Windy City Gridiron had the privilege of interviewing Doug Farrar a few months ago (click here to read), and we are big fans of his work. The guy is literally all over the place (Football Outsiders, Yahoo, ESPN, etc), and has a way of communicating to the masses that is both humorous and informative.
In the last few days, Farrar has been tweeting a lot on the current labor dispute (you can follow him here), and yesterday he finally just sat down and hammered out an article rolling it all into one place. Follow me after the jump for the 7 things Farrar says we need to know about the current labor dispute.
1. The proposed 18-game schedule is set up to be a money-grab for the owners.
2. The proposed givebacks would lower player percentages to pre-free-agency levels.
3. The NFL’s idea of a "rookie wage scale" is actually a veteran wage scale.
4. The NFL’s supposed concern about the health of the players is an absolute canard.
5. The owners already have "lockout insurance" from two sources.
6. The owners are crying poor, but refusing to open their books.
7. The recent labor claim reveals the truth – expect a long and ugly fight.
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Farrar of course elaborates on each point in detail, and also links back to the article he wrote for Yahoo regarding the recent claim filed by the league against the NFLPA. Make sure to check both of those articles out in full detail, as Doug does an excellent job of helping us to understand what is going on.
Also, for those of you who want more in-depth, technical legal-speak of the NFL's charges against the players, click here for the full text, transcribed by Maury Brown, who is another leading expert in the ongoing dispute that we are so tired of hearing about already. (Click here to follow Maury on Twitter.)
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Any thoughts as to any of Farrar's commentary? Has the recent increased hostility started making you think twice about whether there will be football this year?