NFL Lockout: Did Alabama's Juniors Make the Right Choice Entering the NFL Draft?

It's interesting that a month ago the NFL management and players union were all making nice while Alabama juniors Mark Ingram, Julio Jones and Marcell Dareus, along with hundreds of other high-profile juniors nationwide, were trying to decide to go pro now or stay in school.

Back then all the banter back and forth was called "lawyer speak" and "meaningless posturing." When asked about the possibility of a lockout, both sides scoffed at the idea.

On January 15th three Alabama juniors declared for the draft, along with many others nationwide.  

On January 16th both sides took the gloves off and went bare knuckle.

Today, just one month removed from that NFL deadline, both sides are bludgeoning the other daily with no end in site. The possibility of a lockout appears to be 100 percent.  

The chance of the NFL season starting in the fall seems unlikely. Even the draft itself may not happen.

Last week the NFL abandoned talks with the NFLPA after the players union suggested a 50-50 split of revenue. The owners stormed out, and it seems clear they are prepared to do what is necessary to get back what they feel they lost in the last collective bargaining agreement.

This lockout will happen because the NFL owners are the kind of people who are so rich that the economy doesn't affect them, and one year's revenue is a paltry price to pay for 10 years of a better deal going forward.

Most players are not that prepared. Though NFL players make a lot of money compared to you or me, they on average spend it far more elaborately.

It's easy to forget that these guys come into vast riches as mere twenty-somethings. Like most of us at that age, money management is not a priority; life is eternal, and the possibility of a short career is nonexistent.

It's not all their fault either. Momma needs a house, Cousin Cliff needs a car, the ex is going to sue for more child support. Anytime someone comes into money quickly, the sharks always come, and they are hungry.

What about Alabama's juniors who declared early?

Financially Mark Ingram should be OK for now. Being a Heisman Trophy winner, he was able to sign a multi-year, seven-figure endorsement deal, so he's got his walking around money. His family has experience in the NFL as well, so hopefully they will be wise with resources.

Julio Jones and Marcell Dareus both appear to have booking agents, so hopefully they can ride the rubber chicken circuit for a year if need be.

Can they remain sharp enough with a year away from football? That's the big question.

The last time the NFL had a strike, the owners employed replacement players that became known as "scabs" to play half the season. They were mostly guys who had recently tried out for NFL teams and had not made it.

The season was actually pretty entertaining to watch because you absolutely didn't know what you were going to get. Bad teams became good, great teams became bad. It all depended on what they could scrape up. You might have a garbage man playing left tackle, a bar bouncer at linebacker.

When the strike finally fell apart and the players started returning to work, some of the scabs never left. 

While the strike was going on, the scabs gained momentum and the regular players lost it. Many regular NFL players never made it back.

If that happened to seasoned NFL veteran players, what would happen to a college player who has never played a down of NFL football and then misses an entire year just before he attempts to get his foot in the door?

No doubt the Alabama trio will eventually be drafted and get a chance. But if that chance comes a year from now, a whole new crop of rookies will be arriving to join them, and those new rookies will have momentum from a college season.

I believe a year off will be harder on skill players like Jones. The level of skill it takes to pull off these acrobatic moves and the timing is something that can abandon a player quickly.

For players like Ingram and Dareus, the effect might not be so pronounced assuming they stay in shape. Running the ball and rushing the passer is more instinctual than learned via repetition.

The situation could be much worse for some of Alabama's senior players like Greg McElroy and Preston Dial. Making a team was a bit of a long shot for them. Taking a year off would probably eliminate any chance.

James Carpenter in particular has gained considerable momentum after a great senior season and an even greater Senior Bowl performance to take him from draft bubble to a mid-level draft pick. If that draft doesn't happen, Carpenter could be on the outside looking in a year from now.

I believe the NFL was completely dishonest with the draft-eligible juniors in college this year. They painted a rosy picture with everyone singing kumbaya when they all knew it would probably come to this.

Any season that does get played will be short, crappy and won't offer young players a chance to develop. After that the NFL will turn its attention to the new crop of rookies and leave these guys in the dust to fend for themselves.

It is, after all, the No Fun League.