The Jaguars became the second NFL coaching staff Wednesday to announce they weren't informed the NFL Coaches' Association was filing a brief supporting the players' bid to end the lockout.
"I checked with our guys and not one member of our coaching staff had knowledge of last week's brief filed by the Coaches' Association prior to the news breaking,'' coach Jack Del Rio said. "None were consulted or involved in any way. This action was taken without approval. Heck, it wasn't even mentioned to any of us.''
Larry Kennan, the head of the Coaches' Association, said it must have been an oversight because all the staffs were supposed to be notified.
The Redskins staff announced last week that they hadn't been notified.
The brief was filed for the hearing set Friday in St. Louis before an appellate court when the players will argue that the courts should lift the lockout.
Kennan said the staffs didn't have to approve the brief because the executive committee of the association approved the action. He added that some coaching staffs have already taken drastic pay cuts.
"We are protecting the coaches who need protection. Coaches have been affected negatively. If some feel they don't need protection, that is fine,'' he said.
Kennan said Jaguars coaches haven't had to take payouts and were told by owner Wayne Weaver that their salaries won't be reduced if no games are missed.
In the Redskins' statement last week, their coaches said, "We stand united with our ownership and the brief does not reflect our thoughts on the matter.''
The Jaguars' assistant coaches had issues with management because they were given one-year deals for the upcoming season, but weren't allowed to interview for lateral jobs with more security. But Kennan said they did not bring that issue to the association.
Meanwhile, Del Rio said the coaching staff is working on various contingency plans for whenever the lockout ends. The coaches don't know how long they will have to prepare for the season.
Jaguars coaches are already breaking down film of teams scheduled to be early season opponents, though they have no way of knowing if those games will be played.
Meanwhile, the Jaguars keep coming up with new ways to engage the fan base during the lockout.
They announced they will hold a Jaguars Movie Night at Everbank Field on June 24 for the showing of the film, "The Blind Side.'' The film is for season ticket holders and their guests. Fans can watch on the big screen from the stands or on a blanket and a beach chair on the field.
"It's to show our appreciation to our season ticket holders,'' said team executive Steve Livingston.
The Jaguars are preparing an all-out sales blitz for when the lockout ends.
Mackey Weaver, the senior vice president sales and marketing, said they may have to repeat the feat of selling 10,000 tickets in 10 days that they did to get the franchise in the first place.
"We have an action plan,'' he said.
This article was written by Vito Stellino and appeared in The Florida Times-Union.
viernes, 3 de junio de 2011
Chiefs fans are losing their patience - Ingles
It’s usually around this time of year that longtime Chiefs season-ticket holder Scott Black begins to get excited about the coming season.
Thanks to the NFL’s ongoing labor dispute and owner-imposed lockout, this is anything but a usual year.
Without a collective-bargaining agreement between the players and owners or a court order forcing the lockout to be lifted, the 2011 season is in jeopardy. The next chapter in the saga will be written on Friday at an 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals hearing in St. Louis.
Until a resolution is reached, first-round draft pick Jonathan Baldwin and the rest of the new Chiefs are not permitted at team facilities. A few Chiefs players are conducting practices on their own, but they’ve expressed a desire to work in secrecy. Nearly all Chiefs news these days is lockout- and labor-related.
For Black and many other Chiefs fans, the sense right now is not one of anticipation, but one of dread and doom.
“I’m at the point where I’ve just quit looking for Chiefs news because I’m just so disgusted with the entire situation,” Black said. “I’m not reading Chiefs news, I’m not watching the NFL Network.
“I’m at the point where I’m beyond frustrated. I realize (the labor dispute) is all a part of business, and I certainly empathize with both sides in wanting to get a fair deal. But in the end, they’re still fighting over a $9 billion or $10 billion industry, and I’m just disappointed and disillusioned by the whole thing.”
Black is just the sort of fan NFL commissioner Roger Goodell referenced last week at the conclusion of the league meetings in Indianapolis. Goodell indicated a sense that the lockout is wearing on NFL fans and warned of the economic trouble ahead for teams if things aren’t resolved shortly.
“I think it has clearly had an impact on our fans already,” Goodell said. “You see that in our various metrics that we have, whether they are (TV) ratings or traffic on NFL.com. … And that is a reflection of the uncertainty and the frustration of our fans.
“Our ratings were down at the draft, as an example, by roughly 4 million people. That’s a pretty significant decrease, about a 10-percent decrease, as I recall.”
Closer to home, the Chiefs may not be feeling the financial effects of the lockout as much as other teams. Chairman Clark Hunt said recently that the Chiefs were leading the league in new ticket sales by a significant margin. Of course, they also had a lot more inventory available than many teams to start with thanks to 76,416-seat Arrowhead Stadium.
“The changes we made to the business operation last year really paid dividends,” president Mark Donovan said. “We really tried to focus on the fan experience and making sure every single opportunity to have an interaction with our fans were positive ones.
“Obviously, winning the division and going 10-6 and having the excitement that went along with it, that built great momentum for us. That helped us with ticket sales. But it’s hard to measure how much more we could have grown or how much we were impacted by all this.”
That’s why the Chiefs say they are taking this situation so seriously. Hunt said that he hasn’t noticed an increase in negative comments from fans yet, but he expects it soon if the season remains in peril.
“As we get into summer, people will start thinking about football and about training camp,” Hunt said. “During the spring, we have (offseason practices), and fans focus on that to some degree, but it’s not a focal point. But football in the fall is very much a part of the fabric of society, and I think our fans will become very concerned.”
Until then, fans are experiencing increasing angst about the Chiefs and the fate of their season. It’s impossible to gauge in terms of numbers, but it’s also impossible to miss.
“I don’t feel connected at all,” said Gary Krings, who said season tickets have been in his family since the Chiefs arrived in Kansas City in 1963. “I feel I have no control over this and I’m totally at the mercy of the two sides. To be honest with you, I don’t care that much about the issues between them. It’s just a helpless feeling.”
Other fans tell a similar story, one that’s increasingly worrisome to the Chiefs and the rest of the NFL.
“Usually this time of year, I’m reading the newspaper every day,” said Jeff Yergovich, another longtime ticket holder. “I’m following what moves they make and how they do it, who’s new and who’s not. This year it’s all been a ‘blah’ situation for me. I figure if they don’t care about me, why should I care about them?
“They can’t even tell me whether there’s going to be a season this year. Why do I want to go out and buy a jersey? And do I really want to spend the money that ends up going back to the Chiefs or the NFL? I don’t know. It’s like I’m in a real holding pattern trying to figure out what to do.”
Krings said: “It’s totally different for me this year. I just can’t get into it at all. Somebody asked me the other day what I thought about their draft. I didn’t even know what he was talking about. It hasn’t even been anything I thought about. And that’s a frustrating feeling.”
Black, who lives in the Dallas area, travels to Kansas City for some Chiefs home games and distributes the rest of his tickets to friends and family. He had particular plans for the coming season that he may not realize.
“My youngest son has never been to Arrowhead Stadium, and he’s 7 years old,” Black said. “As a reward, I told him that he and I would fly to Kansas City and go to a Chiefs game, his first one. I had to tell him the other day we might have to come up with a plan B because I’m really worried there won’t be football this fall. Trying to explain to a 7-year-old why there won’t be football is extremely difficult.
“I’ve decided if we end up missing games. I probably won’t renew my tickets.”
Hunt hasn’t given up hope that an agreement can be reached, and soon. He acknowledged that with summer just around the corner, time is “very short.”
“I’m hopeful the players will start to feel the time pressure that we really all have,” he said. “None of us want to miss any football. That’s certainly our goal from an ownership standpoint, and I know the players want to play.”
Yergovich can’t see himself giving up on the Chiefs, but the frustration is overwhelming.
“I’ve always been a Chiefs fan, I’ve been around way too long to change,” he said. “But it’s frustrating that they’re sitting there arguing about things they shouldn’t be arguing about.”
Hunt’s message to fans like Black, Yergovich and Krings? Don’t give up on the Chiefs yet.
“If we can get to the bargaining table,” Hunt said, “I know that we’ll be able to find a deal that’s good for both parties and can get the Chiefs back on the field come this September.” This article was written by Adam Teicher and appeared in The Kansas City Star.
Thanks to the NFL’s ongoing labor dispute and owner-imposed lockout, this is anything but a usual year.
Without a collective-bargaining agreement between the players and owners or a court order forcing the lockout to be lifted, the 2011 season is in jeopardy. The next chapter in the saga will be written on Friday at an 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals hearing in St. Louis.
Until a resolution is reached, first-round draft pick Jonathan Baldwin and the rest of the new Chiefs are not permitted at team facilities. A few Chiefs players are conducting practices on their own, but they’ve expressed a desire to work in secrecy. Nearly all Chiefs news these days is lockout- and labor-related.
For Black and many other Chiefs fans, the sense right now is not one of anticipation, but one of dread and doom.
“I’m at the point where I’ve just quit looking for Chiefs news because I’m just so disgusted with the entire situation,” Black said. “I’m not reading Chiefs news, I’m not watching the NFL Network.
“I’m at the point where I’m beyond frustrated. I realize (the labor dispute) is all a part of business, and I certainly empathize with both sides in wanting to get a fair deal. But in the end, they’re still fighting over a $9 billion or $10 billion industry, and I’m just disappointed and disillusioned by the whole thing.”
Black is just the sort of fan NFL commissioner Roger Goodell referenced last week at the conclusion of the league meetings in Indianapolis. Goodell indicated a sense that the lockout is wearing on NFL fans and warned of the economic trouble ahead for teams if things aren’t resolved shortly.
“I think it has clearly had an impact on our fans already,” Goodell said. “You see that in our various metrics that we have, whether they are (TV) ratings or traffic on NFL.com. … And that is a reflection of the uncertainty and the frustration of our fans.
“Our ratings were down at the draft, as an example, by roughly 4 million people. That’s a pretty significant decrease, about a 10-percent decrease, as I recall.”
Closer to home, the Chiefs may not be feeling the financial effects of the lockout as much as other teams. Chairman Clark Hunt said recently that the Chiefs were leading the league in new ticket sales by a significant margin. Of course, they also had a lot more inventory available than many teams to start with thanks to 76,416-seat Arrowhead Stadium.
“The changes we made to the business operation last year really paid dividends,” president Mark Donovan said. “We really tried to focus on the fan experience and making sure every single opportunity to have an interaction with our fans were positive ones.
“Obviously, winning the division and going 10-6 and having the excitement that went along with it, that built great momentum for us. That helped us with ticket sales. But it’s hard to measure how much more we could have grown or how much we were impacted by all this.”
That’s why the Chiefs say they are taking this situation so seriously. Hunt said that he hasn’t noticed an increase in negative comments from fans yet, but he expects it soon if the season remains in peril.
“As we get into summer, people will start thinking about football and about training camp,” Hunt said. “During the spring, we have (offseason practices), and fans focus on that to some degree, but it’s not a focal point. But football in the fall is very much a part of the fabric of society, and I think our fans will become very concerned.”
Until then, fans are experiencing increasing angst about the Chiefs and the fate of their season. It’s impossible to gauge in terms of numbers, but it’s also impossible to miss.
“I don’t feel connected at all,” said Gary Krings, who said season tickets have been in his family since the Chiefs arrived in Kansas City in 1963. “I feel I have no control over this and I’m totally at the mercy of the two sides. To be honest with you, I don’t care that much about the issues between them. It’s just a helpless feeling.”
Other fans tell a similar story, one that’s increasingly worrisome to the Chiefs and the rest of the NFL.
“Usually this time of year, I’m reading the newspaper every day,” said Jeff Yergovich, another longtime ticket holder. “I’m following what moves they make and how they do it, who’s new and who’s not. This year it’s all been a ‘blah’ situation for me. I figure if they don’t care about me, why should I care about them?
“They can’t even tell me whether there’s going to be a season this year. Why do I want to go out and buy a jersey? And do I really want to spend the money that ends up going back to the Chiefs or the NFL? I don’t know. It’s like I’m in a real holding pattern trying to figure out what to do.”
Krings said: “It’s totally different for me this year. I just can’t get into it at all. Somebody asked me the other day what I thought about their draft. I didn’t even know what he was talking about. It hasn’t even been anything I thought about. And that’s a frustrating feeling.”
Black, who lives in the Dallas area, travels to Kansas City for some Chiefs home games and distributes the rest of his tickets to friends and family. He had particular plans for the coming season that he may not realize.
“My youngest son has never been to Arrowhead Stadium, and he’s 7 years old,” Black said. “As a reward, I told him that he and I would fly to Kansas City and go to a Chiefs game, his first one. I had to tell him the other day we might have to come up with a plan B because I’m really worried there won’t be football this fall. Trying to explain to a 7-year-old why there won’t be football is extremely difficult.
“I’ve decided if we end up missing games. I probably won’t renew my tickets.”
Hunt hasn’t given up hope that an agreement can be reached, and soon. He acknowledged that with summer just around the corner, time is “very short.”
“I’m hopeful the players will start to feel the time pressure that we really all have,” he said. “None of us want to miss any football. That’s certainly our goal from an ownership standpoint, and I know the players want to play.”
Yergovich can’t see himself giving up on the Chiefs, but the frustration is overwhelming.
“I’ve always been a Chiefs fan, I’ve been around way too long to change,” he said. “But it’s frustrating that they’re sitting there arguing about things they shouldn’t be arguing about.”
Hunt’s message to fans like Black, Yergovich and Krings? Don’t give up on the Chiefs yet.
“If we can get to the bargaining table,” Hunt said, “I know that we’ll be able to find a deal that’s good for both parties and can get the Chiefs back on the field come this September.” This article was written by Adam Teicher and appeared in The Kansas City Star.
Looking for clarity - Ingles
At the N.F.L. owners meeting last week, John Mara, the president of the Giants, was asked if the Super Bowl, scheduled for February in Indianapolis, would be played. Yes, he told a reporter, he was confident Indianapolis would have its Super Bowl.
“At some point there’s going to be a deal done,” Mara said. “I can’t tell you when that’s going to be.”
Neither can anyone else. But the uncertainty that has engulfed the N.F.L. this off-season — angering fans, irritating owners and players, and endangering the start of the season — may finally get some clarity after this week. On Friday, the most pivotal hearing of the lockout that has shuttered the league since March 12 will take place in St. Louis, where the Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit will hear arguments on the N.F.L.’s request to reverse the injunction that would stop the lockout.
This hearing will include the theater of two of the nation’s most respected appellate lawyers, Theodore B. Olson and Paul D. Clement, arguing against each other for the first time. The two are friends, and each served as United States solicitor general under President George W. Bush. Olson will represent the players, Clement the owners.
The Friday hearing has loomed so large in the fight for leverage that court-ordered mediated negotiations have gone nowhere since they began in April, as both sides waited for the balance of power to be settled.
The outcome, expected by early July, will strongly influence when, and under what conditions, the N.F.L. will play this season. If the owners win and the lockout continues, as seems likely given preliminary indications from the three-judge panel, players will be confronted with a difficult choice with the calendar working against them. They could continue with their antitrust case, which could mean sacrificing paychecks come September and perhaps the entire season if the stalemate continues into autumn. Representatives of players have strongly hinted at that path in recent weeks, even though a few players and agents have openly wondered why they are not negotiating already.
Or they could tell the lawyers who represent them to start negotiating a new deal that will allow them to return to work and the season to begin. That decision and the question of who on the players’ side would make it kept owners on edge last week, even as the courts tilted in their direction. A decision by the Eighth Circuit to affirm the injunction would come as a surprise to everyone, and it would force the N.F.L. to open for business under rules it would have to put in place.
When the strongly worded decision granting the league’s request for a delay of the injunction indicated that a majority of the panel has serious doubt about whether the district court had the right to issue the injunction at all, the owners were given the situation they have wanted. While the players will argue that the injunction should be upheld — their brief called the league a cartel and argued that the district court did have jurisdiction to issue the injunction — lawyers inside and outside the case say the players face a steep challenge before a panel that gave an unusually open window into its thinking on the critical issues on which the appeal will be decided. One lawyer called the decision a rebuke to the players’ side.
“It’s always nice if they rule in your favor, but it’s also helpful to know what they’re thinking,” said Olson, the players’ lawyer. “It makes it easier in that you know the things of concern to the judges. It makes it harder if the things they are concerned about are against your direction.”
Owners will try to press their advantage in St. Louis. The N.F.L. will ask the judges not only to reverse the injunction, but also to issue a broad ruling that makes clear “that the solution to this dispute over terms and conditions of employment lies with the labor laws and not in the antitrust courts,” their brief said. That decision would most likely lay the groundwork for the league to seek the dismissal of the case.
“The league thinks the best way to get a resolution of the whole situation, the best way to get players on the field, is to have everybody understand this is a labor dispute, and instead of holding out hope for antitrust action they should focus on getting back to football,” said Clement, who succeeded Olson as the solicitor general. “I sure hope it’s going to get out of the courts. If they can iron out their disagreements, it’s not about antitrust law but about sharing revenue, whether or not they are going to have transition tags. All that is classic stuff of labor law.”
Olson, who represented Bush before the Supreme Court to decide the 2000 presidential election, said: “I have enormous respect for Paul — he’s just about the finest lawyer I’ve ever known. For someone in the business I’m in, you really much prefer a very talented, very principled opponent. Paul will make the best possible arguments, they will be clear, there won’t be any confusion, and the judges will have all the information.”
Regarding two high-profile friends facing off in court, Clement said: “For insiders, it’s completely normal. I’ve known it was going to happen sooner or later. I look forward to it because Ted is a terrific lawyer.”
David Boies is also working for the N.F.L. in its dispute with players, although he will not speak at Friday’s hearing. He and Olson opposed each other in Bush v. Gore before the Supreme Court, and later teamed to overturn Proposition 8, California’s ban on same-sex marriage.
Clement recently resigned from his firm when it decided not to defend the Defense of Marriage Act, a federal statue that bans recognizing same-sex marriage.
“A representation should not be abandoned because the client’s legal position is extremely unpopular in certain quarters,” Clement wrote in April. “Defending unpopular clients is what lawyers do.”
With few people expecting that the Supreme Court would have much interest in the N.F.L. case at this stage, this is most likely the last significant court decision on the lockout before the season is scheduled to begin Sept. 8. Players have, over several decades, made their greatest gains in the courts, and they stand to be awarded hundreds of millions of dollars in damages by United States District Court Judge David S. Doty in a case involving the N.F.L.’s television contracts. He previously ruled that the N.F.L. failed to maximize revenue in its renegotiated television deals.
But that decision will be appealed, too, and players will not have access to the damages in the short term to make up for any potential loss of paychecks. Still, the threat of that much money may be a useful tool at the bargaining table, if the two sides ever get back there. Olson declined to speculate about what the players’ next step would be if the injunction was cast aside.
In the meantime, the clock ticks toward the season. Jim Irsay, the Indianapolis Colts’ owner, said last week that he thought 90 percent of owners and players wanted a deal done so football could resume.
That, of course, would leave on the margins the other 10 percent, those who are prepared for an extended battle. Perhaps that is why Irsay also seemed concerned about creating enough urgency to get a deal completed before training camps and preseason games are lost. After nearly three months of intransigence, the three judges who will hear Friday’s arguments may finally force the end of public rhetoric and move the N.F.L. back toward practice repetitions. This article was written by Judy Battista and appeared in The New York Times.
“At some point there’s going to be a deal done,” Mara said. “I can’t tell you when that’s going to be.”
Neither can anyone else. But the uncertainty that has engulfed the N.F.L. this off-season — angering fans, irritating owners and players, and endangering the start of the season — may finally get some clarity after this week. On Friday, the most pivotal hearing of the lockout that has shuttered the league since March 12 will take place in St. Louis, where the Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit will hear arguments on the N.F.L.’s request to reverse the injunction that would stop the lockout.
This hearing will include the theater of two of the nation’s most respected appellate lawyers, Theodore B. Olson and Paul D. Clement, arguing against each other for the first time. The two are friends, and each served as United States solicitor general under President George W. Bush. Olson will represent the players, Clement the owners.
The Friday hearing has loomed so large in the fight for leverage that court-ordered mediated negotiations have gone nowhere since they began in April, as both sides waited for the balance of power to be settled.
The outcome, expected by early July, will strongly influence when, and under what conditions, the N.F.L. will play this season. If the owners win and the lockout continues, as seems likely given preliminary indications from the three-judge panel, players will be confronted with a difficult choice with the calendar working against them. They could continue with their antitrust case, which could mean sacrificing paychecks come September and perhaps the entire season if the stalemate continues into autumn. Representatives of players have strongly hinted at that path in recent weeks, even though a few players and agents have openly wondered why they are not negotiating already.
Or they could tell the lawyers who represent them to start negotiating a new deal that will allow them to return to work and the season to begin. That decision and the question of who on the players’ side would make it kept owners on edge last week, even as the courts tilted in their direction. A decision by the Eighth Circuit to affirm the injunction would come as a surprise to everyone, and it would force the N.F.L. to open for business under rules it would have to put in place.
When the strongly worded decision granting the league’s request for a delay of the injunction indicated that a majority of the panel has serious doubt about whether the district court had the right to issue the injunction at all, the owners were given the situation they have wanted. While the players will argue that the injunction should be upheld — their brief called the league a cartel and argued that the district court did have jurisdiction to issue the injunction — lawyers inside and outside the case say the players face a steep challenge before a panel that gave an unusually open window into its thinking on the critical issues on which the appeal will be decided. One lawyer called the decision a rebuke to the players’ side.
“It’s always nice if they rule in your favor, but it’s also helpful to know what they’re thinking,” said Olson, the players’ lawyer. “It makes it easier in that you know the things of concern to the judges. It makes it harder if the things they are concerned about are against your direction.”
Owners will try to press their advantage in St. Louis. The N.F.L. will ask the judges not only to reverse the injunction, but also to issue a broad ruling that makes clear “that the solution to this dispute over terms and conditions of employment lies with the labor laws and not in the antitrust courts,” their brief said. That decision would most likely lay the groundwork for the league to seek the dismissal of the case.
“The league thinks the best way to get a resolution of the whole situation, the best way to get players on the field, is to have everybody understand this is a labor dispute, and instead of holding out hope for antitrust action they should focus on getting back to football,” said Clement, who succeeded Olson as the solicitor general. “I sure hope it’s going to get out of the courts. If they can iron out their disagreements, it’s not about antitrust law but about sharing revenue, whether or not they are going to have transition tags. All that is classic stuff of labor law.”
Olson, who represented Bush before the Supreme Court to decide the 2000 presidential election, said: “I have enormous respect for Paul — he’s just about the finest lawyer I’ve ever known. For someone in the business I’m in, you really much prefer a very talented, very principled opponent. Paul will make the best possible arguments, they will be clear, there won’t be any confusion, and the judges will have all the information.”
Regarding two high-profile friends facing off in court, Clement said: “For insiders, it’s completely normal. I’ve known it was going to happen sooner or later. I look forward to it because Ted is a terrific lawyer.”
David Boies is also working for the N.F.L. in its dispute with players, although he will not speak at Friday’s hearing. He and Olson opposed each other in Bush v. Gore before the Supreme Court, and later teamed to overturn Proposition 8, California’s ban on same-sex marriage.
Clement recently resigned from his firm when it decided not to defend the Defense of Marriage Act, a federal statue that bans recognizing same-sex marriage.
“A representation should not be abandoned because the client’s legal position is extremely unpopular in certain quarters,” Clement wrote in April. “Defending unpopular clients is what lawyers do.”
With few people expecting that the Supreme Court would have much interest in the N.F.L. case at this stage, this is most likely the last significant court decision on the lockout before the season is scheduled to begin Sept. 8. Players have, over several decades, made their greatest gains in the courts, and they stand to be awarded hundreds of millions of dollars in damages by United States District Court Judge David S. Doty in a case involving the N.F.L.’s television contracts. He previously ruled that the N.F.L. failed to maximize revenue in its renegotiated television deals.
But that decision will be appealed, too, and players will not have access to the damages in the short term to make up for any potential loss of paychecks. Still, the threat of that much money may be a useful tool at the bargaining table, if the two sides ever get back there. Olson declined to speculate about what the players’ next step would be if the injunction was cast aside.
In the meantime, the clock ticks toward the season. Jim Irsay, the Indianapolis Colts’ owner, said last week that he thought 90 percent of owners and players wanted a deal done so football could resume.
That, of course, would leave on the margins the other 10 percent, those who are prepared for an extended battle. Perhaps that is why Irsay also seemed concerned about creating enough urgency to get a deal completed before training camps and preseason games are lost. After nearly three months of intransigence, the three judges who will hear Friday’s arguments may finally force the end of public rhetoric and move the N.F.L. back toward practice repetitions. This article was written by Judy Battista and appeared in The New York Times.
Youth camps feel the lockout - Ingles
In these oh-so-strange days in and around the NFL, John Pagano is glad to have a circled date or two coming up on his coaching calendar and glad he will have some players to put through the paces.
"They're just going to be a little younger is all, maybe a little smaller," Pagano said. "But football is football, and I'm excited we'll have another year working with these kids, getting back on the field."
Pagano, the San Diego Chargers' linebackers coach and a Fairview High School graduate; his brother Chuck, the Baltimore Ravens' defensive coordinator and a Fairview alumnus; and their father Sam have guided the Mile High Football camp for 36 years.
The Pagano brothers have seen their offseason turned upside down by the NFL lockout, and their June 19-22 camp at Colorado Christian University in Lakewood is on the growing list of things touched by the league's labor strife.
NFL players including Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Jay Cutler have worked at the camp. But with the league's no-contact edict between players and coaches in effect because of the lockout, NFL players won't be at this year's camp unless the labor battle ends soon.
"That's just one of the things the situation has affected," John Pagano said. "That's the unfortunate thing as everybody waits to see what's going to happen. But there are a lot of stories like that, I'm sure. There are probably a lot of people around the game that could have things affected in some way if things continue the way they are. But we're all in the same boat. We're just waiting and watching right now.
"The camp is always one of the great things every offseason. I've been to every one as a participant, a counselor and now working on the coaching side. It's a highlight of the offseason, part of our vacation."
Because NFL players can't be involved this year, Pagano has tried to secure more members of his coaching brethren to assist with the camp. That group is expected to include Broncos head coach John Fox. Pagano said Fox has agreed to come to the camp, which is for children ages 8 to 14.
"We'll be ready for the kids," Pagano said. "We'll have a full staff of people ready to go and we're all going to be ready to coach, I'm sure. It will be nice to get on the field, be with the kids and our family, that's for sure." This article was written by Jeff Legwold and appeared in The Denver Post.
"They're just going to be a little younger is all, maybe a little smaller," Pagano said. "But football is football, and I'm excited we'll have another year working with these kids, getting back on the field."
Pagano, the San Diego Chargers' linebackers coach and a Fairview High School graduate; his brother Chuck, the Baltimore Ravens' defensive coordinator and a Fairview alumnus; and their father Sam have guided the Mile High Football camp for 36 years.
The Pagano brothers have seen their offseason turned upside down by the NFL lockout, and their June 19-22 camp at Colorado Christian University in Lakewood is on the growing list of things touched by the league's labor strife.
NFL players including Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Jay Cutler have worked at the camp. But with the league's no-contact edict between players and coaches in effect because of the lockout, NFL players won't be at this year's camp unless the labor battle ends soon.
"That's just one of the things the situation has affected," John Pagano said. "That's the unfortunate thing as everybody waits to see what's going to happen. But there are a lot of stories like that, I'm sure. There are probably a lot of people around the game that could have things affected in some way if things continue the way they are. But we're all in the same boat. We're just waiting and watching right now.
"The camp is always one of the great things every offseason. I've been to every one as a participant, a counselor and now working on the coaching side. It's a highlight of the offseason, part of our vacation."
Because NFL players can't be involved this year, Pagano has tried to secure more members of his coaching brethren to assist with the camp. That group is expected to include Broncos head coach John Fox. Pagano said Fox has agreed to come to the camp, which is for children ages 8 to 14.
"We'll be ready for the kids," Pagano said. "We'll have a full staff of people ready to go and we're all going to be ready to coach, I'm sure. It will be nice to get on the field, be with the kids and our family, that's for sure." This article was written by Jeff Legwold and appeared in The Denver Post.
Is it over yet? - Ingles
Seriously, you could fall asleep watching football practice, even if line coach Sweaty McBluster happened to be manically bull-horning something about "pad level" from 3 yards away.
He's just talking leverage, basically the same principle that applies to the NFL's tedious labor spat that's gone on just long enough to turn righteous indignation into the worst thing that could happen to an entertainment industry. And that would be apathy.
But wake up, because something's about to happen.
On Friday in St. Louis, lawyers and judges again get to scratch plays in the dirt. Outside of a Carolina-Cincinnati exhibition game, it's hard to imagine any football-related activity more mind-numbingly exhausting. But that's what it has come down to once more, finding the right pad angle for leverage in the courtroom.
It's fairly simple from here on. If the players win a decision that might take up to a month to reach, it's likely back to business. That way, the Packers could get their Super Bowl rings on June 16 without subjecting anyone to the awkward-moment equivalent of Scott Walker getting stuck in an elevator car with a couple of state workers.
If the owners win and the players don't cave, it becomes a countdown to how many games get lost to this nonsense.
We're less than 100 days from the Packers' scheduled season opener against the New Orleans Saints, which means it's getting close to the time when something's got to give if they're going to play all 16.
Your guess on the point of no return is as good as any. Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times recently identified Aug. 15 as the date teams would have to begin training camp to miss no games. That seems reasonable if the Packers are to keep most hamstrings intact on Sept. 8.
Anything after mid-August, and chances become better than good the season would have to be abbreviated or scrubbed altogether. When the players instigated work stoppage in 1982, they played nine games. With the next strike five years later, they played 12 real games and three with replacements. As most would agree, there would be no point in playing eight or fewer.
That's why this thing is probably over after the next ruling. All the macho huffing and puffing at the negotiating table was able to cross the line of civility back when winter was supposedly turning into spring. But the sudden reality of the calendar flipping to June is going to motivate a lot of football players to put down their video-game controllers and 9-irons.
As much as the players deserve to win this squabble the owners started, I can't see the players doing anything but eventually giving in if the lockout is upheld. Unfortunately, not enough of them are financially prepared to miss more than a paycheck or two. Not enough of them are willing to give up an entire season of a career that lasts, on average, less than four.
If the judges again rule in favor of the owners, Jerry Jones' pad level would become so low that even a 68-year-old little guy would be able to figuratively knock a monster like Ndamukong Suh off his game. That is the physics, as well as the economics, of leverage.
The owners got a little more of it recently when it was disclosed that season-ticket sales are up despite the lockout. In the event of another favorable ruling, they would have more than enough to wait around until the players surrendered.
After a face-saving period of a month or so, the players would be back. At least then, we could all be bored to distraction by chatter of a different kind of leverage. This article was written by Michael Hunt and appeared in The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
He's just talking leverage, basically the same principle that applies to the NFL's tedious labor spat that's gone on just long enough to turn righteous indignation into the worst thing that could happen to an entertainment industry. And that would be apathy.
But wake up, because something's about to happen.
On Friday in St. Louis, lawyers and judges again get to scratch plays in the dirt. Outside of a Carolina-Cincinnati exhibition game, it's hard to imagine any football-related activity more mind-numbingly exhausting. But that's what it has come down to once more, finding the right pad angle for leverage in the courtroom.
It's fairly simple from here on. If the players win a decision that might take up to a month to reach, it's likely back to business. That way, the Packers could get their Super Bowl rings on June 16 without subjecting anyone to the awkward-moment equivalent of Scott Walker getting stuck in an elevator car with a couple of state workers.
If the owners win and the players don't cave, it becomes a countdown to how many games get lost to this nonsense.
We're less than 100 days from the Packers' scheduled season opener against the New Orleans Saints, which means it's getting close to the time when something's got to give if they're going to play all 16.
Your guess on the point of no return is as good as any. Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times recently identified Aug. 15 as the date teams would have to begin training camp to miss no games. That seems reasonable if the Packers are to keep most hamstrings intact on Sept. 8.
Anything after mid-August, and chances become better than good the season would have to be abbreviated or scrubbed altogether. When the players instigated work stoppage in 1982, they played nine games. With the next strike five years later, they played 12 real games and three with replacements. As most would agree, there would be no point in playing eight or fewer.
That's why this thing is probably over after the next ruling. All the macho huffing and puffing at the negotiating table was able to cross the line of civility back when winter was supposedly turning into spring. But the sudden reality of the calendar flipping to June is going to motivate a lot of football players to put down their video-game controllers and 9-irons.
As much as the players deserve to win this squabble the owners started, I can't see the players doing anything but eventually giving in if the lockout is upheld. Unfortunately, not enough of them are financially prepared to miss more than a paycheck or two. Not enough of them are willing to give up an entire season of a career that lasts, on average, less than four.
If the judges again rule in favor of the owners, Jerry Jones' pad level would become so low that even a 68-year-old little guy would be able to figuratively knock a monster like Ndamukong Suh off his game. That is the physics, as well as the economics, of leverage.
The owners got a little more of it recently when it was disclosed that season-ticket sales are up despite the lockout. In the event of another favorable ruling, they would have more than enough to wait around until the players surrendered.
After a face-saving period of a month or so, the players would be back. At least then, we could all be bored to distraction by chatter of a different kind of leverage. This article was written by Michael Hunt and appeared in The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Shortened season will mean more blackouts in Tampa - Ingles
The ongoing labor impasse could reinforce Tampa Bay’s reputation as the blackout capital of the National Football League.
Ten weeks ago in New Orleans, Bucs co-chairman Joel Glazer said club officials were encouraged by strong season-ticket sales for 2011. But the uncertainty about when, or even if, the new season will begin has hurt marketing efforts for all 32 teams.
Last year, the Bucs were the only NFL club with every home game blocked out in the local market. With sales stalled, Tampa Bay fans without a ticket may once again have to travel out of the blackout region to view games at Raymond James Stadium.
Even the one home game that appeared certain to be televised in the Bay area, an Oct. 23 matchup against the Bears at London’s Wembley Stadium, could be blacked out because the game will be played in Tampa if the lockout is still in place Aug. 1.
Until last season, the Bucs had not suffered a home blackout since Raymond James Stadium opened in 1998. Any momentum the club had generated from last year’s surprising 10-6 finish has been undermined by a prolonged labor impasse with no resolution in sight.
The Bucs typically stage their annual FanFest in June, drawing thousands of supporters to RayJay, but those plans currently are on hold.
Just like the 2011 NFL season.
This article was written by Ira Kaufman and appeared in the The Tampa Tribune.
Ten weeks ago in New Orleans, Bucs co-chairman Joel Glazer said club officials were encouraged by strong season-ticket sales for 2011. But the uncertainty about when, or even if, the new season will begin has hurt marketing efforts for all 32 teams.
Last year, the Bucs were the only NFL club with every home game blocked out in the local market. With sales stalled, Tampa Bay fans without a ticket may once again have to travel out of the blackout region to view games at Raymond James Stadium.
Even the one home game that appeared certain to be televised in the Bay area, an Oct. 23 matchup against the Bears at London’s Wembley Stadium, could be blacked out because the game will be played in Tampa if the lockout is still in place Aug. 1.
Until last season, the Bucs had not suffered a home blackout since Raymond James Stadium opened in 1998. Any momentum the club had generated from last year’s surprising 10-6 finish has been undermined by a prolonged labor impasse with no resolution in sight.
The Bucs typically stage their annual FanFest in June, drawing thousands of supporters to RayJay, but those plans currently are on hold.
Just like the 2011 NFL season.
This article was written by Ira Kaufman and appeared in the The Tampa Tribune.
Chargers assistant still gets to do what he loves - Ingles
John Pagano participates in coaching camps every summer, always enjoying them but sometimes having to find an extra gear to do so at the start of his only time off all year.
This year, though, his John Pagano Skills Camp, June 11 and 12 at Westview Park, provides an opportunity to do something the long-time Chargers linebackers coach has not been able to do – actually coach.
“We miss it constantly,” said Pagano, who like other NFL coaches has been working but due to the NFL lockout not coaching the players he normally would be in offseason workouts and minicamps. “Being able to coach the Sycuan fantasy camp I was trying to kill those guys the other day. (Coaching) is what we do. That’s what we’re about. ”
Pagano’s father, Sam, was a longtime high school coach in Colorado and runs the Mile High Football Camp, where his sons help him every June. Before he goes there again for the 36th year – first as a camper, then a counselor and then a coach – Pagano will run his camp to benefit Mira Mesa Youth Football.
“I love doing it,” Pagano said. “I love doing camps for kids, my son’s friends, (teaching) them what I know about the game …
Cost for the camp, which runs 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and is open to all AYF players is $100. That includes lunch and a t-shirt. Click here to download the registration form.
Unlike past year, Chargers players cannot participate due to the lockout, which forbids coaches from interacting with players. Among the Chargers coaches scheduled to participate are Carlos Polk, Greg Williams and Chris Dishman.
“We’re going to have the guys who coach the pros,” Pagano said. “It’s going to be a good time.” This article was written by Kevin Acee and appeared in The San Diego Union-Tribune.
This year, though, his John Pagano Skills Camp, June 11 and 12 at Westview Park, provides an opportunity to do something the long-time Chargers linebackers coach has not been able to do – actually coach.
“We miss it constantly,” said Pagano, who like other NFL coaches has been working but due to the NFL lockout not coaching the players he normally would be in offseason workouts and minicamps. “Being able to coach the Sycuan fantasy camp I was trying to kill those guys the other day. (Coaching) is what we do. That’s what we’re about. ”
Pagano’s father, Sam, was a longtime high school coach in Colorado and runs the Mile High Football Camp, where his sons help him every June. Before he goes there again for the 36th year – first as a camper, then a counselor and then a coach – Pagano will run his camp to benefit Mira Mesa Youth Football.
“I love doing it,” Pagano said. “I love doing camps for kids, my son’s friends, (teaching) them what I know about the game …
Cost for the camp, which runs 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and is open to all AYF players is $100. That includes lunch and a t-shirt. Click here to download the registration form.
Unlike past year, Chargers players cannot participate due to the lockout, which forbids coaches from interacting with players. Among the Chargers coaches scheduled to participate are Carlos Polk, Greg Williams and Chris Dishman.
“We’re going to have the guys who coach the pros,” Pagano said. “It’s going to be a good time.” This article was written by Kevin Acee and appeared in The San Diego Union-Tribune.
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