when the NFL lockout began. The general opinion was the owners and players would reach a new labor agreement long before training camps opened.

They had plenty of time and about 9 billion reasons to get it done.

Well, some training camps open at the end of next week, and the two sides have not yet gotten it done. Yes, they are closer than ever, with several key issues - particularly how to split more than $9 billion in revenues - just about settled.

But there is serious doubt that a disruption to the preseason can be avoided. While the regular season still appears safe, the situation isn't as simple as shaking hands and going back to business as usual, even assuming owners and players patched everything up when face-to-face talks resume Wednesday - an unlikely scenario.

Yet without a collective bargaining agreement in place soon, many teams will need to delay training camp. The New York Giants and Jets and Baltimore Ravens already have canceled out-of-town camps and will do all their preseason work at their home facilities, at a significant cost to the communities where they normally would have gone.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame inductions will go on as scheduled on Aug. 6. But the game the following day between the St. Louis Rams and Chicago Bears is in jeopardy, which certainly would put a damper on the festivities.

And with owners and players haggling over the rookie wage scale, guidelines for free agency and how benefits for retired players will be funded, the next few days are critical. Should the differences remain strong and prevent a timely deal, the first full weekend of preseason games could be canceled - at a cost upward of $60 million.

FULL story at link.

[Drale]

1. I would be very surprised if there was not a deal before the end of the week

its the NBA that there is not going to be a deal for a very very very long time. I could care less about the NBA but I think I'd probably miss the NFL.

[just55650]

3. i agree

[tridim]

2. Bring in Obama. He'll get it done.