No NFL in 2011?

Adam Schefter speculated, I refuse to use the word "report" when it comes to him, that there is a very good chance the NFL will not have a 2011 season. His reasoning was not that the players and owners would struggle to settle their differences once the current Collective Bargaining Agreement expires, but the owners of big market teams and small market teams would be fighting it out.

Apparently the big guns like Jerry Jones and Daniel Snyder don't want a salary cap and want to spend as much as they want on players. Of course, this is the greatest fear of all small market teams.

I really shouldn't justify this rumor with a post, though. Schefter did not name a single source or owner who told him that the 2011 NFL season was looking bleak. He just said he thinks there is a good chance there won't be football that year because the owners will not be able to agree to a new CBA.

I hate that kind of reporting. Really, anytime there are anonymous sources, I question the story. There are a few exceptions, but they are rare. How do we know it's not just a small market owner trying to get leverage and fans on his side before the future CBA talks? Why remain anonymous. The other owners are going to find out eventually when the talks begin and you pick a side. I just don't understand why you bring this story up if you don't have any sources who are man enough to put their name with it.

Now, if this were true, how much would Fall and Winter of 2011 stink? We'll still have the NHL, NCAA football and basketball, but it won't be the same. I don't care about the NBA until May and when teams actually start playing defense. Not only will we have to find things to do on Sundays, but think of the bigger ramifications. How much money will Vegas lose out on? What will us fantasy football fanatics do? Go outside or read a book on the weekend? The thought is sending shivers down my spine.

Then there is the even worse scenario, which is an NFL with no salary cap. I could deal with it for one season, but I would bang my head against the wall repeatedly if it was like baseball and had no cap until the end of time. It's not even the idea of a few teams spending boatloads more than the rest of the league, it's the overpaying of mediocre players that will anger me the most. Long snappers will be demanding $6 million a year like relieving specialists who come in to pitch to one to two batters in the later innings.

Seriously, from a fan's perspective, what good comes from a league with no salary cap? What next, the AFC being forced to go for a two-point conversion after every score, while the NFC will still have a choice?

The Clash - Rudy Can't Fail