- Bolt Forum

FIRE NORV!

OGSDFAN — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 13:30:42 GMT

Only posted this so it would show up on the home page of Bolt You under blogroll!

F Norv!

Chargers Hope Rivals Have a Tough Weekend

BoltYou — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 16:49:15 GMT

The San Diego Chargers are off this weekend, giving the injured players a chance to get healthy and the rest of the team time to recharge their batteries after a shaky start to the season. Its been a hectic week with AJ Smiths comments regarding the team playing soft at times, players voicing their frustration and Coaches just trying to hold the team together.

But this weekend they will be watching the NFL games on TV and if San Diego gets a little lucky, they will make out better than any other team in the AFC West. The Chargers cannot lose this weekend, but the rest teams in their division cannot say the same thing.

Denver Broncos

The Broncos are enjoying the fact that they have a perfect record through the first four games of 2009. New head coach Josh McDaniels still has a perfect record as a head coach. But this week they travel to New England to challenge the Patriots. Coach McDaniels knows a thing or two about New England serving as their quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator, but Bill Belichick and Tom Brady also know McDaniels and they will definitely have a gameplan for Denver.

Oakland Raiders

The Raiders travel to the Big Apple to take on the Giants. The Raiders, at 1-3 thus far this season, have not looked like a team playing as a unit since midway through their game against the Chargers in week 1. Quarterback JaMarcus Russell has a quarterback rating of 42, lowest in the NFL, and their head coach, Tom Cable, is feeling the police and Commissioner Goodell breathing down his neck with his preseason legal issue still unresolved when he allegedly broke the jaw of assistant coach Randy Hanson. Eli Manning is dealing with a case of plantar faciatis but he did practice on Friday and will probably play Sunday.

Kansas City Chiefs

The Chiefs are winless in 2009 and they travel to Dallas where the Cowboys need to get back on track after losing to Denver 17-10 last week. Tony Romo needs to shut up the critics and Jerry Jones really wants to see his Cowboys win in their new Billion dollar stadium. The Chiefs have had a tough time this year in just about every statistic and the fact they also lost their star tight end, Tony Gonzalez, has really hurt them.

The Chargers really need the break this weekend and if everything goes just right for them, they might be the only team not to lose in their division this Sunday.

The Chargers come back from the bye week with a Monday night home game against the Broncos and if Denver loses to the Patriots this weekend, and the Chargers can come out with the victory on the following Monday night, the Broncos would be at 4-2 and the Chargers 3-2. San Diego then plays the Chiefs and Raiders in the following two weeks. So if the Chargers can get healthy and fix a few things in both the offensive and defensive lines, they could set themselves up to get back on top of the AFC West and take that momentum into the second half of the season.

Contributed by: Jeff Copeland, Chargers Gab

Forum: Bolt Forum

Chargers Bye Week Analysis: Offense

BoltYou — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 15:10:57 GMT

At the beginning of the 2009 season, many predicted the Chargers would lose at least one, and quite possibly two games before the bye week, so the Chargers 2-2 record should not be that much of a surprise. Three of their first four games were against 2008 playoff teams, and none of them were expected to simply roll over for the defending AFC West champs. What has Chargers fans in an uproar is the method in which the Chargers have won and lost their way to a .500 record.

Offensively, the Chargers have been the football version of Gotham City villain Two-Face, the equivalent of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The Chargers' offense has been a thing of beauty when passing the ball, and a pile of trash when trying to run it.

The Chargers rank 2nd in the league in passing offense averaging 295 yards per game. Philip Rivers and his giant receiving crew have been airing the ball out like their predecessors known as "Air Coryell". Rivers is on pace for just under 5,000 yards passing, and they have two players (Jackson and Gates) on pace for 80+ catches and over 1,400 yards receiving. Without this potent passing attack, the Chargers would likely be 0-4.

On the other hand, the Chargers rank last in the league in rushing offense averaging a measly 54 yards per game. Ready for more unbelievable stats? Their leading rusher (Sproles) has 90-yards TOTAL on 37 carries over the first four-games. LT is 2nd on the team with 70 yards TOTAL on 17-fewer carries. There is plenty of blame to throw around for the dismal ground game, including O-line injuries and inexperience, an injury to LT, inconsistent blocking by the fullbacks, and questionable play-calling by the coach. But simply put, the Chargers are losing the battle at the line of scrimmage, they are getting pushed around and physically dominated, and until they can toughen up and win their individual battles on the line more frequently, it's going to be a long, hard season for our running backs, whether it's LT or Sproles in the backfield.

One quick note on the running back situation: I'm very interested to find out your take on the starting running back position for the Bolts. I still vote for LT. He looked like he had some of his old moves back against the Steelers, but he never saw daylight running behind that line. What's your take? Should it be LT or Sproles?

Contributed by: Jeff Williams, Bolt Hype

(Photo Credit: Mike Nowak/San Diego Chargers)

Forum: Bolt Forum

San Diego Chargers Blame Game

BoltYou — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:36:22 GMT

Well the first quarter of the 2009 season is complete and many Charger fans are less than enthusiastic about the Chargers level of play thus far this season. The 2 losses are not the only thing that the fans are upset about, its the way the Chargers are losing that have many fans shouting (or more often posting) their disapproval. Both games they lost were to good teams that played well, but fans were told that their team would be a Super Bowl contender this year, that things would be different.

It was advertised that there would be a vastly improved pass rush and an over toughness on the defensive side of the ball with Ron Rivera now in command. And Ladainian Tomlinson told everyone that would listen that he was healthy and even though he was turning 30, he was no where near done and was still the premier running back in the league. Jamal Williams lost 30 pounds in the off-season and said he felt better than he had in years coming into camp. So what happened? Whos to blame? What changed? Fans want answers! Lets take a look at what the fans are saying:

Injuries: The Chargers have been riddled with injuries this season. Three members of the defense have been placed on injured reserve Jamal Williams, Ryon Bingham and Brandon Hughes. Center Nick Hardwick had ankle surgery and will be out at least 6 more weeks and Shawne Merriman has obviously not fully recovered from knee surgery. Those are just the people that are out. Groin injuries have been increasing almost daily plus hamstring, ankle and knee issues have also been prevalent. Injuries occur on every team throughout the season, but the Chargers have been hit especially hard.

Defense: The chant that used to be heard all over Qualcomm stadium on gameday was You cant run and they we not chanting it to the Chargers but rather their opponent well that chant has disappeared along with the Chargers bruising front line and pass rush. The defense looks confused. Last year fans heard things like there were too many plays under defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell and they were going to eliminate a vast majority of the plays, simplifying the assignments and play more smash mouth defense. Well fans are not seeing the difference. Defensive players are out of position and getting burned both on the run and the pass. Chargers defenders are looking at and even pointing at each other when a play gets muffed up.

Offensive line: Philip Rivers has been sacked 10 times already this year, and it could be worse. He has had to hurry far too many passes. Rivers seldom has time to just drop back, go through his reads and throw to the receiver of his choice. The pocket is collapsing, he is scrambling (and lets be honest, not his strong suit) and rushing way too many passes. Also, the Chargers just cant run the ball. San Diego is last in the league in rushing thus far this year, and its getting worse, not better. So far this year Bennett 37 yards, Hester 3 yards, Tolbert 5 yards, Sproles 90 yards & L.T. 70 yards. That is a total of 205 yards in four games from the running backs yikes!

Norv Turner: Norv is an easy target. He didnt get a lot of love when he was first announced as the replacement to Mary Schottenheimer. Marty ball, even thou it didnt bring playoff success, brought a lot of wins to San Diego. Norv has never been the most charismatic person, which is fine as long as you are winning (see Bill Belichick), but if you have to stand at the microphone and explain why virtually every aspect of your team is under performing, it can be very detrimental. Fans seem to agree that Norv is a very good offensive coordinator but the feeling is he just doesnt have what it takes to command the authority and respect of the team that is necessary to lead them to the Super Bowl.

AJ Smith: The buck stops here. Who picks the players, the coaches, and the training staff the General Manager. AJ has been The Man as far as most fans are concerned, but that tide is beginning to change. The Chargers have been a sexy Super Bowl pick the last few years due to the fact that they employ so many big name players that can make big time plays. And thats great. But what has become very apparent is that San Diego has nobody to back up the starters on the offensive and defensive lines when someone gets hurt. The Chargers have a great quarterback and great receivers and the great quarterback doesnt have time to throw to the great receivers and it doesnt matter who is carrying the ball, there are no holes to run through. So perhaps drafting some beef up front should have been a higher priority. Plus it is known throughout the league that AJ does not like to trade for players, he wants to build through the draft. Thats fine, but both lines need help now.

So take your pick who/what to blame. Bad luck with injuries, under producing defense, the offensive line, Norv or AJ. There probably isnt a wrong answer and the fact if it is most likely a combination of all of them. Fans are watching to see what changes are made during the bye week, and they are watching very loudly.

Contributed by: Jeff Copeland, Chargers Gab

Forum: Bolt Forum

Chargers Beat Dolphins

BoltYou — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 04:02:22 GMT

The Chargers were locked in a low-scoring duel with the Miami Dolphins this past Sunday... 2 offenses that both squandered scoring opportunities and for 3 quarters it was anyone's game...

Shawne Merriman played only 2 plays and was sidelined, as was LaDainian Tomlinson but the Chargers clawed and scraped their way for the win.

Dolphins' starting QB, Chad Pennington, was knocked out of the game (and later revealed for the season) early in the 2nd half and when his backup, Chad Henne, had a pass intercepted for a touchdown it was the death nail for the Dolphins.

The Dolphins' wildcat offense was mostly ineffective and the Charger defense did get some pressure on the Miaim quarterbacks. Add that the defense did make a couple of big plays on 3rd and 4th down, the Charger defense did look better...but I don't think Miami is the powerhouse that some think it may be.

The Charger offensive line continued to look shoddy... Rivers was under pressure for most of the game, sacked and fumbled on one occassion...yet the passing game was still unstoppable. Vincent Jackson, Malcolm Floyd, Antonio Gates, Darren Sproles...all had big games, again. But, as with the previous 2 games, the Charger running game is still non-existent and the offensive line is unable to manage any sort of defensive rush.

The red zone continues to be an issue with the Chargers as well... Rivers scrambled in for a touchdown score, which was the only one scored by the offense on the day and the Chargers settled for field goals on their other trips inside the 20...a continuing trend for the team.

Chargers have a Sunday night game against Pittsburgh...who's lost 2 games in a row now...they systematically beat the Chargers last year in the playoffs with ball control offense that wore down the Charger defense and kept the ball out of the hands of the Charger offense. I would think Pittsburgh will attempt to use that same strategy and unless they turn the ball over or the Charger defense finds a way to stop them, the outcome will likely be similar...

Contributed by: Say Ow's Blogspot

Forum: Bolt Forum

Great football iPhone app for Free

stiki — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:52:29 GMT

Hello,

I just want to let you know about a great free iPhone app that will please all the football fans.

It's called Tikitic american football, it's free and available from the app store.

It's a game between a quizz and Tetris: you must guess famous football players' names, teams names etc. And shoot the letters of these words that fall down the screen by typing them on the keyboard before they hit the ground.

It's fun and I like the graphics too!

It's free so why not try it?

Hope you'll like it and spread the word...

Forum: Bolt Forum

12 PENALTIES for 85 YARDS! 85 YARDS?! 4 FG's! Can you say Fundamentals?!

josecanyousee — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 23:44:59 GMT

JUST READ THIS!

Penalties (Number-Yards) 12 - 85

Red Zone Efficiency 0/5 - 0%

Goal To Go Efficiency 0/4 - 0%

FUNDAMENTALS?!

ENOUGH SAID!

Forum: Bolt Forum

Week 2: Chargers vs Ravens

BoltYou — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 15:28:55 GMT

It's a short week for the Chargers coming off their Monday night game against Oakland...at least they are at home this week...

And in come the Baltimore Ravens, a team that went toe-to-toe last season with the Steelers in the AFC Championship, playing them much tougher than the Chargers were able too. The Ravens, though, resembled the Chargers in week 1...playing a supposedly inferior Kansas City team that was lacking it's starting quarterback but the Chiefs, a team that exhibited little offensive or defensive punch last season was able to effectively move the ball and got into a shoot-out with the Ravens in week 1 ... something I don't think anyone expected.

The Ravens lost their defensive coordinator, Rex Ryan, and the core of their defense, Ed Reed and Ray Lewis, haven't gotten any younger and you then add in the performance from a formerly inept Chiefs offense against them, by first glance this may be the beginning of the end for the dominant Ravens defense we have been accustomed to seeing from them.

The Chargers, though, have a banged up and battered offensive line that had troubles stopping the Raiders 4 man rush which frequently got to Rivers last game. Add in that the offensive line for the Chargers also was unable to provide any significant run blocking for the Chargers backs the Ravens defense may not need to be up to post-season quality to give the Chargers problems. Tomlinson not only fumbled the ball for the first time in almost 1,000 touches ended up getting hurt, was wearing a boot this week and may not be playing this weekend. Losing Tomlinson is become an all to frequent occurrence of late so the Chargers shouldn't be affected too much by his absence, but the question then becomes how much of a toll will this take on Sproles? Many Charger homers are quite 'high' on Michael Bennett because of his preseason performance...me, not so much. Bennett has been a career backup and is 1 year older than Tomlinson. Sure, there is less wear and tear on Bennett but that is for a reason...he has never proven to be a premiere back in the NFL and when he was, he was often injured. Also, Bennett's performance in preseason came against 3rd and 4th string defenses, something that won't be playing this Sunday. If the offensive line plays like it did last week, though, it really won't matter who is in the backfield, they will have their work cut out for them...

Last week the Chargers didn't seem to have much of a pass rush and had only 1 sack and that sack was from a backup player...none of the big names (Merriman, Castillo, Phillips, Williams) even had a touch on the QB. The Raiders, though, did keep most of their players back to protect Russell, but regardless, a good defense needs to get the proper schemes and personnel in place to get pressure on the quarterback regardless of what the offense is doing. The secondary was respectable for the Chargers except for one play...unfortunately that one play almost cost the Chargers the game...that needs to be tightened up immediately or else the Chargers may not be so fortunate enough to end the game with a win.

On the offensive side of the ball the passing game looks to be clicking fairly well...it seems as if teams are still trying to make Rivers beat them and lucky for the Chargers he is. I'm interested to see if Chambers is able to make a contribution this game or is it maybe time he gets some sideline duty and let Floyd or Naanee take his place...they are younger and they sure do seem quick. Also, as I mentioned above, the offensive line needs to improve...if the Chargers are unable to even produce any sort of running game time management in the game will be out of their control.

It is only game 2 of the NFL season but it is a home game for the Chargers and those are games you really want to win ... your fans get excited and the atmosphere is great for the team and the momentum gained from an early home win against a (seemingly) quality opponent is a good confidence builder for the team.

Blogroll: Contributed by: SayOw's Blog

Forum: Bolt Forum

Classic, Johnson to the Giants and LT in a boot?

LightsOut56 — Thur, 17 Sep 2009 13:56:20 GMT

Classic, Gatrell Johnson to the Giants and LT in a boot? Why wasn't Johnson signed to the practice squad? Don't get me wrong, I really like Bennett and feel confident he'll help carry the load with Sproles. But it seems clear that this team is only running away from one thing, the running game. With Rivers and Norv at the reigns it's inevitable that the Chargers are just not concerned with stacking up or even thinking about running backs. Where's the future with this running team? After this year, who knows if LT will be back. We already know Sproles is free to go after this season. And Michael Bennett as good as he is, is not the future. All I have to say after only one week of the regular season is we may reaching deep into our pockets to keep a Chargers running attack going for 15 + 4 more games.

Forum: Bolt Forum

The Chargers Won..Thats Good, Right?

BoltYou — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:20:40 GMT

The Chargers did not look good tonight. Expected to ride into Oakland and stomp the Raiders, the Chargers instead got outplayed by a team that won only four games a year ago.

My biggest problem with the team was the line play-both defensive and offensive. A year ago, the Raiders ranked 31^st in rushing offense, yet the Chargers never got their ground game going, collecting only 77 yards on 23 carries. Tomlinson and Sproles did not necessarily rush poorly, they just had nowhere to go. The Chargers offensive line must create more of a push at the line of scrimmage so that the running backs are not forced to deviate from their running route so early in the play.

The defensive line was not much better. It got very little penetration, mustering only one sack, and rarely pressuring Jamarcus Russell. The team was fortunate that although he had a lot of time in the pocket, Russell consistently missed his receivers, many of which were wide open.

There were only a handful of positives in this game. Philip Rivers may not have had his best game ever, but he was generally pretty accurate. Antonio Gates looked better than he has in about a year, catching five passes for 83 yards. Darren Sproles once again proved to be a serious receiving threat and deserving of extra touches on offense.

Speaking of which, I like that the team used L.T. and Sproles somewhat interchangeably. They are both talented backs. Using both of them should help keep each one fresh throughout the game. In future games L.T. will surely get more than the 14 touches he got tonight, but the idea of him sharing the load with Sproles is a good one.

Finally, I want to touch on the value of Mike Scifres. He punted 5 times, averaging 53 yards per punt. Three times, the Chargers punted from within their own 20 yard line, and on none of those occasions did the Raiders start with great field position. Scifres fantastic punting forced the Raiders to earn their points by driving up the field, something they were unable to do. Scifres affected the outcome of the game as much as anyone and is a key reason the Chargers escaped from Oakland with a win rather than a loss.

Contributed by: The Chargers Nation

Forum: Bolt Forum

Merriman Snubbed In Team Captain Vote?

BoltYou — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 03:03:12 GMT

The San Diego Chargers announced their offensive and defensive captains for the 2009 season. Voted on by their teammates, the usual suspects of Philip Rivers and Ladainian Tomlinson earned offensive co-captain designations, Kassim Osgood was voted the special teams captain, and Jamal Williams and Stephen Cooper were named the defensive captains. Apparently Shawne Merriman did not earn enough votes to be named as a captain.

Perhaps his time away from football last year was a factor. His public legal battle with Tila Tequilla certainly didn't help much either. But I must say it is mildly surprising that the team's most vocal and intense leader did not earn a captain designation.

Source: BoltHype

Forum: Bolt Forum

6 Chargers on Sporting News Top 100

BoltYou — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 18:40:50 GMT

Contributed by: Jeff Copeland, chargersgab.com

The Sporting News has published its list of Top 100 players on the NFL and 6 play for the San Diego Chargers.

This list is not the opinion of a single sports writer, rather it is voted on by an impressive list of 106 football experts that include 27 Hall of Famers and past and present Pro Bowlers, football executives and coaches.

Here are the Chargers players and where they ranked on the list:

5. LaDainian Tomlinson, RB
27. Shawne Merriman, OLB
32. Antonio Gates, TE
54. Philip Rivers, QB
59. Antonio Cromartie, CB
83. Kris Dielman, G

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings topped the list with 7 players each. The Chargers and Colts each had 6. The Cardinals, Eagles, Falcons, Cowboys, Patriots and Ravens all had 5. The Bears, Broncos, Giants, Panthers and Titans had 4. The Jets and Texans both had 3. The Browns, Lions, Packers, Raiders, Redskins, Saints and Seahawks all had 2. The Bills, Dolphins, 49ers and Rams each had 1 player.

The remaining four NFL teams, the Bengals, Bucs, Chiefs and Jaguars did not have a player that made the list of top players.

There were 12 quarterbacks that were listed in top 100, but only one quarterback is currently a backup. He is the newest member of the Philadelphia Eagles, Michael Vick, who came in at #88

The rest of the positions broke down like this:
defensive/nose tackles 11, wide receivers & defensive ends 10 each, outside linebackers 9, running backs & cornerbacks- 8 each, offensive tackles- 7, guards 6, safeties- 5, tight ends & middle linebackers- 4 each, centers & inside linebackers- 3 each.

Peyton Manning topped the list with Tom Brady coming in second.

Forum: Bolt Forum

Tila Tequila Isn't Credible?`

BoltYou — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 18:37:17 GMT

Contributed by: Sir Bolt, Boltitis.com

Say it ain't so. How could such a thing be possible? According to ESPN.com, it sounds like Tila's not entirely sure what is going on. Tila: "Did I get choked, or am I just crazy? Am I meeting with the D.A., or did I just imagine that? Geez, I'm like, SO confused. Like, oh my gosh." Yes, I made those quotes up, but in reality I'm sure that proportionitly her brain is as small as her body and what actually goes through her mind is much, much simpler than what I conjured up with my massive, often professionally studied brain. I know what you're thinking, and yes, it is tough being so smart. I digress.

As I learn more and more about this little devil, aside from what I sadly already knew from her time on MTV (hey, I'm married so I have to watch some crap T.V. from time to time), she sounds like pretty much the least credible person in all of San Diego County, if not the whole of North America. So how about this Tila, and I think I speak for all Charger fans when I say....GO THE EFF AWAY. Get back to deciding whether you like men, women, Twitter or some bizarre combination of all three, and leave Shawne and the Bolts the hell alone. As Scott and B.R. said on their XX Sports Radio morning show today, "You're messing with our Super Bowl!"

Forum: Bolt Forum

"Merriman Arrested For Choking Tila Tequila "

BoltYou — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:13:56 GMT

Contributed by: SayOw's Blog
Labor Day Sunday.... I just finished up a 5 and half hour fantasy football draft and am about to enjoy a nice cold beer before I walk home... the bar has the BYU-Oklahoma game that was actually played the night prior so no one is really paying attention to the game at all... then, as I am ordering up my beverage, I noticed Shawne Merriman's name come across the ESPN ticker...followed by arrested for choking and restraining Tila Tequila...I must be delusional or something because that can't be right...can it? I watch the sports ticker come by again and sure enough, that's what it says...so I finish my beer and head home to see if this story is true...still unable to believe this...but it is true...

Yes, Merriman is innocent until proven guilty and from the 'facts' that I have read, it does sound as if Merriman may not be in the wrong...there were no visible marks or bruises on Tequila and she was wasted at the time of the incident. Merriman's response is one that he was concerned about her well-being and, if true, he would likely face no criminal charges.

The Chargers have not talked about or have they started negotiating with Merriman, who is in the last year of his contract with the Chargers...there are some rumors that the Chargers want to see what kind of impact Merriman will have after having surgery last year that had him sidelined for all but the first game. If Merriman is unable to perform, many think the Chargers might trade or simply not re-sign him...

Getting into trouble like this certainly isn't going to help his cause...since he got busted for using steroids, Merriman hasn't been the impact player he once was, then is hurt and not playing. His value is dropping fast...

Regardless of what the facts are in this case, one begins to think Tila Tequila...who I had no idea who she was prior to this...is looking for an opportunity to get some free press. She is a reality TV whore where any attention is good. Merriman, if cleared of any wrongdoing, will certainly still be guilty of idiocy for simply hanging around this nut-job. He needs to distance himself from these types of people immediately or else it will destroy any career he would have had in the NFL...

Forum: Bolt Forum

Both sides bracing for uncapped season

BoltYou — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 01:09:42 GMT

As NFL players prepare for the battle their game entails, a second fight is being plotted against an interesting opponent: the same owners who send them out to play.

While the 2009 NFL season is set to begin with Thursday nights kickoff between the Tennessee Titans and Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers, there is a lurking labor dispute between players and owners over the collective bargaining agreement. The fight centers around how big a share of the financial pie players get (59 percent) and the expenditures that owners have made, particularly the flood of new stadiums that have been built in recent years with private funding.

Though outsiders tire of hearing about wealthy guys fighting with rich ones, the issue is not going away anytime soon. In fact, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell suggested last week that the first step to labor unrest is all but guaranteed to happen next year when the league reaches the ominous uncapped year for the 2010 season. After that, owners are expected to attempt to lock out players, and legal battles will ensue. Americas favorite game could go from being decided on the field to being argued in court.

In the meantime, both the players and the owners are making preparations. More than ever, players seem interested and motivated in heeding the advice of NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith. Among other things, Smith has advised players to save 25 percent of what they earn this year and next year to ready for the coming fight.

We have to be ready for what the owners are going to do, said San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson, who is entering his ninth season. Ive been telling all the guys in , Be ready, save your money. The owners arent going to play around. Theyre going to lock us out; theyre going to try to split the union; theyre going to try to scare guys into taking a bad deal. We have to understand that.

For many players who are dealing with large amounts of money for the first time, the key is for them to say no to temptation to spend. Tomlinsons teammate Shawne Merriman, whos dealing with a much more immediate problem right now, said that young guys have to be especially cautious.

When you get that first check, you want things, lots of things, said Merriman, who owned six cars at one time. He said hes down to three and acknowledges even thats too much. You get a few years into this and you realize you dont really need all that stuff. You dont even have time to drive all the cars and do that stuff if youre really working at your life.

But thats what the owners want us to think, that we gotta have all this stuff. That makes us desperate and we cant be desperate.

Linebacker Karlos Dansby, who has failed to reach a long-term contract with the Super Bowl runner-up Arizona Cardinals and has been franchised for two straight years, has made considerations beyond saving money.

Im thinking about going back to school, and I tell all the guys they should do the same, Dansby said. What job skills do I have right now? Theres guys with degrees from Harvard who are out of work in this economy.

Other players talk about even bigger sacrifices, such as missing games or even a season, whatever it takes to make sure the union doesnt take a lesser deal.

Im one of those guys who believes you have to fight for the good of all the players and the guys in the future, not just yourself, Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew said. If some of us have to fight now to make sure we get a good deal for the future, thats the way it goes.

That collective awareness by players may be the key to a fight with the owners. Under the rules of an uncapped season, player movement would be drastically hindered. For instance, players would not become unrestricted free agents until after their sixth year. Playoff teams would be restricted by how many players they could sign.

A lot of players, especially older guys in my situation, we could get hurt by this, said Denver Broncos wide receiver Brandon Stokley, who is entering his 11th season. But we cant go backwards. The guys who went before us, the guys who went on strike and went to court, they fought so that guys in the future could have it better.

We cant let those guys down.

All of this comes in response to the owners decision to opt out of the collective bargaining agreement in May 2008, a move that was seen by the late Gene Upshaw, the former head of the NFLPA, as a prelude to hard-line negotiations. Upshaw had negotiated the extension of the CBA in 2006 which resulted in the players getting 59 percent of the revenue, a figure that is the largest among the top professional sports in the United States.

In the three-plus years since that agreement, owners believe that the partnership got out of whack; that too much money is being guaranteed to players. The most significant issue for owners is that the need for new stadiums has forced them to dig into their own pockets for building and upkeep while the players have profited from the additional revenue. Combined with the impact on advertising and sponsorship caused by the downturn in the economy, owners have increasingly worried about how they can maintain an acceptable profit while paying players a growing share of the pie.

In fact, most teams are having trouble maximizing the cap. As a result, 15 of the NFLs 32 teams were at least $10 million under the salary cap as of last week, an unprecedented figure since the cap started in 1993.

Teams are so far under that many will be happy to see the uncapped year, even at the risk that the NFL could become like Major League Baseball, where big-market teams like New York and Boston regularly outspend the likes of Florida and Kansas City.

While the fear is that some teams may spend as much as they want, going beyond the current maximum of $128 million, a large number of teams also will be able to spend as little as they want, no longer having to spend to the minimum of $112.1 million.

In fact, three general managers recently agreed that a large group of teams could spend as little as $80 million on players in 2010, meaning that some owners will skim nearly $40 million off their payrolls for one season.

No question that it could get that low if you really start to look around at some spending patterns and some of the contracts in place, said a general manager, who asked not to be identified because the NFL has repeatedly told owners and executives not to comment on the CBA negotiations. Cincinnati, St. Louis, Tampa, Jacksonville, San Francisco, Kansas City, Miami all those teams could sit there and play for cheap. No question. And really, they wont be much different than they are now.

Said another GM, who asked not to be identified: The idea of the uncapped year is a lot more palatable now to teams than it ever was in the past. Most teams cant even spend enough on players to keep up with the cap. Nobody is in cap jail anymore, when youre forced to cut players.

More importantly, the consensus among team executives is that plenty of owners believe that they can simply pocket the savings they get in 2010 by playing for around $100 million or so. Then, the theory goes, the owners would simply renegotiate a new deal with the players that will again feature a salary cap for 2011 and beyond. And if there is a lockout in 11, owners will still receive money from the existing broadcast deals.

The owners are going to make a point that they can get by paying a lot less and then theyll see how the players react, a team executive said.

Goodell took over in 2006, a few months after the CBA was last extended.

(Kirby Lee/US Presswire)

While Goodell spoke of the uncapped season last week, he also countered the notion that owners want to lock out players in 2011.

The owners intent here is to get to an agreement. The idea that the owners are looking for a lockout and that would be their objective is foolish, Goodell said. Thats really not a practical outcome for them in the sense of being beneficial to the league.

Goodells comments were echoed by NFL executive vice president and lead in-house attorney Jeff Pash.

Theres a clear unity of purpose among the owners. There is no question about that, Pash said. Now, does that mean that they are going to burn the village down to try to save it? No, as the commissioner said Owners and presumably players recognize that theres a lot to be said for coming to an agreement that not only maintains but allows the business to grow, and thats where our head is.

One thing Ive heard a lot is that, We havent gotten a specific proposal. And thats accurate in that we have not said, We want you to agree to this, this, this and this, and if you dont, all hell is going to break loose. One of the things we have tried to do in laying out the information been is to engage in some kind of collective joint problem-solving, if you will. The way people who are aligned in a common business would normally do and try to see if we can develop some solutions without people taking any hard-line positions and posturing and getting into rhetorical exchanges. I dont know if were going to succeed in that or not. Maybe we do have to say A, B, C, D and E, and get into an argument about that.

While that may be the tack that the NFL is attempting in negotiations, the problem is that the NFLPA sees a strong fight by the owners in another area. The league and the union are currently awaiting a decision from the U.S. Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals regarding an attempt by the owners to ask the court to have Judge David Doty removed as the overseeing judge. In fact, the NFL has argued for no court oversight at all, even though court rulings in 1992 led to the current system and subsequent growth of the game.

In other words, the league is bringing a pen to one meeting and trying to wield a hammer in another. Of course, thats the nature of business, particularly when billions of dollars are being discussed.

Or as Dansby said: When you fight about money, it gets ugly.

Source: Yahoo! Sports

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