Labor Turmoil? -Owners Opt Out

by: Michael Steffes

ESPN is reporting that the owners have unanimously voted to opt out of the current labor agreement. The CBA will now expire in 2011, with 2010 being an uncapped year, unless a new agreement is struck.

This was expected, although there was talk that Commissioner Rodger Goodell was trying to convince the owners otherwise. Really, we won't see the effects of this until next offseason, when contract negotiations will get very interesting.

But fear not football fans, there will be football for the next three seasons for sure. That seems like a lot of time to get something worked out, but the chatter from both sides suggest it is going to be an ugly fight. END Read More!

Coin Toss Rule Changed

by: Michael Steffes

Now here is the first measure from the Owners meeting that I am really glad passed. The coin toss will now be treated as a coin toss is in college football. Head Coaches have been given the option to defer. Previously, by winning the coin toss, the coach almost had to choose to receive. Because either way the other team was given the choice to begin the second half. Now, with the option to defer added, the coach can opt to make the decision in the second half. TO CONTINUE...

Why does this matter, you may be asking? Well, I have long been a supporter of the Seahawks LOSING the coin toss when at home. I thought it was much better for the team. Putting the opposing teams offense on the field to start a game at Qwest is just cruel and unusual punishment. In theory, that is when the crowd is the rowdiest.

Conversely to that, however, is the beginning of the 2nd half, where often, fans are still making their way back to their seats from the bathrooms and beer runs. It is an advantage for the visitor to get the ball then, it is a respite from the crowd.

Will Holmgren ever choose to defer?? I doubt it. He seems like an old school, I want the ball, just in case I get an extra possession out of it, guy. But Mora might? Either way, now this strategy, which I think is an effective one, is actually available for the Hawks to use.

Also, as an FYI, other rule changes at the owners meetings...

• The 5 yard face mask has been eliminated, it will be 15 yards or nothing
• The force out rule has been removed. A receiver will have to have two feet down regardless
• Field goals are now subject to review
  
• A direct snap that goes untouched is no longer a false start, it is now a fumble

Overall, I think the committees did a nice job tweaking things to make the game a little more fan friendly. They seem to be limiting some discretionary calls from the officials. No Seahawk fan can argue that.

All of this info is being reported here, by The Professor, John Clayton.
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Reseeding to Get a Closer Look

by: Michael Steffes

Well, it looks like this playoff reseeding issues is going to be a little harder to get rid of than initially expected. While many of the executives were expecting this measure to fail this morning, instead, the issue has been tabled until the next meetings, which I believe take place in August.

While many of the executives from different teams are not supporting this measure, including Tim Ruskell, it does have a big supporter in Roger Goodell. What Goodell is concerned about is what happened with Tampa & Indy last year. Tampa- making many of its starting players inactive for several weeks after clinching, and Indy playing back ups against Tennessee during the final Sunday night game, when Tennessee and Cleveland's playoff lives were at stake. To see my opinion on this....

Don't get me wrong. I am all in favor of teams not devaluing the product late in the season, but it is just the nature of the beast. It is a rough and violent game. If you earn the ability to rest before the playoffs, it is the teams duty to rest players. Things will work themselves out. Maybe after the Giants, teams will be less likely to do this.

As a fan, it doesn't bother me. I am willing to sacrifice the final two games to make sure that I see the teams best performance in the playoffs. Whether this is because the team goes every year, or hasn't been in a decade, it shouldn't matter. If the fans who are taking their families to one game a year want to avoid this, they should get tickets earlier in the year. It is all about planning. I feel for them if they pay a lot of money to watch a back up quarterback, but the team forces me to buy preseason games every year, which I rarely make, which showcase backups too. It is part of the game. Pick a first half divisional game.

Resting players is just part of the game. I mean, it is not like this issue is what is holding the league back from being a success, the moment the playoffs start, people forget. The league even advertises, that it is a whole new season. Hopefully in the end, this will be defeated, and the league can look to remedy this another way.
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Defense Gets Audio

by: Michael Steffes

According to Mark Curnutte of the Cincinnatti Enquirer, the NFL Owners had enough votes to pass the measure for putting radios in defenders helemts.

Obviously this stems from the video taping of defensive signals done in New England, but it is actually a long time coming. This proposal has been on the table for several years, with Mike Holmgren always voting against it. However, there are so many rules in place to help the offense, I can't see this changing things that much, expcept now Lofa will hear something else in his ear rather than that quiet voice in the back of his head commanding him to kill all ball carriers.

UPDATE-- According to this article, the Seahawks actually voted against this measure, which was consistent to what they have done in the past. Read More!

No Holmgren In Florida

by: Michael Steffes

According to this post in Mike Reiss' Blog for the Boston Globe, Mike Holmgren is the only head coach not expected to attend the Owners meetings. I thought I would pass this along because it is going to be a slow day with everybody gearing up for these meetings.

If you want to see more on the Owners Meetings.....

As you may know, Mike Holmgren used to extremely active in meetings like this, playing an important role in the competition committee. However, over his time as the head man for the Hawks, he seem to become increasingly frustrated with how the league handled things. Members of the Seahawks front office will certainly be down there. Last year they had represntitives serving on seven separate committees.

If you are wondering what to expect, well tomorrow, the National TV line up should be released, including opening weekend, Thanksgiving, and the Sun/Mon night schedules. The full schedule was originally scheduled for Thursday, although last year that was delayed. Also, issues to be discussed include....

• players hair lengths
  
• radio communication with defensive players
• changing the playoff seeding to eliminate a guaranteed home game for division winners (Thanks Tampa/Indy)
• eliminating the force out
• eliminating the 5 yrd face mask
• and of course spying
  

However, at least this is a chance to gather all together and share info. If I recall, in previous years, Mike Sando was good at getting opinions from former coaches on the Seahawks acquisitions, as well as getting some good stuff from the usually reserved front office members, so who knows what we will find out. Either way, it is a good way to kill a week as many of us desperately wait for draft weekend to arrive. 27 days and counting...... Read More!