http://www.nationalfootballpost.com...why-wed-want-to-go-back-to-being-a-union.html Knowing this guy's outlook is there anyone here who really thinks we have a snowballs chance in hell of having FB this season? Unless the players break ranks - that is!
His outlook that the players should be protected by the laws of this country? Doesn't seem that bad to me.
Sure do GA, Smith will be overridden by his own membership, and what binky does not realize is no union means no union dues. Smith best be careful as he really has no more standing to really even negotiate a deal with the NFL, 10 players in essence could negotiate their own deals with the NFL and there is nothing he can do about it.
His outlook that the law is a bludgeon to be used to get everything he wants. You know, the trial lawyer mentality.
I side far more with the players on the lockout than the owners, but by the same token Smith really really rubs me wrong. I feel much the same way as you, that this is a guy less interested in negotiating and more interested in building up his name in court, trying to be seen as the "tough guy" who can "take on the billionaires" - he has far more to gain than any player by protracting this struggle, and in my opinion has done more damage than any individual player could. However, I find it interesting that we speak about the players breaking ranks. What about the owners though? We have seen several public statements from influential owners like Kraft and Jones, and even from Goodell that they are concerned by the situation. I honestly think they didn't expect such a negative reaction - they thought the players would cave quickly and be happy just getting what was offered. They didn't expect the players to grow a backbone, and didn't expect the public backlash evident with such things as Goodell getting mercilessly booed among the "We want football" chants. They probably thought the whole situation would be done with by now and that life would be going on normally, instead of the growing animosity. Even with the 8th overruling Nelson (a bad call for football fans imo) they have to realize that the longer this drags on, the more they potentially stand to lose.
Sort of missing my point GA, which is "if" the players do not need the NFLPA then they do not need Mo Smith either, the dolt does not realize he is calling for the abolition of his own purpose and paycheck.
I feel that the players want way too much. They already make a ton of money and if they want to make what the owners make, they should become a owner someday. The league is based off the owners money, the players have nothing to loose. Today's players are a bunch of crybabies, they are no better than baseball players. The league has gotten so soft that its not even real football anymore. Today's players are soft.
This kind of statement is bizarre to me. You would probably be snapped in half by the kind of hit these guys take on a regular basis. Players are bigger, faster and stronger than they have ever been and the product on the field reflects that. You can make a case that certain positions are somewhat protected, but call me a loser for hoping that we don't see some defenseless wideout get paralyzed or decapitated by some helmet first highlight seeker. "Why back in my day!" - the most common lament from those who hopelessly pine away for the good ol' days while managing not to see the advancement in front of them. And since when do they make to much money? You make as much as you can. Unless Barak implements some kind of wealth cap. And the league is built on owner's money? The league is built on fan money - we don't need owners. Green Bay is proof of that. We need players. If you don't want the players, then go watch arena or UFL football and be happy cause that will be the quality of the NFL without them.
Along with the undeniable fact that owners are the one who started this BS two years ago. This is ALL about greed from the owner side. The players didnt ask for anything initially until the owners kept pushing and pushing for salary decreases.
The average NFL salary is 1.87M per season. The average NFL career is 3-4 years. Thats 6-8M per player on average. Thats barely higher then hockey players for a league whose players suffer from serious post football injuries that are not nearly as prevalent in other sports. The players dont want anything except the status quo. How is that asking too much?
First of all......Barak, he can kiss my arse and his wife can kiss my dogs arse's. I hate politicians and they can all burn in hell. Football is a, well was a hitting game. If your scared to get hit, go play basketball or baseball. No one wants to see people get hurt, but that's part of the game. I don't want to see players get hurt, but I also don't want to see a player lay down either. If you don't get excited when a player gets laid out, as long as it's clean, then your a fake. The players did start this by asking for more and more over the past years and the owners finally had to do something about it. There's only one player I want to see get crushed and get hurt badly, but that's another topic that I won't go into. As far as Barak, let's not go there either. I'm not a member of either party, I'd rather die, then support them
Of course you're going to think that way when you view the player's salaries through your lenses. The money they make is an astounding amount to you and me and your average fan. But you take any red-blooded American and tell him his salary is going to drop by X amount and he's going to be expected to work longer hours (2 extra games) then you can bet he'll have a fit. And I, personally, can't begrudge the players for that. They have a very short amount of time to make as much money as they possibly can. And your average rank and file player with the average career length needs every bit of that money. While the league minimum might still seem like a ton of money to you and I, factor in they only have 3-4 years to earn that money and it suddenly doesn't seem like so much.
