NFL Insider: Why Not Use Replacement Players?

So who thinks that the NFL lockout is going to end in time to save the 2011 NFL Season? I imagine that there are fewer hands up than anyone would think. Sometimes it looks as if this is going to drag on into the season, and the NFL would end up missing several games as a result. 

Does the NFL want to lose a lot of money and not put any games out there for their fans to see?  Or would they be interested in bringing in replacement players to help save some face and make some money?

The NFL brought in replacement players back in 1987 for three games, and the NFL tried to move on. Although attendance went down, the fans were given some continuity, and the NFL only missed one weekend of games that year as a result of using replacement players. 

Sure, you always see an asterisk beside that season when you go back and look at the records, but those players helped keep that season going and may have even forced the hand of those “actual” players to get back to the game quicker.

Could this be a strategy that the NFL owners use to force their hand at the bargaining table and get the players to come to an agreement faster?

Knowing that those replacement players would be essentially taking away their paychecks and making it so the owners wouldn’t appear so desperate to have them back, the players might want to get back to bargaining and get a deal done. 

This could be a strategy that the NFL tries to use to get the players back to the bargaining table and get a deal done quickly.

It wouldn’t be difficult for the NFL to throw together replacement players for NFL games. There are plenty of ex-NFL players that are playing in the Arena Football League or other places that would be willing to play in the NFL even if it is for a short period of time, so there isn’t any worry there. 

If you have been paying attention to the way that the talks are going now, it appears as if there could be a deal soon, but you never know. Both sides appeared to be close to something right before the lockout became official, and that was all wiped away by the feeling for the need for litigation. 

Could they be on the cusp of another agreement only to see that wiped away by one side’s inability to budge on an issue?

Starting to throw the idea of having replacement players on the table may get things done quicker and could end up saving the 2011 NFL season.

But what would the league do if it had to use replacement players? Would they actually use them? 

The most important thing to owners and fans is having a football season. No matter who is playing on the field those days, the NFL and its owners would be making money, and that’s what it’s all about.

So should the NFL use replacement players? They actually should do this to help force a deal and, if necessary, to help keep the continuity of the game moving forward. 

The owners cannot afford to lose the momentum that they have built with their product and may have to resort to extreme measures to preserve that momentum. 

That’s why it just might be beneficial to bring in some replacement players.