Saints right tackle Jon Stinchcomb told Brian Alee-Walsh yesterday that plans are in the works for Saints players to reconvene in May regardless of if the lockout is still in place.
"We have a plan that would go into place in May,’’ Stinchcomb said. "We’re not going to wait on April 6th to come up with a plan. We’re trying to get out in front of this, so if we’re still out for any significant time, we’ll have a few opportunities for everybody to get together and try to stay as a team as much as possible.
"I’ve got en email list for all our guys. I’ve tried to respect their time but also keep them informed so when anything major comes down the pipeline we can get back to them and be responsive to their needs. We want to make sure we’re ready on a moment’s notice whenever this matter is resolved. We’re not just waiting to be told that we’re going back to work. As professionals we get that. That’s not right for anybody.’’
He says Drew Brees has several contingency plans for getting players together and working out in case the lockout continues. These plans are contingent upon what gets decided at the April 6th hearing in Minnesota when players hope the lockout gets lifted.
"We’re in a holding pattern until that injunction is decided upon in the courts,’’ Stinchcomb said. "Right now, it’s all rhetoric anyway by both sides battling for public favor among the media – ‘he said, he said’ kind of stuff.
"For the past few years we have tried to prepare for this situation. It’s not something that we haven’t prepared our guys for. This is the business side of football. It’s unfortunate, but hopefully we’ll reach an agreement sooner rather than later.’’
My guess is the lockout will continue after April 6th, so it'll be interesting to see how the players handle these independent workouts. It makes sense for them to do it, but I hope they're extra careful to avoid injuries.