The trickle-down effect of the NFL lockout (Part 1)
So with the National Football League (NFL) lockout still in full effect, we still don’t know when we’re going to be actually playing football on the field. But it is a good time to look at the trickle-down effect that the lockout will have as the players
have less time to practice and get ready for the 2011 season.
There are a lot of different things that can and will happen if the lockout is not lifted soon. It will be a long, hot, contentious summer and will condense whatever offseason there may be. The lockout will force teams to buckle down and take a look at their
own free agents and start courting them, such as Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and Washington Redskins wide receiver Santana Moss, both of whom became free agents at the end of the 2011 season.
These players would probably have been jettisoned if there was a long offseason or preseason, in which the teams could have gone out and signed other free agents, typically younger players that would fit teams’ new systems better. But the teams will have
to start falling in love with their own players now and try to turn them into players that will continue to help them win if the 2011 season gets started on time.
It will also be tough for the rookies that came into the NFL in the 2011 NFL Draft. You have players such as number one overall draft pick Cam Newton who don’t’ know the team’s offensive or defensive system. This will put extra pressure on players such as
Newton since he will have to carry the entire Carolina Panthers franchise on his shoulders to run the team’s offense.
Aside from rookies, you also have new coaches in many teams that have new systems and have yet to implement them with their teams, such as changing the defensive scheme from 3-4 to 4-3. These coaches have never been able to make such big changes in such
little time, especially after many teams have cut their longest veteran players to make room for new blood on their teams.
It will be a very hard thing to do for coaches, since it usually takes about a year to implement a new defensive or offensive system on the team, but coaches will have even less time now since there has literally been no offseason training or minicamps between
coaches and players. Players have been holding private workouts but there is only so much that they can do without the supervision of their coaches and coordinators. Sure, players might be able to stay in top physical condition even without their mentors but
when it comes to a new offensive or defensive scheme, only coaches and coordinators will be able to get the entire team on the same page.
Aside from that, you also have to take a look at the solidarity of players who are thinking that there will not be any roster bonuses or paid workouts and minicamps. We do know that the players get paid during the regular season but the players were also
paid for events during the offseason, such as workouts and minicamps.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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