NFL Insider: Is There Going to Be Football in 2011?

As the NFL and Player’s Association brought their arguments to federal court, there are some that feel that this move might bring football back to normal much sooner than later.  The players made a good case in front of a federal judge on the 6th of April, and if you are keen to the details, you might think that the judge is going to rule in favor of the players and tell the owners to stop locking them out and return football to the way that it was. 

The judge has also stated that both sides need to resume mediation and, as of this writing, both sides are in federal court to mediate the issues at hand.

It makes a lot of sense for both sides to come to an agreement and resume normal football operations soon.  Both sides are losing money each and every day this lockout is in place and the quality of the 2011 season will be diminished.  Both sides have to come to an agreement and come to one soon.

The longer that they wait the more that puts the 2011 season in jeopardy.  We have already seen teams miss some mini camp time and as the draft approaches, we won’t see rookies get to meet their coaches or other players and most importantly, they won’t be able to start learning the new systems that they will be in when they finally get to working with the team that drafts them.

Right now, it doesn’t appear as if the NFL and Players Association are any closer to an agreement than they were when they broke off talks last month and the Union decertified.  The nice thing is that it does appear that both sides are willing to talk and get something resolved, but it could be a little while before that happens.

So, what does this do to the upcoming NFL season? 

Well, depending on when a deal is finally reached, it appears as if it’s possible that we may see the season shortened thanks to the lockout, as it’s gone already. It’s been said that if the lockout doesn’t get resolved until the first of August, it’s possible (and most likely) that the first two weeks of the season will be cut and the new season will start two weeks later than it normally would.

If the lockout reaches past August 1st, then you can knock off one week of the season for each week that the lockout continues.  The longer it goes, the more weeks we will miss in the season.

With the NFL and Players Association not meeting again until the middle of May, it appears as if hopes for a quick resolution have gone away, and now everyone has to wait and see what the next move is. 

Hopefully the two sides will be able to come to an agreement before the end of May and keep the 2011 season on track.  If they are unable to do that, they will not only be hurting themselves and the fans, but also the game of football itself. 

Stopping a good thing because of an argument over money is going to damage the NFL, may turn some fans “off” on the product and set them back for some time.