Probably not. Both sides seem firmly entrenched. The players' 50/50 offer was immediately rejected as "status quo" by the owners and the owners seem unwilling to budge an inch on their demands. Now that a federal mediator will oversee future talks, will that help them to reach an agreement before March 3rd? Adam Schefter tweets that we shouldn't hold our breath.
Down the yellow brick road of other links, you'll see Sean Payton's comments on Shaun Rogers' visit, Heath Evans is hosting a charity softball game in Florida on Friday night, and Scott Shanle and I agree that Alice in Chains' "Man in the Box" is a kick-ass tune. Gotta also add that Jerry Cantrell is one of the most underrated guitarists out there.
TWEETS:
SAINTS STUFF:
2011 mock draft, take one | ProFootballTalk
24. Saints: Derek Sherrod, offensive tackle, Mississippi State. Sherrod is a freakish specimen at 6-foot-6, 312 with 35 1/2-inch arms, 11-inch hands, and a mammoth 94-inch wingspan. Saints incumbent left tackle Jermon Bushrod has struggled as a pass blocker for two straight seasons. An OT? Really? Doesn't this guy know we already have Charles Brown waiting in the wings? We need a DE or OLB, damn it!!
Expect a lot of defensive ends taken in deep first round | ProFootballTalk
Let’s start with some notes on how this draft looks as a whole. Mayock says it’s the best defensive end class he can remember, and eight players have first round grades from him.
New Orleans Saints fullback Heath Evans to host charity softball game in Florida on Friday night | NOLA.com
Saints teammates Reggie Bush, Jonathan Vilma, Roman Harper scheduled to appear, among others
Reggie Bush is a hot topic in latest edition of New Orleans Saints mailbag | NOLA.com
Saints beat writer Mike Triplett answers questions from readers
Shaun Rogers in town to meet with Saints
"I’m anxious to meet with him,’’ Saints Coach Sean Payton told NewOrleans.Com on Wednesday night. "He’s got some good tape out there, and he’s a guy who is eligible to sign right now. He can play nose tackle or he can play the 3 and can help in the D-line rotation. He played real well against us this year.
Defensive tackle Shaun Rogers visits with New Orleans Saints | NOLA.com
Three-time Pro Bowler hasn't played on winning team
CBA TALKS:
Sally Jenkins - NFL owners want guarantees no other business provides
I'm not sure why NFL players and fans should pay the estate taxes for Daniel Snyder's children, along with the little Bidwills and Maras. That's one way to think of the current NFL labor dispute. The owners are worried that $9 billion isn't enough revenue growth, and their heirs might someday have to fly commercial. So they're demanding that everybody pony up.
Countdown To No Kickoff: Next Football Season Hostage To Owners' Demands
WASHINGTON -- The National Football League's 32 owners are hurtling toward a March 4 deadline, giving every indication that they plan to lock out the players and stadium employees, potentially jeopardizing the next season in an effort to extract an extra billion dollars per year for themselves and require the players to put in two extra regular season games. The move comes after the owners have managed to siphon hundreds of millions of dollars from taxpayers to build and maintain stadiums for their private businesses.
League, union agree to federal mediation | ProFootballTalk
Last March, Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal first raised the possibility of federal mediation as a solution for the current labor mess. "We have no plans for mediation," NFL spokesman Greg Aielli told Mullen at the time, "and we are a long way from having to even consider it.
NFLPA will conduct a conference call for all players | ProFootballTalk
As the league and the union continue to not meet but possibly make progress via non-meeting communications, the NFLPA will be communicating with all players. Or at least with as many players who choose to call in and listen.
Union call focused mostly on COBRA | ProFootballTalk
With players concerned about how the looming lockout will affect health insurance for themselves and their families, the NFL Players' Association today gave players some information about what they'll need to do to keep insurance beyond March 4.
Players, owners agree to use mediators | New Orleans News, Local News, Breaking News, Weather | wwltv.com | Eye on Black and Gold
The NFL and its players' union agreed Thursday to mediation in their labor dispute, two weeks before the collective bargaining agreement expires.
NFL, NFLPA agree to mediation for labor dispute - ESPN
The NFL and players' union have agreed to mediation in their labor negotiations.
Union doesn’t agree that expiration of CBA ends Judge Doty’s role | ProFootballTalk
And the inability of the NFL and the players’ union to agree on anything continues.
Batterman addresses current issues in CBA fight | ProFootballTalk
In an interview with 790 the Zone in Atlanta, NFL outside labor counsel Bob Batterman reviewed several of the current issues in the CBA conundrum.
AROUND THE LEAGUE:
Snyder’s control costs Kornheiser credibility | ProFootballTalk
Redskins owner Dan Snyder’s ownership of D.C. radio station WTEM continues to get him favorable coverage from the station’s high-profile talk show host, Tony Kornheiser. And Kornheiser’s refusal to talk about issues that could cast Snyder in a negative light is continuing to result in criticism of Kornheiser.