Now that the lockout is officially over it’s time to ponder what’s next on the horizon for the N.F.L. and what’s really come from the lockout.
The lockout lasted much longer than any of us could have imagined, but I sit here wondering, did it make any difference. Sure, the news during the lockout was all bickering and empty promises of an end coming much sooner, but the totality of the lockout I feel will be negligible.
What are was as fans really going to miss?
A Hall of Fame Game that few people watch to being with? That means little.
Leading up to the draft Profootballtalk.com continued to harp about how much less interest there was in the draft than usual, and when draft night came fans voiced their displeasure, but ratings for the draft did not suffer and sites that devote great time to the draft, like this one, actually saw an increase in traffic from the last draft.
In fact, might it be the case that the lockout was actually good for football. The New C.B.A. (more details on this as they come out) seems to establish football for the longhaul and perhaps better. Players will make more (a 50,000 dollar increase to the minimum salary, which a vast portion of the players in the league receive).
-Teams that habitually pick in the top 10 over the next decade will not be derailed by rookie contracts, which is a huge positive.
-It seems that there will still only be 16 games
-Retired players will benefit more, and contact in practices and training camps will be much less which could help save careers.
The other thing to consider is, is it better to have free agency after the draft? It seems to me, this year that there were much less crazy picks (not counting quarterbacks) than usual because teams stuck to their board knowing they had a chance of filling holes in free agency. The delay in free agency also allowed general managers and their staff to really focus on scouting and the draft without the hassle or interruption of free agency. This could be a switch that could be considered for the long haul.
What did we learn from the lockout?
For one, players truly dislike Roger Goodell and it became clear that players specifically detest the “judge and jury” power Goodell has in regards to suspensions.
We’ve also learned that the N.F.L. and the NFLPA are planning ahead for retired players much better, even if this department lags a bit.
-We’ve also learned that in the United States football is king.
Baseball may have won some fans over during the lockout, but I don’t expect this to negatively impact the N.F.L. numbers at all.
What are your thoughts about the end of the lockout?