With the new labor deal looking even more inevitable than ever, and with all signs pointing to an agreement coming by Tuesday at the latest, there’s reason to be at least a little concerned until the two sides apply their Herbie Hancocks to the settlement documents.
The owners, for example, are concerned that NFLPA* lawyers Jeffrey Kessler and/or Jim Quinn will make a Hail Mary effort to blow up the talks, focusing on an issue that was overlooked or underestimated during the negotiations and trying to pump it a dealbreaker. (It doesn’t matter whether they will or would; the reality is that the owners are concerned that they may give it a try.)
And as one member of the media pointed out earlier tonight, another bait-and-switch by ownership could cause a major problem between the parties. Last month, the owners reportedly changed terms that the players believed already had been the subject of an agreement. The move nearly caused the talks to collapse.
So, basically, we’re leaving the pink champagne on ice while we all remain prisoners of the lockout, not of our own device. Hopefully, they’ll kill that damn beast soon.