NFL Lockout: The Players Aren't the Biggest Threat to the Owners, the UFL Is

An NFL lockout is no longer being received by the general public as nonsense.  It’s no longer something that would “never happen, not in a million years.”

It has become our reality.  The panic button shouldn't be hit just yet.  The owners and players still have time to reach a deal before the season begins.

If they fail to do so, the consequences could devastate one side—not the players, but the owners.

Players are now unemployed.  Some may be content with being unemployed winners, and others may actually try to find work.

Brandon Marshall has expressed his interest in joining the NBA if a lockout were to occur.  Terrell Owens would probably be soon to follow, as he talked about playing basketball years ago.

Players who can’t jump or don’t want a desk job might take another option: the UFL.

The UFL was founded in 2007 and began play in 2009. 

Does this infant league have the potential to end the prestigious NFL for good?  The idea sounds ridiculous, but let’s think about it for a second.

All it takes is one big name player to make the move.  If one player goes, then one more could follow suit, then another, then a group, and the trend continues.

Well known head coaches Dennis Green and Jim Fassel have already embraced the UFL.  Former NFL Pro Bowlers Jeff Garcia and Daunte Culpepper are in the league as well.

All it takes is one.  Peyton Manning and his irresistible crave for the game, Adrian Peterson and his love of competition, James Harrison and his addiction of bashing skulls; just one, and the rest will follow suit.

There are some advantages to the UFL that might interest a number of players right off the bat. 

There’s a “No Tuck Rule” in opposition to the NFL’s “Tuck Rule.”  That right there will sway any Oakland Raider to join the league, but recruiting Tom Brady would be a lost cause.

There’s no intentional grounding and there are specific down lineman and blitz rules that favor the offense.  That’s a quarterback’s dream, and winning quarterbacks over to the UFL would really heighten the wave of players joining the league.

On top of all that, touchdown celebrations are allowed.  That instantly wins over Chad Johnson, and Terrell Owens might rethink that whole basketball dream, but DeSean Jackson wouldn’t be interested.  Celebrations are only allowed in the end zone and on the sidelines.

All this aside, does the UFL even have the potential to pull something like this off?  After all, they only have five teams.

Some conspiracy theorists would try to get you to believe that the UFL was created for the lone reason of a possible a lockout occurring in the NFL.  The UFL could steal all of the NFL’s players and become the premiere football league in the world.

What if the UFL owners ultimately failed in their goal?  Big deal, they made money regardless.  If they succeed though, they inherit the multi-billion dollar entertainment industry that is American football.

Now, all of this is hypothetical.  No one but the UFL owners know their true intentions behind creating the league, and the NFL lockout still has plenty of time be resolved.

“If” is the key word, and isn’t it always? 

If the NFL actually experiences an extensive lockout, and if the players begin to make the move to the UFL, sports history could be changed forever.

The deciding factor at that point will come down to if the move to the UFL is a just a temporary fix for the players to pay the bills or a permanent stay.  In this fight between the NFL owners and the players, wouldn’t destroying the league be the ultimate revenge for the players?

Honestly, right now I wouldn’t bet money on any of this happening, but of course, I wouldn’t have bet money on a lockout occurring six months ago either.  So, before you answer that it would, "never happen, not in a million years," again, remember how that last unfathomable warning became reality faster than you can say, "Greedy millionaires need more money to feed their families."

Just over 40 years ago, the eight-team football league called the AFL merged with the NFL to create the league we know today.  The merger was necessary because the AFL became a threat.

The five-team league of the UFL hasn't been labeled as a threat just yet, but the recent lockout gives them that opportunity, and if the lockout gets ugly, the UFL may just gain enough power, not just to force a merger, but to take over.

David Daniels is an NFL Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report and a Syndicated Writer. Follow him on Twitter.