Detroit Lions: How Will The CBA Affect The Lions' Progress?

It's been pretty interesting reading some of the fine articles about the improvement of the Lions as well as any draft speculation.

However, with all of the talk of the possible lockout if the players can't come to an agreement, both the improvement and any speculation about it are pointless.

Isn't this just the Lions' luck?  Here we are, riding on a four game win streak at the end of the season, and with just about everyone commenting on the improved Lions, it could come to a screeching halt.

There are some conflicting views about the progress of the talks.  I'm sure all of you have read the plea to the fans by Roger Goodell.  He states that the NFL wants to reach an agreement and that the league is taking a long view to protect the financial health of the league.

The NFLPA counters that, insisting the league wants to force a work stoppage.

Now I am as big of a football fan as anyone.  But I really have a hard time with instant millionaires saying they need to make more to provide for their families.  The average salary for an NFL player is about $1.8 million dollars and the average length of a NFL player is about four years.

That makes an NFL player's career earnings to be an estimated $7.2 million dollars.

An average career salary of a computer programmer is $65,000 dollars and average career length is 25 years.  That makes the career earnings to be $1.7 million dollars.

Granted a programmer isn't involved in thousands of car crashes per year...but still, doesn't it seem just a little out of whack?.  But in either case, the individual chooses what career path he or she wants to take.

And please, don't give me that a football player gives up so much to reach the professional level.  For the most part, while players I'm sure have a love for the game, they are in it to make as much money as possible, retire young and be able to do things most people can't ever fathom to do.

A computer programmer gives up a lot as well, the long hours, being on call 24/7 for any emergencies and working odd hours since the world of IT is a 24 hour, 365 days-a-year career.  Don't these sacrifices compare to what a football player makes? 

But back to the original question:  Just how would a lockout affect the Lions' progress?

My personal take would be that it would be a detriment to their progress.  They finally got to a point where they played like a team.  To think of what they accomplished with using mostly second and third string quarterbacks is pretty amazing.

The other side of the coin would be that it could allow Matthew Stafford to fully heal, get into a conditioning program to beef him up to sustain the hits an NFL quarterback takes.

But as many players like to say, it is what it is.  No amount of comparison will have little, if any effect on the game.  Perhaps the only good thing that could come out of it is the rookie salary cap.  For the gambles clubs have to make on an unknown commodity defies what any business person has learned: Worker bees must work their way up the salary ladder.

Look at Stafford, he was given a $71 million dollar contract before he ever set foot on an NFL field.

The CBA is going to affect a lot of teams, but I feel the Lions will be the most affected, since the only way progress can be made is if they can keep playing.