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NFL Labor News: Bears Edition

Wcg_thumb_notes_medium As each day passes, it appears more and more likely that the NFL and the Player's Association will be unable to settle on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. An uncapped 2010 seems almost inevitable now and a lockout in 2011 is looking more like a possibility.

If you're interested in tracking the NFL Labor talks, the NFL is now providing you a means. One (from the league's perspective) in the form of the website, NFLLabor.com.

Why should we care? Follow me past the jump...

Star-divide

How do the Labor Talks affect our Chicago Bears?

We are already short on draft picks, post the Cutler and Adams trades, meaning we will need to find quality players via Free Agency. However...

In an uncapped 2010 season more than 200 players (including nearly 75 starters) would be restricted free agents.  Previously, players with four and five years of experience would have been unrestricted free agents — free to sign with any team without their club receiving draft choice compensation.

Obviously, we all pretty much knew that UFA's would be somewhat minimal this year if an agreement was not reached. And that it would somewhat limit the Bears choices in finding much needed quality and depth at the OL, DL and S positions. But what is astounding, to me, is the sheer numbers of players that will become restricted, that would have been unrestricted, had a deal been reached.

For a complete list of players that fall in that category, go HERE.

The Bears on that list:

Yrs

Club

Player

Pos

'09
Starts

Current Agent

4

CHI

Manning, Danieal

FS

10

Hicks, Russel V.

5

CHI

Bullocks, Josh

FS

4

Nailey, Jeffrey S.

4

CHI

Anderson, Mark

DE

2

Ivler, James J.

4

CHI

Williams, Jamar

OLB

2

Ivler, James J.

4

CHI

Dvoracek, Dusty

NT

0

Johson, William L.

 

Some "could-have-been" potential targets:

OL: Deuce Lutui, Tyson Clabo, Richie Incognito, Chris Kuper, Logan Mankins, Jahri Evans, Willie Colon

DL: Marcus Spears, Johnny Jolly, Ray Edwards, Barry Cofield, Tony Brown

WR: Mark Clayton, Miles Austin, Brandon Marshall, Jason Avant, Vincent Jackson, Malcolm Floyd, Mark Bradley (for ifuwanna)

RB: Jerious Norwood, Jerome Harrison, Ronnie Brown, Leon Washington, Darren Sproles, LenDale White

S: Nick Collins, Antoine Bethea, Oshiomogho Atogwe

I'm not advocating that we would have, or even should have, targeted each of these players. And a good majority of them might have been, or still might be, resigned or tagged. But, there are a lot of players that might have been, and now won't be, available at positions where we desperately need help. I guess it's a good thing that we have Bobby DePaul to figure it all out!

For a complete list of 2010 NFL Free Agents (restricted and unrestricted), click HERE.

However, none of this affects us fans as much as a 16 month off-season would. And according to NFLLabor.com, we are quickly approaching that destination.

The true zero hour, then, won’t come until March 2011, when the CBA runs out. Negotiations often need a fast-approaching, hard deadline to produce a deal, but if that doesn’t happen in the next year, the league and its players will have three options in 2011: They can operate under the same rules as 2010; the players can strike; or the owners can lock out the players.

Judging by several steps the league and teams have taken, it’s all but certain the owners will lock out the players if it comes to that.

"We want an agreement," NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said at his Super Bowl press conference on February 5. "We want an agreement that’s fair to the game, to the players and [one that] will allow us to continue to invest in the game. The idea that ownership would want a work stoppage is absolutely false. You don’t make money by shutting down your business. It’s a bad scenario for everybody."

We'll just have to wait and see how it all turns out, until then stay tuned.

Comment 11 comments  |  1 recs  | 

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outstanding...

This stuff is very interesting… I can’t see the NFL getting to the point of shutting down.

by Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. on Feb 17, 2010 12:06 PM CST reply actions  

You can add Stallworth to that list...

of NFL players that will not be in a Bears uniform in 2010. He signed in Baltimore for 2010. Maybe we could trade Urlacher, Vasher, Briggs, Cutler, and Omiyale to Baltimore for Stallworth and a 6th round pick! ;>P

IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO FIRE LOVIE!

by LostInSTL on Feb 17, 2010 12:28 PM CST reply actions  

Mark Bradley is garbage

he puts on a Bears jersey and Mike Brown syndrome kicks in.

Price Check on aisle BOOM.

by Ditkavsworld on Feb 17, 2010 12:36 PM CST reply actions  

Great information.

Good for the NFL for putting this site together, and good job to you smudgers for finding and posting for us.

Sending condolences and peaceful thoughts to the family and community of Gaines Adams.

by Dane Noble on Feb 17, 2010 12:54 PM CST reply actions  

How about Mark Anderson,

He’s like fruit stripe gum. Good for like two minutes.

by Big Ike on Feb 17, 2010 1:23 PM CST reply actions  

From a philosophical standpoint...

if there is a lockout in 2011 and there are no games played, is Lovie still coaching? I’m not asking if he’ll still be employed, rather, would anyone really be able to tell the difference? Kind of the old “if a tree falls in the forest…..” question. My guess, is that his teams still would be unprepared!

This whole thing is a disaster.

by BearFan611 on Feb 17, 2010 2:31 PM CST reply actions  

I can't see a lockout

if it happens the owners are idiots

by DaHamsta on Feb 17, 2010 2:54 PM CST reply actions  

we don't need bobby depaul..

..we can just keep throwing darts at a board full of names, blindfolded, like we have been.

"I am not an animal!" - Merrick

by Maelvampyre on Feb 17, 2010 3:13 PM CST reply actions  

how do the restricted fa get paid

Do they get an increase from the year b4 or the same?

by Ryan21 on Feb 17, 2010 3:35 PM CST via mobile reply actions  

This Roger Goodell's time to shine

He has emerged from Taglibue’s shadow a little bit but he needs to deal with this well in order to really start carving his own legacy. There is NO REASON the wealthiest, most successful professional sports league in the country should come to a work stoppage. It’d be total crap.

As a total outsider speculating it seems to me Goodell is taking a wait-and-see approach for the time being. Make both sides sit down and start talking! As far as I know each side is saying the other is blowing it off and letting a lockout be eminent. No, Goodell, sit these people down and MAKE them start hammering stuff out.

The owners think they can keep the players under their thumb but that just isn’t the case. But the players think they can get the owners to lay down and that isn’t the case either. Both sides need to get their [stuff] together.

by Sam Householder on Feb 18, 2010 10:20 AM CST reply actions  

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