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hawaiiansteel
02-07-2011, 01:49 AM
Just How Dumb Does Roger Goodell Think We Really Are?

By Terence Moore
February 5 2011

http://www.blogcdn.com/nfl.fanhouse.com/media/2011/02/020511-goodell-307.jpg


DALLAS -- He spoke for 47 minutes, and to hear NFL commissioner Roger Goodell tell it on Friday inside the Sheraton Conference and Exposition Center, up is down, the cow really did jump over the moon and "American Idol" will get replaced by "I Love Lucy" reruns.

I mean, what was that?

"We have to get beyond this negotiating ploy of opening the books, because that's all it is," said Goodell, with his interpretation of what the players want the owners to do during negotiations for a new labor deal. In other words, the commissioner was insulting the intelligence of everybody listening to his State of the NFL Address.

Of course, the owners should allow the players to see how much red as opposed to black is causing the owners to threaten a lockout.

That is, if there is a lot of red.

Said Goodell, shrugging at the podium while adding, "The players have more than sufficient information to understand why the economics of this (old) deal does not work."

They do? So why are they saying the opposite?

Actually, that was the league's version of Pravda, with the commissioner as its designated spokesperson. He kept suggesting, for instance, that the owners need a new labor deal, because the current one is sending them closer to the nearest soup kitchen.

This is despite the fact that NFL television ratings are at their highest level in decades. Plus, ticket prices have risen faster than the national deficit, and the league never has been more profitable. But Goodell countered by adding the players need to earn less to help the owners, because a team hasn't built a new stadium since 2006.

He didn't say 1906, which would have made sense. He said 2006 -- as in five years ago, as in, why is he even mentioning this, especially since the only glaring stadium issues for the NFL out of 32 teams are in the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Area and San Diego?

Just call it Goodell's attempt to stiff arm folks away from the truth with a straight face and a strong voice, but it isn't working. Surely anybody who knows the difference between a goal post and a kicking tee could tell that Goodell was scrambling for the sidelines when he was asked why the NFL wishes to expand from 16 regular season games to 18.

Remember, too, that the NFL spent last year claiming the health of the players was one of its primary goals.

If Goodell handles himself during the upcoming labor talks in the same way he did on Friday before the national and international media, the NFL will have a lockout, all right, and it won't end until Clay Matthews and Troy Polamalu agree to shave their heads.

"Injuries occur in preseason games, including the four preseason games, so you have to try to look to see what you can do in the offseason," Goodell said, which is fine. But what does that have to do with adding two more games to the regular season?

Nothing.

The players don't want it. Neither do the fans. "We started this with the fans," Goodell said, with raised eyebrows, signaling that more illogical statements were on the way.

Added Goodell, "The fans clearly stated that they don't like the quality of our preseason ... Repeatedly, the fans have said the quality of the preseason doesn't meet NFL standards. That is one of the basis on which we started to look at the 18-and-two concept, by taking two of those low quality, non-competitive games and turning those into quality, competitive games that the fans want to see. They want to support."

Uh-huh. You could keep the 16-game regular season, get rid of the two exhibition games and make everybody happy.

Well, except for the owners.

Which is why Goodell wants us to believe that the earth is about to spin backward.

Which brings us to his weather nonsense.

"Here, in North Texas, we are prepared (for the bruising winter weather throughout the area), and all of our (Super Bowl XLV) events are going on as scheduled," said the commissioner, straight faced.

In case you haven't heard, Dallas is a snowy, icy and windy mess, and it has been this way since the start of the week. The next time somebody puts salt on many of the streets and sidewalks in town will be the first. As a result, the ice is thick and dangerous everywhere.

Schools have been closed for four days. Restaurants are virtually empty, even around the trendy West End. Elevators at the 38-floor media hotel went out due to frigid temperatures or something, and guests were forced to walk up and down the stairs. Taxi drivers are charging sometimes triple their normal rate -- you know, just because they can.

There also has been tragedy.

With the game approaching on Sunday, up to seven people were injured by falling ice from the top of Cowboys Stadium, according to area news reports. One person supposedly was critically hurt.

Even so, Goodell kept saying during his address that everything is under control with NFL and local officials regarding the weather, adding, "When we chose to play in climates where (winter storms are) more likely to happen, they are very capable of dealing with these types of issues, and we have been very comfortable playing there."

Let's put it this way: If Goodell handles himself during the upcoming labor talks in the same way he did on Friday before the national and international media, the NFL will have a lockout, all right, and it won't end until Clay Matthews and Troy Polamalu agree to shave their heads.

Goodell isn't a dummy. For one, he graduated from college with a degree in economics, just like a FanHouse national sports columnist I know. He also went from an NFL intern nearly 30 years ago under legendary commissioner Pete Rozelle to the right-hand man of Rozelle's successor Paul Tagliabue to replacing Tagliabue in the fall of 2006.

Maybe Goodell thinks the rest of us are dummies.

"We've played in Detroit," Goodell said, as if that means we should ignore the weather horrors around Dallas, especially since there were weather horrors in Detroit. "We've played in Minnesota. We'll be playing in Indianapolis next year. I think the people in those communities recognize the preparation that is necessary, and we'll be in that position."

Whatever, dude. Goodell is trying to justify the NFL's silly decision under Tagliabue to award Super Bowls to cold-weather sites. The league's premier event isn't just about the game. It's also about the week, where thousands of folks arrive at the Super Bowl site from Monday through Saturday to enjoy a slew of festivities.

You can't enjoy yourself as well -- or at all -- when you're trapped in your hotel room, or if you have frozen toes.

The point is that the Super Bowl never should be outside of California, Florida, Arizona or New Orleans.

Houston might work on occasion, but Dallas? Please.

Such logic didn't keep Goodell from trying to claim that water wasn't wet by suggesting that the snow-related paralysis of Dallas these days is just the way of the whole United States. According to the commissioner, "There are few places that aren't dealing with the aftereffects of this storm. It's an extraordinarily rare storm."

Yeah, well. I'm checking The Weather Channel right now for some of the places that have hosted Super Bowls, and it is 62 (and sunny) in Los Angeles. It is 52 in Phoenix. It is 76 in Miami. It is 41 in New Orleans. It is 77 in Tampa.

Oh, and it is 27 (and not sunny) in Dallas, where the commissioner said all was well before he likely rushed to grab his parka.

http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2011/02/05/just ... k3%7C41993 (http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2011/02/05/just-how-dumb-does-roger-goodell-think-we-really-are/?icid=maing%7Cmain5%7Cdl4%7Csec1_lnk3%7C41993)

Crash
02-07-2011, 02:03 AM
They couldn't even get this stadium approved via the fire code. Hundreds of fans had to sit outside because the temporary seats were not approved by the fire department.

Goodell is such an a$s.

_SteeL_CurtaiN_
02-07-2011, 01:54 PM
He thinks we are dumb but I will excercie my right to NOT purchase the Sunday ticket or any merchanise until such time as I feel the NFL has restored sanity and fairness.

aggiebones
02-07-2011, 03:09 PM
Director of misinformation.

Didn't Sadaam have someone like this?

hawaiiansteel
02-07-2011, 03:48 PM
Director of misinformation.

Didn't Sadaam have someone like this?


Baghdad Bob does kind of sound like Roger Goodell, huh? :lol:


http://0.tqn.com/d/politicalhumor/1/0/j/U/iraq_baghdadbob.jpghttp://0.tqn.com/d/politicalhumor/1/0/0/W/baghdadbob_microsoft.jpghttp://0.tqn.com/d/politicalhumor/1/0/1/W/baghdadbob_stanleycup.jpg

skyhawk
02-08-2011, 01:43 AM
Director of misinformation.

Didn't Sadaam have someone like this?

More like the Director (Minister of Propaganda)?. Like Joseph Goebbels in the Nazi regime. Of course, it's unfair to compare the NFL to Nazi regime.

hawaiiansteel
02-09-2011, 10:29 PM
Wed Feb 09

Fans file suit against NFL and Cowboys over Super Bowl seating

By Chris Chase

http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/ept_sports_nfl_experts__31/ept_sports_nfl_experts-943985831-1297278183.jpg?ymnjHiED.BIQNewV


Fans whose Super Bowl plans were altered by seating problems at Super Bowl XLV have filed a lawsuit against the NFL, the Dallas Cowboys and Jerry Jones. The lawsuit alleges breach of contract, fraud and deceptive sales practices.

The Dallas News reports that the plantiffs are seeking $5 million from the NFL. Up to 1,000 fans may join the suit.

Some of the complaints are legitimate (the 400 fans who didn't end up having a seat to the game, for instance) while others come off as a bit forced (some season-ticket holders weren't aware they'd be in temporary seats).

"Unfortunately, not all of the ticket-holders to Super Bowl XLV got what they bargained for or what was promised to them," the lawsuit states.

Since most of my legal knowledge was accrued from watching old episodes of "Matlock," I can't speak on whether or not the fans have a case. (But if not getting what you bargained for at an NFL game is grounds for a lawsuit, then lawyers in Cincinnati and Detroit are going to be awfully busy soon.) They don't need to have a case, though. The NFL can't get into a legal battle with fans because it would be a public relations disaster. Lawyers on both sides know this, which is why it's never going to go to trial. They'll settle way before that.

The league screwed up twice: first by not having Cowboys Stadium ready, and second by its inadequate offer of repentance which would give fans $2,400 and was later amended to include a ticket to next year's Super Bowl or an option to take a ticket to a future Super Bowl, airfare and hotel included. This wasn't a negotiation. The NFL should have made the fans an offer they couldn't refuse up front. Now it'll end up having to pay more than they would have originally needed.

Let's not mourn for these aggrieved fans. When it comes down to it, they missed a football game and now they're trying to cash in on it. The NFL would be wise to refund any and all money the fans spent to get to Dallas and into the game, hook them up with tickets and VIP access to see their favorite team play a game next season, and maybe throw in some spending money for their trouble. The quicker this gets out of the media the better. We have a lockout to focus on, after all.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdo ... nfl-319085 (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Fans-file-suit-against-NFL-and-Cowboys-over-Supe?urn=nfl-319085)

Discipline of Steel
02-10-2011, 08:07 AM
Why did you have to post his picture? I really cant stand the sight of him, all stuffed into his suit and it looks like hes wearing makeup. Politician.

hawaiiansteel
02-14-2011, 04:02 AM
Saving '11 season still priority No. 1

Goodell aware that NFL fans' only concern is salvaging games

By JOHN McCLAIN
Feb. 13, 2011, 12:31AM

http://www.chron.com/photos/2011/02/04/25141926/260xStory.jpg

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will have his work cut out for him to prevent a lockout on March 4.


If the NFL owners lock out the players March 4, the action could affect a number of scheduled league events. If the two sides don't agree to a new collective- bargaining agreement, here is how the schedule could be disrupted in the next several months:

In the public relations rhetoric between the NFL Management Council and NFL Players Association over a new collective-bargaining agreement, both sides must agree with something commissioner Roger Goodell said before Super Bowl XLV.

"What I hear from fans is that they just want football, and the fans aren't forgotten here," Goodell said about the negotiations. "They care about just getting an agreement. They don't care about the details. They want to make sure they have the great game they love.

"That's our responsibility, and I don't think anyone is going to feel sorry for any of us, including yours truly, if we're not successful at doing that."

Representatives of the owners and players met two times in a five-day period over the last two weeks. No progress was reported. Both parties left the talks early on Wednesday because of a lack of progress. A session planned for Thursday was canceled.

The current CBA expires on March 3. Several things could happen on March 4.

The most likely scenario is that the owners lock out the players. That would mean no communication between teams and players until a new agreement is signed.

If round-the-clock negotiations occur before the deadline, as expected, the owners could declare an impasse and implement their best offer during negotiations. If the players accept , a normal offseason would continue.

If the owners declare an impasse and the players don't accept it, the players would go on strike.

What's least likely is the owners doing nothing on March 4 other than continuing negotiations. Players would become free agents, and roster bonuses due in March would have to be paid.

"If we're unsuccessful in getting an agreement by March 4, I expect the uncertainty will continue," Goodell said. "(It) will be bad for our partners. It will be bad for the players, (and) it will be bad for the clubs.

"That uncertainty will lead to a reduction, potentially, in revenue, and when that revenue decreases, there will be less for us to share. That will just make it harder to make an agreement.

"A series of things will happen in March if we're not successful. There will not be free agency, which will impact on the players. There will be a number of things that I'm sure both sides will consider that, strategically, I believe will move us away from the negotiating table rather than toward the negotiating table."

In 1982, a strike cost the NFL seven regular-season games. In 1987, a strike cost the league four games, even though three were made up with replacement players.

Steelers owner Dan Rooney played a major role in helping settle the strikes of 1982 and 1987, but he's the U.S. ambassador to Ireland and not as involved with the game as he once was.

Because players are paid their base salaries over 17 weeks in the regular season, they won't miss being paid until then. But many are paid roster bonuses in March they won't receive. Players will have to pay their own insurance through COBRA.

Ready for battle

Both sides say they are well-stocked for a work stoppage. The owners are supposed to have a $900 million war chest. They will receive their regular network television payment, which would have to be paid back with interest if games were missed. Each saved $10 million by not having to fund the players' 401(k) program in 2010, an uncapped year.

If there is a lockout, there will be no OTAs, minicamps, training camp, preseason or regular season until a new agreement is reached.

Most teams would have coaches and executives working at 50 percent of their salaries if games are canceled.

Widespread impact

A lockout would touch a lot of people besides players and owners. Television networks, sponsors, ticket holders, employees at stadiums and practice facilities, among others, would be affected in different ways.

Teams are expected to lay off administrative personnel.

"When you make decisions on personnel — and I've had to make them in our organization two years ago when we were going through some difficult times in the economy - there are still difficult economic challenges," Goodell said. "All of our clubs, and the league, and every other business, have to make very tough decisions in this kind of environment.

"No one likes to see our employees let go, (but) when you're dealing with employees and their future, there's nothing harder to do. We want to make sure that we're making smart decisions for our employees, our players, our clubs, for the long term, and make sure that we can continue to have a successful product."

In the negotiations, the owners are seeking a reduction in player revenue by 18 percent (more than $1 billion), an 18-game schedule and a rookie wage scale.

"I've frequently said this will get resolved at the negotiating table," Goodell said. "All of the other public relations, litigation strategies, congressional strategies - this is about a negotiation. We have to address the issues and find solutions."

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/spo ... 25026.html (http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/fb/texansfront/7425026.html)

hawaiiansteel
02-16-2011, 02:41 PM
NFL Lout : Why Roger Goodell Is Bad As Hell For The NFL

by Canton Cuts on Feb 11, 2011


http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2010/04/23/alg_roger_goodell_closeup.jpg

The muckerism known as the Roger Goodell Era began in the National Football League when he barely won the job as commissioner by two votes in 2006. Though he tried to push this image of being a strict disciplinarian since then, but he has mostly shown to be a watered down version of his mentor and predecessor Paul Tagliabue.

Goodell began working with the NFL as an intern thanks to the fact his dad was a Senator in the same state that NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle lived in. When Tagliabue replaced a retired Rozelle in 1989, Goodell was taken under the wing of a former college basketball player who knew very little about the game of football.

His role increased as the rules began to heavily favor the offenses and the quarterback position especially. Goodell has even taken this many steps further to sickening proportions since 2006 to the point even touching a quarterback results in a penalty and fine.

The 2011 season has been his worse, yet it may be a blessing for the NFL. It is quite evident Goodell is the wrong man for the job more than ever and replacing him would benefit the league. The league has made mistakes here before, so admitting they made the wrong hire would be nothing new for the NFL.

Jim Thorpe was the first NFL Commissioner ever from 1920 to 1921. He was an obvious figurehead much like Goodell is. Thorpe was a Hall of Fame football player who won two Gold Medals in the 1921 Olympics, played Major League Baseball, and basically excelled in any athletic endeavor.

Carl Stork, a co-founder of the NFL, was commissioner for two years until stepping down due to illness. Austin Gunsel stepped in when Bert Bell died in 1959, but was replaced by Rozelle four months later. Elmer Layden, one of the famous "Four Horsemen" from Notre Dame University, held the job for five year before being replaced by Bell because owners thought him too much a gentleman and not forceful enough for the job.

While Goodell has tried to pretend his was forceful regime, it has been severely tainted with hypocrisy. He reduced a suspension of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger by two games this year, but then proceeded to tell people, right before the quarterback was to play Super Bowl XLV, that at least two dozen Steelers did not support Roethlisberger.

The reporter, Peter King, tried to back peddle soon after, but most likely because he was ordered to by Goodell. Still, the damage was done and the timing could not have been more inappropriate. The Super Bowl is the biggest game the league has, one where billions of dollars are involved and where more viewers from other parts of the world tune in.

Not only was the big game marred by Goodell's boorish behavior, but perhaps the worst pre-game and halftime entertainment shows in Super Bowl history followed in a game where hundreds of fans were displaced because Goodell's people did a poor job preparing Cowboys Stadium for the event. These fans are now suing the league.

These debacles took place on the eve of a players strike that is almost certainly going to occur. Players strikes are nothing new in the NFL, having occurred in 1968, 1970, 1982, and 1987. Yet each strike dealt with different issues.

When the players threatened a strike in 1968, the owners countered by declaring a lockout. Since players salaries were low in that era, which caused them to hold second hobs, this strike was brief. There was another brief strike during training camp in 1970.

The 1982 season holds some similarity to today. It was to be the first season where 16 regular season games were scheduled to be played. Goodell intends to extend seasons to 18 games starting next year. Just nine regular season games were played in 1982.

When the 1987 strike went down, players missed a month of the regular season but the games were still played. Owners hire replacement players, which was largely a group of players who had been cut in training camps. Many players, including Hall of Famers like Joe Montana, Steve Largent, and Randy White, crossed the picket lines to play.

This strike may be different because NFL players see how Major League Baseball players get paid. The NFL is the king of professional sports right now and players want a bigger piece of the pie. Considering an average career lasts less than two years, their request doesn't seem ridiculous.

The players today are afforded luxuries like never before. Though the game still contains hard hitting at times, the rules today make it a much less violent game. Goodell is now saying the league cares about players suffering concussions, an issue they ignored since their beginnings.

Past players suffer today, ignored by their own brethren who are enjoying the path paved for them. Yet the players see how the legends are doing today and are trying to prevent repeating that in their own future. Goodell's recent claims of caring are generally considered just lip service by most so he can resolve the impending strike sooner.

Besides continuing Tagliabue's mission to pamper quarterbacks and offenses while castrating defenses, there are many other things about Goodell that anger players. Many feel he is out of touch, sitting in an ivory tower with a blind eye as his wallet fills up at a rapid pace.

Many players lately have been echoing the same sentiment in regards to their commissioner. They feel he has too much power and control over the game while maintaining a constant predilection of making wrong decisions ultimately. He once was referred to as an obtuse fascist who has ruined the integrity of the game in favor of money.

Though it is unknown if things would be much better or worse now if Goodell did not retain those two votes in 2006, the question if he is the right man for the job gets louder each day. Whether the owners are listening or even caring is the question.

Bell and Rozelle, generally considered the best commissioners in NFL history, never uttered such ramblings like Goodell has while holding the office over 30 years combined. Neither besmirched their players like Goodell has. Though it is doubtful a person as good as Bell or Rozelle is out there right now, it would behoove the NFL to try and find out while firing Goodell.

If the league stays complacent behind his questionable leadership, the United Football League could very well find success the the American Football League did in the 1960's, forcing the NFL to allow all 10 of their teams to merge. Before that, the All-American Football Conference had the NFL take in three teams in 1950.

Though the game of football needs the upstart UFL, now entering their third season, to compete with the NFL to make their product better, the NFL learned 41 years ago from the AFL that it can take a long time to get back on top after being the only game in town several years. A game that has been eroding under the direction of Roger Goodell.

http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/20 ... or-the-nfl (http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2011/2/11/1989551/nfl-lout-why-roger-goodell-is-bad-as-hell-for-the-nfl)

RuthlessBurgher
02-16-2011, 03:05 PM
NFL Lout : Why Roger Goodell Is Bad As Hell For The NFL

by Canton Cuts on Feb 11, 2011


http://assets.nydailynews.com/img/2010/04/23/alg_roger_goodell_closeup.jpg

The muckerism known as the Roger Goodell Era began in the National Football League when he barely won the job as commissioner by two votes in 2006. Though he tried to push this image of being a strict disciplinarian since then, but he has mostly shown to be a watered down version of his mentor and predecessor Paul Tagliabue.

Goodell began working with the NFL as an intern thanks to the fact his dad was a Senator in the same state that NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle lived in. When Tagliabue replaced a retired Rozelle in 1989, Goodell was taken under the wing of a former college basketball player who knew very little about the game of football.

His role increased as the rules began to heavily favor the offenses and the quarterback position especially. Goodell has even taken this many steps further to sickening proportions since 2006 to the point even touching a quarterback results in a penalty and fine.

The 2011 season has been his worse, yet it may be a blessing for the NFL. It is quite evident Goodell is the wrong man for the job more than ever and replacing him would benefit the league. The league has made mistakes here before, so admitting they made the wrong hire would be nothing new for the NFL.

Jim Thorpe was the first NFL Commissioner ever from 1920 to 1921. He was an obvious figurehead much like Goodell is. Thorpe was a Hall of Fame football player who won two Gold Medals in the 1921 Olympics, played Major League Baseball, and basically excelled in any athletic endeavor.

Carl Stork, a co-founder of the NFL, was commissioner for two years until stepping down due to illness. Austin Gunsel stepped in when Bert Bell died in 1959, but was replaced by Rozelle four months later. Elmer Layden, one of the famous "Four Horsemen" from Notre Dame University, held the job for five year before being replaced by Bell because owners thought him too much a gentleman and not forceful enough for the job.

While Goodell has tried to pretend his was forceful regime, it has been severely tainted with hypocrisy. He reduced a suspension of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger by two games this year, but then proceeded to tell people, right before the quarterback was to play Super Bowl XLV, that at least two dozen Steelers did not support Roethlisberger.

The reporter, Peter King, tried to back peddle soon after, but most likely because he was ordered to by Goodell. Still, the damage was done and the timing could not have been more inappropriate. The Super Bowl is the biggest game the league has, one where billions of dollars are involved and where more viewers from other parts of the world tune in.

Not only was the big game marred by Goodell's boorish behavior, but perhaps the worst pre-game and halftime entertainment shows in Super Bowl history followed in a game where hundreds of fans were displaced because Goodell's people did a poor job preparing Cowboys Stadium for the event. These fans are now suing the league.

These debacles took place on the eve of a players strike that is almost certainly going to occur. Players strikes are nothing new in the NFL, having occurred in 1968, 1970, 1982, and 1987. Yet each strike dealt with different issues.

When the players threatened a strike in 1968, the owners countered by declaring a lockout. Since players salaries were low in that era, which caused them to hold second hobs, this strike was brief. There was another brief strike during training camp in 1970.

The 1982 season holds some similarity to today. It was to be the first season where 16 regular season games were scheduled to be played. Goodell intends to extend seasons to 18 games starting next year. Just nine regular season games were played in 1982.

When the 1987 strike went down, players missed a month of the regular season but the games were still played. Owners hire replacement players, which was largely a group of players who had been cut in training camps. Many players, including Hall of Famers like Joe Montana, Steve Largent, and Randy White, crossed the picket lines to play.

This strike may be different because NFL players see how Major League Baseball players get paid. The NFL is the king of professional sports right now and players want a bigger piece of the pie. Considering an average career lasts less than two years, their request doesn't seem ridiculous.

The players today are afforded luxuries like never before. Though the game still contains hard hitting at times, the rules today make it a much less violent game. Goodell is now saying the league cares about players suffering concussions, an issue they ignored since their beginnings.

Past players suffer today, ignored by their own brethren who are enjoying the path paved for them. Yet the players see how the legends are doing today and are trying to prevent repeating that in their own future. Goodell's recent claims of caring are generally considered just lip service by most so he can resolve the impending strike sooner.

Besides continuing Tagliabue's mission to pamper quarterbacks and offenses while castrating defenses, there are many other things about Goodell that anger players. Many feel he is out of touch, sitting in an ivory tower with a blind eye as his wallet fills up at a rapid pace.

Many players lately have been echoing the same sentiment in regards to their commissioner. They feel he has too much power and control over the game while maintaining a constant predilection of making wrong decisions ultimately. He once was referred to as an obtuse fascist who has ruined the integrity of the game in favor of money.

Though it is unknown if things would be much better or worse now if Goodell did not retain those two votes in 2006, the question if he is the right man for the job gets louder each day. Whether the owners are listening or even caring is the question.

Bell and Rozelle, generally considered the best commissioners in NFL history, never uttered such ramblings like Goodell has while holding the office over 30 years combined. Neither besmirched their players like Goodell has. Though it is doubtful a person as good as Bell or Rozelle is out there right now, it would behoove the NFL to try and find out while firing Goodell.

If the league stays complacent behind his questionable leadership, the United Football League could very well find success the the American Football League did in the 1960's, forcing the NFL to allow all 10 of their teams to merge. Before that, the All-American Football Conference had the NFL take in three teams in 1950.

Though the game of football needs the upstart UFL, now entering their third season, to compete with the NFL to make their product better, the NFL learned 41 years ago from the AFL that it can take a long time to get back on top after being the only game in town several years. A game that has been eroding under the direction of Roger Goodell.

http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/20 ... or-the-nfl (http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2011/2/11/1989551/nfl-lout-why-roger-goodell-is-bad-as-hell-for-the-nfl)

If you want to be taken seriously as a writer, you really should know the difference between a strike and a lockout.

Then again, since this guy is calling himself "Crazy Canton Cuts" instead of having an actual byline, I guess he doesn't care how seriously he is taken as a writer.

Discipline of Steel
02-16-2011, 06:45 PM
Well, I liked the headline but the writer doesnt support his point forcefully enough. He just kind of rambles.

hawaiiansteel
02-16-2011, 07:38 PM
Harris: Goodell must alter unfathomable demands

By John Harris, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, February 15, 2011

http://files.pittsburghlive.com/photos/2011-02-14/0215stgoodell-b.jpg

Roger Goodell
Chaz Palla | Tribune-Review file


I'm beginning to have my doubts about NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

It's impossible to mess up the Super Bowl, which continues to set records for being the most watched television event in U.S. history.

How can you mess up perfection? All you do is connect the dots.

Say hello to Goodell, who is to Super Bowl XLV what Rich Kotite was to coaching.

Was it too much for someone associated with the league to prevent the embarrassing ticket snafu from occurring? Too much to ask that loyal fans perfectly willing to pay thousands of dollars to attend Super Bowl XLV not be blindsided upon entering Cowboys Stadium on game day?

I don't care how much apology money the league offers to make things right. Bill Gates couldn't buy his way out of this mess.

Contrary to popular opinion, Goodell is the face of the NFL. The league follows his lead.

Goodell explained to everyone during Super Bowl week that increasing the number of regular-season games from 16 to 18 is a good thing because the number of preseason games will also be reduced by two.

"Injuries occur during preseason games, including the four preseason games, so you have to try to look to see what you can do in the offseason," said Goodell, applying logic that wouldn't work on first-graders.

In Goodell's world, Steelers safety Troy Polamalu would be expected to play 18 regular-season games when he hasn't been healthy for a full 16-game schedule since 2008.

However, Pittsburgh-based agent and collective bargaining expert Ralph Cindrich said there's still plenty of time for Goodell to save face.

But not if owners -- via Goodell, their mouthpiece -- take away the game from players and fans.

Cindrich believes that Steelers chairman emeritus Dan Rooney, a powerful voice among owners who has been quiet since becoming U.S. Ambassador to Ireland, should toss Goodell a life preserver.

"This is a test of Goodell's leadership," Cindrich said. "He is employed and paid by the league office; owners fund the league office. So his duty is to the owners, but when you hold that type of position, his duty supersedes the game. I think at some point Dan Rooney, his protege, is going to have to step on his toes a little bit and say, 'You better dummy up.'

"Right now, (Goodell) looks like a clown. People saw first-hand on a world-wide stage how the NFL operates. You're not only embarrassing those millionaire players, you're embarrassing everyone in the front office. You're embarrassing all the coaches. You're going to affect labor in the stadiums. You're going to affect income to the city.

"There's no question the players want to play. Are they doing well (financially)? Yeah, they're doing well. But the owners are doing exceptionally well. You just had the highest-rated event in television history (Super Bowl XLV). You're going to mess around with that? There's way too much at risk. You're talking about an appreciation of an asset that doesn't happen anywhere other than Microsoft."

Meanwhile, Cindrich, a former NFL player, said the value of players will continue to depreciate -- even faster with the 18-game schedule that owners want to implement but players abhor.

"Looking at two extra games, you're talking about another 200,000 helmet-to-helmet hits, according to the players association," said Cindrich, whose clients include Steelers linebacker James Farrior and Indianapolis Colts center Jeff Saturday. "The dollars just aren't worth it. And the players don't want it."

This time, Cindrich said, players are more resolute against wilting at the first sign of pressure from ownership -- which could mean a long wait before a new deal is reached.

"Right now, there's a lot of rhetoric. Deals of this nature are made at the 11th hour. Both sides are going to have to walk away feeling like they gave up something but got what they needed," Cindrich said.

"There is an air of confidence with the players that wasn't there a year ago. A year ago, I saw them as scared and disorganized. Right now, there's something going on where if they feel like you want to lock them out, they're going to jeopardize your livelihood; threaten you with the same thing you're threatening the players with -- to starve them out."

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsbu ... z1EAEx8GSg (http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_722900.html#ixzz1EAEx8GSg)

hawaiiansteel
02-18-2011, 02:31 AM
Expanded season revenue: The NFL's math problem

By Doug Farrar

http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/ept_sports_nfl_experts__23/ept_sports_nfl_experts-561126173-1276877325.jpg?ymN4SUDDtlnAExKY

Recently, we detailed the concerns of Ray Lewis and Tom Brady when it came to the idea of an 18-game regular season. Obviously, the players and the NFL Players Association are very concerned about increased injury risks and fair financial compensation should an expanded season become a reality. Unfortunately, in the most recent public statements about how these problems would be solved, the NFL neglected to do a bit of simple math. In a recent conference call with the media, Green Bay Packers team president (and ad hoc league spokesperson) Mark Murphy had this to say:

I think [the union] may well raise that issue [of enhanced player pay], but at the end of the day you've got a pot of money and the players get nearly 60 percent of that. We compared the NFL to other professional sports leagues. Right now we're significantly shorter than the NBA, Major League Baseball by about eight weeks. Obviously, the injury rate in the NFL is higher than those other sports ... with the partnership that we have with the players, they're going to get X-percent of whatever revenue comes in. I think that's how we would view it.

The problem with that view is that the ongoing percentage of revenue provided to the players is very much up in the air. The primary reason that the players and owners are so far apart in the current CBA negotiations is what I might call the "middle 20" — the 20 percent of overall revenue between the 40 percent that each side is willing to concede. Under the current CBA, the league is obligated to give 58 percent of revenue to the players in league years 2010 and 2011. After that, things get a little weird. The league's most recent revenue proposal starts at that same 58 percent, but back-end deductions reduce that revenue in a major way. On their site, the NFLPA has an analysis by longtime offensive lineman and player rep Pete Kendall, which includes this poison pill:
The NFL's current proposal would keep the player's percentage of Total Revenue at 58%, but importantly, it would reduce the amount of money that is included in the definition of TR by 18%, to allow for certain additional expense deductions. These additional expenses would be on top of the already existing $1.0 billion in expense deductions. If the 18% expense deduction were applied to the 2008 league year revenue, it would result in an additional expense credit of more than $1.3 billion. The obvious effect of this 18% expense deduction is that the players would get the same percentage of a much smaller revenue pie. Instead of each dollar of Total Revenue being included in the cap calculation, only 82 cents of each Total Revenue dollar would be included. That translates into an 18% reduction in the total amount of money included in the cap.

Expressed another way, the NFL owners are asking that the players reduce their percentage of TR, as it is currently defined, from 58% to 47.56% of TR. This lowering of the cap by 10.44 points represents an 18% reduction in the applicable percentage. Expressed in dollars, a cap of $116 million per club as calculated under the existing definition of TR, would be reduced to $95.12 million under the NFL's proposal. Thus, if the impact of the proposal were to be spread evenly over all player salaries and benefits across the league, each player would have to take a cut of 18% in salary and benefits.
You would have to turn back the clock to the early 1980's, in the days before free agency, to find a season in which the players' share of football revenue was as low as that being proposed by the NFL owners for 2010 and beyond.

And that's the untold story behind the league's insistence that the players would get "X-percent of whatever revenue comes in." If the owners get their way, the league's elite players would, in fact, be playing more games and encountering more injury risks for far less money as their gross revenue gets chopped at the top to compensate owners for outlays like practice facilities and travel costs. (The NFLPA has proposed compensation credits for revenue-generating expanses, like stadium construction costs). Problem is, the players aren't shareholders in their teams and in those facilities. In fact, if you combine the increased schedule and devalued revenue stream, the players become much more like very highly paid sharecroppers. Think I'm exaggerating? Let's take a look at the dictionary definition of "sharecropper":

n. A tenant farmer who gives a share of the crops raised to the landlord in lieu of rent.

How is it different if the players are now required to give back up to 18 percent of their revenue to cover costs, when they will not share in the benefits established by the fruits of those costs? What's next — will the players be forced to pay rent for their lockers? Monthly fees for the gym? And here's the worst part; as Kendall outlined, the owners already have expense deduction built in to the current CBA.

This is at the heart of the current labor unrest, and it's why the owners are quite possibly willing to play "chicken" with an entire NFL season to break the union and force the players to bend to their will. They see an opportunity to reverse the great benefits gained by the players in an era when the NFL has become a virtual license to print money. That the league seems to endorse statements like Murphy's, which ignore the real issue of gross versus net revenue, tells you just how far the league is willing to take this — and perhaps why Roger Goodell is pushing so hard for an 18-game season in the first place.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdo ... nfl-249565 (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Expanded-season-revenue-The-NFL-s-math-problem?urn=nfl-249565)

Djfan
02-20-2011, 10:33 PM
Say hello to Goodell, who is to Super Bowl XLV what Rich Kotite was to coaching.




OUCH!!

Best quote of the year IMO!!!