We've been hearing since last week that the lockout could be over in 24-48 hours and our odometer seems to be stuck on that right now. Players were supposed to have a formal vote on the proposed new CBA Wednesday, but only had an informal one that didn't exactly count. And some feel that the ten plaintiffs in the Brady vs. NFL antitrust case are being hung out to dry, as if the rest of the other hundreds of NFL players were prepared to cross some sort of line in the sand wtihout those ten guys. It's interesting, but the bottom line is we still do not have a deal, and reports are mixed on when we will. Here is the latest on that, along with a few scraps of Giants-related news:
Will Owners Vote to End Lockout? Will Players? - ABC News
The players passed on any vote Wednesday, even though representatives of each of the 32 teams and the NFL Players Association's executive committee were in Washington for that purpose. A person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press there was agreement among those players on what items needed to be resolved before any overall offer would be accepted. A second person, also speaking on condition of anonymity because the talks are supposed to be secret, said those players gave what was termed "conditional approval" of the proposal — as it stood Wednesday.
NFL teams, players get ready to kick off flurry of activity - USATODAY.com
As team owners who form the NFL's labor committee were huddled in a conference Wednesday, a fire alarm blared at the airport hotel that is suddenly pro football's nerve center. It was a false alarm, but it somehow seemed fitting. The signal of urgency in the labor skirmish between the NFL and its players — underscored by a four-month lockout — resonates with the first training camps slated to open within days. It's a two-minute warning of sorts.
NFL players own worst enemies - NFL - Yahoo! Sports
As the owners and players negotiate a settlement of this thorny labor impasse, the players have reverted to the form that has made them so weak for decades. Instead of standing in for the greater good and taking care of the very guys who put their names on the line, NFL players dropped the ball and are running back to their jobs. At least that’s the way it’s playing out.
Free agents hurt most by NFL's lengthy lockout | FLORIDA TODAY | floridatoday.com
But the players who could suffer the most from the long lockout? No doubt it will be the marginal free agents - especially those on the collegiate level. Hundreds of college stars waiting out the draft only to go unsigned. Traditionally, that's not always a bad thing.
Super Bowl organizers expect to cancel 2nd weekend date when NFL lockout is resolved - The Washington Post
Indianapolis is ready to cancel its plans for a backup Super Bowl date. All city officials need now is an end to the four-month lockout. Super Bowl host committee chairman Mark Miles said Wednesday he plans to inform local hoteliers that they can begin booking customers for the weekend of Feb. 12 soon after the NFL’s owners and players agree to a new collective bargaining agreement. The Super Bowl is scheduled for Feb. 5, but league officials had asked the city to keep two weekends open during the bid process in case the date had to be moved.
Businesses breathe easier as NFL lockout nears end | Appleton Post Crescent | postcrescent.com
Jay Schumerth might not have to devise a plan to recoup as much as $1 million in lost revenues for Appleton's Radisson Paper Valley Hotel if the NFL season isn't played. With all signs pointing to an end to the NFL lockout this week, most businesses from sports bars to hotels that cater to Green Bay Packers fans just need confirmation that it will soon be business as usual. A new collective bargaining agreement between the NFL teams and players could be settled this week.
Whew. As you can imagine, there is so much out there right now in the Land of the Lockout, that it's difficult to sift through it. It's even more difficult to know who to believe, and to stop believing anyone who jumps the gun on saying when they think the lockout will end. At this rate, I believe we're looking at some time in 2014, in time for the New Jersey Super Bowl.
Covering the New York Giants with Bill Parcells, Lawrence Taylor - The Best Team I Ever Covered - SI.com
When I think back to the last football team I covered as a beat writer, the New York Giants for four seasons in the 1980s, I think how lucky I was. Today, I really feel for beat writers, with the spoon-fed managed news, the "open'' locker rooms with three backups out front and the starters hiding, and players mostly petrified of saying anything -- on or off the record.
I would have loved to be a fly on the wall for some of that. Just having access to Bill Parcells alone must have been a trip.
Tom Coughlin is surprise guest at D.A.R.E. graduation ceremony - NorthJersey.com
It's hard to keep a secret. But Park Ridge Police Officer Scott Malloy, the Department's D.A.R.E. officer, pulled off a big surprise for the audience of fifth-graders and their parents attending the D.A.R.E. graduation at Park Ridge High School this spring. Tom Coughlin, head coach of the New York Giants was the guest speaker and made quite an impression on everyone.
We all know TC is a class act, and this further proves that.
Former 49ers executive Webb dies - Football Wires - MiamiHerald.com
Former San Francisco 49ers personnel executive Allan Webb has passed away. Webb, 80, succumbed to heart failure on Monday, according to the team's website. An All-American at Arnold College in Connecticut, Webb played for the New York Giants and also had a stint in the CFL
We'll let you know if there is any breaking news today regarding the lockout; but meanwhile, I'm going back to sleep.....