Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com did an excellent job at taking Cornwell’s words and giving a brief summary of the attorney’s statement.

As Cornwell explains it, the league and the union will negotiate to impasse in March 2011, and the league then will invoke a provision of federal labor law that allows the owners to impose new rules relating to wages and other terms of employment. Under federal labor law, the rules must be substantially similar to the last offer made by the league.

The union could then strike. The more likely outcome is that NFLPA would decertify and sue the league for violations of the same antitrust laws at issue in the American Needle case. That’s why the union has been writing editorials for guys like Drew Brees in connection with the American Needle case, and it’s why NFL general counsel Jeff Pash tiptoed around my recent questions regarding whether the league believes it’s a “single entity” for labor purposes.

If Cornwell is correct, NFL fans everywhere will be rejoicing. It just doesn’t seem possible for the most popular sport in America to have a strike. Many cannot even begin to imagine a year without football. Cornwell’s confidence regarding the matter is very refreshing and it brings a hope that many analysts are not giving at the moment.

Let’s all just cross our fingers and hope Cornwell is on to something.

This is the time where former college players are preparing for the upcoming draft to go for their dreams. Many players will find financial security — especially those signing in the first round — and one player has already signed a big deal to ensure he will be getting big dollars.

Former Clemson running back C.J. Spiller has inked a multi-year deal with Razor Entertainment that will pay NFL Mocks top rated running back six-figures.

Spiller is considered to be a first-round lock and the explosive back has drawn comparisons to former Southern Cal back Reggie Bush.

The ex-Tiger finished his collegiate career with 3,547 yards and 32 touchdowns on the ground.

It was made public knowledge earlier today that USC head coach Pete Carroll was very interested in the Seattle Seahawks head coaching vacancy. USC offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates would join Carroll in Seattle with the same title.

Sources close to the University of Southern California and Pete Carroll are now saying that the coach has accepted an offer to become head coach of the Seahawks. It will be a five-year deal.

No financial terms have been announced at this time, however, the Los Angeles Times reported earlier today that the five-year deal being negotiated would be worth $35 million.

The Seattle job is very appealing to Carroll, because not only does he have two first-round picks, but the team currently has no general manager. Carroll has made it very clear in the past that he would be interested in holding both titles if he were to ever return to the NFL.

USC is expected to target Oregon State head coach Mike Riley as Carroll’s replacement.

Carroll is also expected to bring USC offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates to join him on the Seahawks staff, according to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen.

A source close to Carroll said, “You’re about to see a big headline that shakes up the major college football word.”

He joined the University of Southern Cal in 2001, and since then he has led the Trojans to a 97-19 record in his nine seasons. USC won back to back national championships in 2004 and 2005.

However, in the past few years USC has lost it’s mystique. The program has encountered multiple violations and being accused of lacking “institutional control.” Just this past year, leading rusher Joe McKnight was held out of the team’s postseason game due to an investigation alleging improper benefits.

A previous situation with star running back Reggie Bush — who was an instrumental part of the team’s national championship runs — could leave the program vacating wins, championships, and returning millions of dollars. Pair that investigation with the new one involving McKnight, and the Trojans football program could be headed for dark times.

It makes perfect sense for Pete Carroll to bolt back to the NFL at this time. With the program rebuilding and NCAA sanctions coming, Carroll will have an uphill battle if he wants to return the team to glory. He can’t accomplish anything new, so we just have to wait and see if he will indeed jump ship.

The mutual interest is there and it is expected to happen.

It is closing in on draft season, and the 2000’s are coming to an end. This seems like a perfect time to put together a list that highlights the 10 biggest busts of the decade.

There is no science to determining what makes a bust, but to make this list I considered the level of hype a player had coming into the draft and then the level of failure said player had.

It was hard to narrow down a list to just ten. Busts like Courtney Brown and Joey Harrington failed to make the list, but they were strongly considered.

So without further introduction, enjoy the list and hope that your team’s general manager can recognize talent better than the men who made the follow selections:

10. Vernon Gholston – Selected 6th overall by the New York Jets in 2008

It may be unfair to list a player who is only in his second season as one of the biggest busts of the decade, but Vernon Gholston is a special case. People everywhere fell in love with Gholston after he blew up at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Gholston put up ridiculous numbers and had the scouts drooling. He was also one of only two people to record a sack against former Michigan OT Jake Long during his collegiate career.

With all the athleticism, Gholston seemed to be a perfect fit at outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense. Gholston has yet to make any serious contributions though. His largest contribution to the team is keeping the bench warm.

In his two years, Gholston has totaled a whopping 24 tackles and he has yet to record a sack.

9. David Carr – Selected 1st overall by the Houston Texans in 2002

David Carr was the first selection in 2002 and he was the first draft pick in the Texan’s team history. Carr made a splash during his collegiate career when he led his Freson State Bulldogs to a 11-3 record and the team climbed to as high as 8th overall in the polls.

Carr won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm award after his senior year and during his career he threw for 70 touchdowns and only 23 interceptions. Carr even had his number retired at Fresno State.

During his pro career, Carr never led the Texans to a winning season in his five years with the team. Carr was released and later signed with the Carolina Panthers and New York Giants as a back-up.
Carr has only 65 touchdowns in his 8 year career. He has thrown more interceptions (70).

8. Mike Williams – Selected 10th overall by the Detroit Lions in 2005

Williams was an excellent wideout at the University of Southern California where he received All Pac-10 honors twice, and was a Biletnikoff Award finalist in 2003. The receiver only played two seasons at the school and totaled 30 touchdowns.

Williams attempted to enter for the 2004 NFL Draft, but the Supreme Court ruled him ineligible. Since paperwork was filed and an agent was hired, Williams was also ineligible to return to USC.

For some reason that is not known, Williams was still drafted 10th overall by the Lions after sitting out an entire season.

After being a first round pick, Williams started only four games his rookie season. In those four games he caught 29 balls for 350 yards and 1 touchdown. Williams only totaled 15 more catches in his career following his rookie season.

7. Adam “Pacman” Jones – Selected 6th overall by the Tennessee Titans in 2005

Adam Jones makes this list for reasons not just associated with football. Jones appeared to have a promising future in the NFL. He was a sensational kick returner and was in the process of becoming a top tier corner in the league.

Jones then had numerous off the field incidents that resulted in him being suspended for the entire 2007 season. He was eventually traded to the Dallas Cowboys for a fourth-round pick the following year and Jones was once again suspended for 4 games. In his return to the field, he suffered a season-ending neck injury.

Jones was cut by Dallas following the 2008 season and he has not found any work since.

6. Troy Williamson – Selected 7th overall by the Minnesota Vikings in 2005

Troy Williamson was immediately thrown into a tough situation. The Vikings were looking to replace Randy Moss and they selected him with their first pick in ‘05.

Williamson was often a league leader in drops, and he has yet to have more than two touchdown receptions in the same season in his 5 year career.

Williamson blamed poor eye sight for his troubles, but even after correcting his vision he was just awful. He now plays for the Jacksonville Jaguars after being traded for a 6th-round pick in 2008.

For the Final Five Continue…

• Buffalo Bills
• Miami Dolphins
• New England Patriots
• New York Jets

AFC NORTH

• Baltimore Ravens
• Cincinnati Bengals
• Cleveland Browns
• Pittsburgh Steelers

AFC SOUTH

• Houston Texans
• Indianapolis Colts
• Jacksonville Jaguars
  
• Tennessee Titans
  

AFC WEST

• Denver Broncos
  
• Kansas City Chiefs
• Oakland Raiders
• San Diego Chargers

• Dallas Cowboys

• New York Giants
• Philadelphia Eagles
• Washington Redskins

NFC NORTH

• Chicago Bears
• Detroit Lions
• Green Bay Packers
• Minnesota Vikings

NFC SOUTH

• Atlanta Falcons
• Carolina Panthers
• New Orleans Saints
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers

NFC WEST

• Arizona Cardinals
• San Francisco 49ers
• Seattle Seahawks
• St. Louis Rams