Get ready for the whirlwind.
The NFL labor talks seem nearly finished. A rookie salary cap reportedly is the final major hurdle. The owners want to risk less on untested players, while the veterans want that money shifted to them. The NBA did such, and it seems fair enough. Pay those who have proved themselves instead of players like JaMarcus Russell, Ryan Leaf and Heath Shuler who cashed out without merit.
If a labor agreement is ready for approval at the NFL owners meeting July 21 — and that’s always a big if because a deal is not done until it’s signed — then teams reportedly could begin signing rookie free agents by July 25 and veteran free agents by July 28.
Essentially, teams would be signing players during training camp. Talk about disruptive. Every day there would be more new faces. The shuttle bus to the airport would run nonstop.
But that’s what will happen. The owners and players seem resolute in taking every last second to settle the deal — without, of course, disrupting the preseason and losing $200 million a week. At least they’re negotiating now instead of in September, which would threaten the regular season.
The word “chaos” came up often when talking with leaguewide officials about implementing the new labor deal. With no offseason camps to update or refresh players on schemes, they will cram playbooks into helmets like an English professor teaching William Shakespeare’s entire works in a week.
Then again, Shakespeare was much about tragedies.
But enough about the Washington Redskins’ chances this fall.
It will be hard to assimilate rookies and free agents into systems without offseason prep work, though teams may try a few days in the classroom once the NFL approves the deal. Several executives around the league said they need to see what rules would be created for this circumstance but saw no reason why players couldn’t attend classes once the league year begins. Players just couldn’t go on the field before training camp starts.
The trickiest part to filling a roster with 90 players is not wasting the coaches’ time on those who might be there only a day or two until a better free agent is signed. The Redskins might bring in only 70 players at the start of camp rather than signing 90 and letting 20 go by the first weekend. It’s better to have smaller units in class for more time with each coach.
Talk of moving training camp away from Redskins Park this summer was always nonsense for no apparent reasons. There’s no time to waste heading to another facility. The New York Giants and Baltimore Ravens recently decided to stay home rather than going to their traditional road facilities.
By the Sept. 11 season opener, the craziness of free agency will be long forgotten. But for now, don’t buy jerseys because you never know who will remain.
Examiner columnist Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more on Twitter @Snide_Remarks or email [email protected].
