As the NFL lockout surpasses it’s 100th day, the longest in NFL history, there are many factors that could come into play for the Egofest Dynasty teams this year. In the following article I will go through the four (with two sub-sections included) that I find most intriguing, and potentially fate-changing, for some of Egofest’s owners.
1. According to Eli Manning of the Kennesaw Kannons was interviewed by Dan Patrick of ESPN and said he had been working out with rookie wideout Julio Jones. In these workouts, Manning was instructing Jones on specific patterns and techniques that suited Eli’s delivery and timing. After 10 minutes of expert instruction from a Super Bowl Champion quarterback, Jones asked, “could we go back to where I line up?” When the lockout comes to an end, I’m assuming in the next two weeks, this will be the recurring problem with rookies and newcomers that have yet to receive their playbooks. Normally at this time of year the incoming rookies have been studying playbooks, attending OTAs, and receiving individual coaching for more than 30 days. By the time the lockout ends, these players will have lost approximately 45 days of valuable experience. At some point we may need to be realistic and call this a “redshirt” year for this rookie class. Generally this does not apply to rookie running backs (“here’s the ball, find the hole”) so you can still hold on to hope there. However, if a team has drafted a rookie quarterback or wide receiver and expects them to contribute this year, it might be a waiting game, eh?
2. This brings us to our second group that will be affected by wasted time, the soon-to-be free agents. Owners will surely be watching in hopes that their top point-scorers aren’t put on the shelf, knocked out of favor, or replaced. Players like Boats N' Hoes' Terell Owens, Asphalt Walri's Vincent Jackson, Kennesaw Kannon's Randy Moss, Tube Socks' Ronnie Brown, Big Swingin' D's Matt Hasselback, Boco's Ballin' Army's Cedric Benson, and Lone Star Super Squirrels' Braylon Edwards (just to name a few) all need homes for the 2011 season. While we can assume that some of these stars will return to their previous teams, it is not certain they will continue to have the same impact as they once did. Although the same could be said for them finding a new team, eh?
2a. In regards to free agency, Egofest owners should not be sure their star will be resigned by their current teams. Many free-agents enter the market as RESTRICTED free agents, meaning the current team has the right to counter any offer made by a pursuant team. However, the current proposed collective bargaining agreement (CBA) has a portion in it that would make all veteran (4+ years of experience) free agents UNRESTRICTED. This means offers can be made and accepted without any regard for the previous team’s desires. I suppose this is coming from the NFLPA’s side of the argument, eh?
2b. The salary cap is due to increase, which sounds like a great deal for teams looking to sign high-caliber free agents, right? The answer is: Kind of. High revenue teams, such as Dallas, Green Bay, and Oakland will be able to do so as they have more money to pay what is coming down the pike (much debated on whether this phrase is “pike” or “pipe”, so take your pick) as greater retired player benefits. The CBA will certainly include a sweeter retirement package for players, ultimately hurting lower-revenue teams like Cincinnati, Detroit, and Buffalo. Egofest owners thinking their free agent star will land on a team where they are the top flea on a dead dog (big fish in a little pond? Take your pick), can think again, eh?
3. After a post-season vote to assure all kick and punt return touchdowns counted six points for the individual player, the NFL has decided to take that away. A new rule passed, with nothing to do with the upcoming CBA, moving an un-penalized kickoff to the 35 yard line, instead of the 30. This could move the 25% of kickoffs resulting in touchbacks to nearly 50%, eliminating possible kickoff return touchdowns. I can almost feel Big Swingin’ D (Jacoby Ford), Kennesaw Kannons (Brandon Tate), and Cape May Scallops (Leon Washington) twisting their team towels with rage as they read. Guess they can hope for punts returns, eh?
4. Finally, the current CBA proposal will eliminate the possibility of the NFL adding two regular-season games to the schedule, which has it’s positives and negatives for Egofest owners. While on one hand star players won’t take as many shots and consequently maintain their health (hopefully) throughout the season, the men of men (scientifically named: Masculine Figures With Low Injury Rates) will not be able to score 15 points/week over this time period. Ultimately, Egofest owners will not be forced to change their drafting strategies to accommodate an 18-game schedule in which LA Patriots’ Michael Vick would never survive, eh?
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