The National Football League will never be the same again. After two years it is clear that the latest collective bargaining agreement between the owners and players has created a league that is far different from the one I grew up with.
The owners got all the money and the players got all the time off. And it shows. It’s almost like back in the old days when players didn’t make enough money and had to get jobs in the offseason so they came into camp out of shape. Now, the players are rich and because of the CBA restricting players from even stepping foot in the team’s facilities in the offseason, players are again coming into camp out of shape.
Nothing is funnier than seeing a guy like Peyton Manning working out at high school field in Denver because he can’t work out at his place of employment. I want that kind of job. We’ll pay you but don’t step foot in the door!
On top of that many players are trying to make up for it by working out on their own or with some trainer who knows nothing about football training, hence you have a lot of the injuries you are seeing this year. And I know it is only preseason but from what I saw around the league last week the quality of football is at an all-time low.
The players now go to a training camp that is basically a country club. No two-a-day practices, limited practice in pads, hangnails give you two weeks off. It’s really becoming a joke. Guys like new NFL Hall-of-Fame enshrined guys like Dave Robinson must think these guys are nothing but wimps.
To think the NFL wants to eliminate two more preseason games is laughable. After what you saw last Friday night do you really think the Packers could be ready to play for real a week from Sunday? Not a chance in hell. It took them four preseason games and four regular season last year to get up to speed. If anything the league should go back to six preseason and 14 regular season games.
Packers’ head coach Mike McCarthy completely revamped the training camp and preseason schedule after last year’s team was so out of sync to start the year. Only time will tell if this change works. Maybe even more pathetic preseason football than we are accustomed to is the new norm. Still will cost you full price to attend, though.
Too me the players are to blame. They are rich and think they should be treated that way. Welcome to the new NFL, which could very well be the end of the NFL.