Optimism is high after last weeks lengthy meetings between representatives of the NFL owners and it's players.  Chicago Bears player rep Robbie Gould is fairly confident they'll be back to work soon, and I agree.  The season will be played, with no games lost.  A few weeks ago we talked about how the missing preseason games would cost close to a billion dollars, now Pro Football Talkk is estimating it at about $800 million.  That's still a pretty penny.

PFT breaks down the lost revenue like this:

Assuming that the players get a 48-percent share of all revenue under a new CBA, a lost preseason would equate to $384 million in losses for the players, and $416 million in losses for the owners.

The losses begin soon, if/when the NFL is required to scuttle preseason games. And because the players are now focused more on total dollars and less on percentages, the dip in total dollars resulting from lost preseason games necessarily will impact the deal that the parties are discussing.

Something will be agreed upon before the Bears open camp.  They'll be a scrambled free agency period, but things will be back to normal soon.  No worries...