The NFL Lockout has been delayed for now, but nothing stops Double Coverage.  Thoughts on the CBA, the Combine, and so much more.  Here’s hoping that this time next week we’re talking about free agency, not the first lockout since 1987

MIKE KAYE

Hey Football and Double Coverage Fans, I am back for a CBA Talks Edition of DC. First off, I would like to thank all my loyal readers as well as Juiced Sports Blog in general for letting me offer my two cents this past season. The Draft will be huge this year and I am planning something big for my readers for the draft, so I will let your curiosity stew for a while on that. Anyway, a lot has been said about the CBA talks and I haven’t offered my opinion simply because I don’t really have one. I think both sides have great and awful arguments and my only thought is “Just get a deal done.”  So for those who aren’t aware of the current state of the CBA Talks, I will fill you in on the important stuff.

> The league makes around $9 BILLION a season, of which the owners take a billion off of the top and then split the rest with the players (players get 60%, owners make about 40%). The owners would now like double the money off the top. Their way of making this fair to the players is by adding two regular season games which would make the league around a billion dollars. Now the problem with this is that, that the players are essentially working more for the same pay. This deal would only create an extra billion for the owners, so the players are working off the clock.

> The players are spoiled rotten due to a peach of a deal that Former Player Association Rep, Gene Upshaw made with the league. The players made a ton of money and used the franchise tag and the lack of a rookie scale to enrich an already rich profession. Kevin Mawae and other players have acknowledged that they got the better of the agreement.

> The two sides of this negotiation have been talking for roughly two years and agreed on very little till a little legal matter happened recently. Ya see, the owners were okay with a lockout because they did not stand to lose money due to a television contract with lockout insurance. Essentially, the owners would be paid $4 billion to sit around and not pay players. The players took this issue to the NFL judge who ruled that this deal was unlawful. This means that chunk of insurance money will go into escrow or be split with the players. Now $2 billion is nothing to whine about but remember that there are 32 teams, which means 32 owners, which means 32 leases on stadiums, which means 32 team websites, which means 32 organizations with employees. Suddenly $2 Billion split 32 ways isn’t the ideal situation.

> The aforementioned development caused the owners to lose a ton of leverage. Instead of playing it tough, they did what most billionaires would do when faced with losing a significant amount of money…they caved. This led to a number of discussions between the league and the players union which finally agreed on something…a CBA continuance. This continuance was originally for a day, but now has been drawn out to eight days. This is a good sign to most media pundits who claim that there has to be some framework to a deal or they wouldn’t waste a week of time after spending 1/5 of a decade arguing.

> This is all great but both sides have agreed that if they can’t reach a deal by Friday at 5 p.m., there will be a lockout. No more extensions, no more statements from a mediator. Friday is judgment day. Let’s pray.

Non-CBA Talk

I will have a post combine mock up by next weekend, sorry for the delay, but I have been really busy at my other media job. I watched a majority of the combine and I want to let you know my opinions on some of these players as well as the combine itself.

The combine, itself, is not very important to me as far as picks go. They normally bring a guy up about 15 picks at most for me and while that may seem significant, some viewers and possibly even scouts may think it moves the player up numerous rounds. The only player that I think really shined beyond previous recognition was WR Julio Jones.

Patrick Peterson will change the cornerback position. This draft class is mostly made up of taller corners: of the players that get drafted next month, maybe 5-6 are under 5’11”. Peterson looks like a linebacker but with the speed of a corner and the instincts of a safety. He is just complete.

Let’s take a look around the field

QB: Missouri’s Blaine Gabbert didn’t throw, which actually helped him due to his main competition, Cam Newton, having a terrible throwing performance. Nevada’s Colin Kapernick and FSU’s Christian Ponder were impressive with their arm strength and accuracy. Same can be said for Arkansas’ Ryan Mallet, unfortunately his media interviews were not as polished.

RB: UConn’s Jordan Toddman is looking like the next Lesean McCoy. He is a Big East guy that can do it all but sadly will not be taken till the late 2^nd or early 3^rd round. Oklahoma’s Demarco Murray showed his pre-injury form at the combine and man was he impressive. He won’t be a first rounder but he has the potential to be the best back in the class.

FB: In my opinion, this is a two-man class featuring Tulsa’s Charles Clay and Stanford’s Owen Marecic. Clay is easily the more appealing prospect and will be drafted so, but Marecic creates a safer niche as he played linebacy fullback or H-back, and defense in a pinch.

TE: Lance Kendricks of Wisconsin is a fun prospect. He runs a 4.6 and isn’t very tall but he reminds me of Chris Cooley. He is going to be a guy that lines up at receiver and possibly plays H-back along with his Tight End duties. As my parents work with FAU, I am very excited about Rob Housler who ran the best 40 time of the Tight Ends. He is big and fast and could be a steal in the late third round.

OL: Syracuse’s Center Ryan Bartholomew ran an insane 40 and lifted well…he is still no better than an early 5^th rounder. Wisconsin’s Gabe Carimi continues to impress me even though he was injured doing drills. This draft is deep for Guards and Tackles not so much for Centers. James Brewer of Indiana has the opportunity to be the steal of the later rounds.

DL: Stephen Paea of Oregan State is a gamer. He could only do the bench press due to injury and man did he look ready with 49 reps (combine record). I still think UNC’s Robert Quinn is the best DL in the class but Clemson’s DaQuan Bowers and Auburn’s Nick Fairley will definitely be drafted prior to him. I also am still struggling to find out what is so awesome about Wisconsin’s J.J. Watt.

LB: This just in: Illinois’ Martez Wilson is scary fast. He is a guy who will be taken in the first round, yet no one really knows who the heck he is. A guy I was really into prior to the combine, Oklahoma’s Jeremy Beal, looked bad in his workout so hopefully he does well at his Pro Day.

DB: UCLA’s Rahim Moore looks good in shorts, but not on tape. As my famous buddy Ryan says “He runs away from potential tackles.” Nebraska’s Prince Amukamara shut everyone up who questioned his speed and proved he is the true number two at corner (I wonder who he’ll work for).

Last, I want to tell you that Double Coverage will not be back next year. It was a good run but I am getting a real full-time job and I slacked enough on it this year anyway. However, I will still be covering the draft, doing mocks and having the occasional article. Thank you to my fans and expect a mock up after the CBA Talks.

Photo: Getty

Popularity: 3% [?]