NFLPA goes on the offensive about reported TV deals

While many football fans find labor discussions about as interesting as the ingredient list on the back of a breakfast cereal box, things are amping up on the side of the NFL Players Association. The NFLPA's latest move could affect now only how, but whether you will see your favorite sport in the near future.

We recently went over the Supreme Court's interpretation of the American Needle case, which walled the owners off from permanent antitrust immunity. Now that they, unlike the lords of baseball, are required to act in good faith, NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith has fired the next shot in what looks to be a protracted border war. On Wednesday, the players association filed a Special Master claim, contesting that the league took lower revenue (the kind that would be shared with the players under any agreement) in exchange for guaranteed money in the event of a lockout in 2011 (not a cent of which the players would see) in a renegotiation of television contracts. Smith and the players say that this is a direct violation of the fiduciary duty the owners are required to act under — they must seek revenue with an equal eye for the good of the players as for themselves.

Baltimore Ravens cornerback Domonique Foxworth(notes), a member of the NFLPA's Executive Committee, doesn't believe that the league has done so. "It appears that the owners bought a strategy to lock players and fans out and nonetheless financially protect themselves," he told NFLPA.com. "The players want to leave no stone unturned to make sure that CBA negotiations proceed in good faith and that next season is played in its entirety."

NFLPA counsel Jeffrey Kessler had a more pointed take in the same article: "In essence, the NFL knowingly left money on the table ... at the expense of the players. The NFL thus has acted in bad faith."

In an NFLPA conference call on Wednesday afternoon, Smith said that in this particular legal proceeding, the NFLPA would ask for discovery, especially to clarify the notion that the owners would be required to pay back the lockout guarantees, estimated to be approximately $4 billion, in the event that football would not be played over a period of time. And while that would come out in discovery, one wonders if larger fish might not be caught — would discovery in this case force the owners to open up their books? "If it is the case that networks have obtained digital right or other media rights for free, in exchange for the promise that the full funds will be available to the teams even if the games aren't played, that means that

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If we could build a World Cup team of NFL players ...

By MJD

For the next few weeks, a lot of people will be using the term "football" not to refer to the sport we celebrate here, but to that one sports (which I also like) where no pads are required, and no one can use their hands.

I'm psyched about it. The NFL is a dead zone right now, so let's embrace Football Lite. They go entire halves without commercials. How can you not love that?

To help make the mental transition, I thought it would be fun to think about which NFL players I'd like to see give it a try on the soccer pitch. Meaningless, yes, but perhaps an entertaining way to kill some offseason time.

Here's my line-up:

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Deep Posts: Will Elvis leave the building?

Here are a few NFL items to mull over while realizing that yes, this is exactly what Rex Ryan throwing a baseball should look like...

-- Oh, great sweet hot flaming death. Having alienated and jettisoned every single one of their offensive playmakers from the pre-Josh McDaniels era, the Denver Broncos are now threatening to reduce Elvis Dumervil's(notes) $3.168 million restricted free agent tag to about $600,000 (10 percent more than what he made last year) if he doesn't sign the one-year tender by next Monday. Next: the inevitable McDaniels standoff, followed by the trade or release of the best pass rusher in the NFL. Then, McDaniels can get on with the business of trading Ryan Clady(notes) and the deed to Invesco Field for a third-round draft pick in 2014.

-- Other contract issues: The New Orleans Saints vs. running back Pierre Thomas; and the San Diego Chargers vs. receiver Vincent Jackson(notes) and left tackle Marcus McNeill(notes). Chargers general manager A.J. Smith, whose usual stance on player negotiations is just this side of McDaniels, went out and signed veteran tackle Tra Thomas to replace McNeil for whatever length of time McNeill might hold out. My buddy Gregg Rosenthal put the Pierre Thomas(notes) situation most succinctly:

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Online coaching sim gets first NFL video-game license since '04

EA Sports is no longer the only company or developer to be "in the game" with the NFL. 

Quick Hit, an online video game developer, has signed a multiyear licensing deal with the league to feature teams, stadiums, helmets and Super Bowl logos for its free online game, Quick Hit Football. It's the first major video game license the NFL has awarded since EA Sports purchased exclusive console-based rights in 2004. Because Quick Hit Football is an online game, it isn't bound to that deal.

Launched in October 2009, Quick Hit Football is a coaching simulator similar to the coaching mode on EA's old Madden games. Users select plays from a small playbook and watch the computer simulate the action. If you go in expecting Playstation 3-like graphics, you'll be disappointed. Considering it's an online game that doesn't require any downloads or installation, the graphics and interface become a bit more impressive.

After a simple registration process, users can take part in scenarios, coaches challenges or compete against other users in a multi-player game. The company hopes to expand these options before the start of the NFL season.

Quick Hit has deals with a number of ex-NFL coaches, which means you might play against a team coached by Jerry Glanville or have to compete in Dick Vermeil's challenge. Those coaching challenges are a lot like the ones in Tiger Woods PGA Tour Golf (sensing a trend?) where users have to beat generic opponents in order to compete against a marquee name. Marv Levy, Tom Landry and Jimmy Johnson are among the coaches that have to be beaten in order to unlock the opportunity to face the game's top-rated coach, Brian Billick. (Yes, Billick is the top coach in the game, just as he is in his own imagination.)

Five current NFL players were under contract with Quick Hit last year (NFLPA rules dictate that six players constitutes a group-licensing deal) and were used in various places in the game. Randy Moss(notes) is slated to be the face of the game in 2010. Retired players not bound by the NFLPA are also included in the game.

Because there is no group-licensing deal with the union, Quick Hit Football will have to stick with it's roster of mostly fictitious players for the upcoming season unless a deal is struck. The company is said to be "in pursuit" of those rights, but may have to stick with using made-up players with names that sound like Die Hard villains, Muppets or mediocre color announcers (my teams include Hans McLovin, Dirk Reed, Rolf Lyons and Brian Baldinger).

Clearly, this is a coup for Quick Hit, a fledgling company started two years ago that now gets instant credibility with the NFL logo attached to its site. It's also a big step for the league, which is looking to expand its online gaming presence. Quick Hit Football will be promoted extensively on NFL.com.

Related: Randy Moss

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What was Pete Carroll's part in the USC scandal?

Now that he's the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, people have been intimating for months that Pete Carroll left USC just in the nick of time. As the NCAA investigated the alleged violations that have now led to what amounts to a near-death penalty against one of college football's most storied programs, people in and around Seattle are doing an interesting dance with all of this information. On one hand, the penalties against the USC football team comprise a major advantage to any other competitive Pac-10 team, and the Washington Huskies (currently coached by former SC offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian) are one of those teams. And any blight on the hated Trojans will go over well at Montlake. On the other hand, there is absolutely no way that Carroll wasn't aware of what was going on with Reggie Bush(notes) and others during his nine-year tenure with the university. Right?

A quick glance at the Public Infractions Report, which was released Thursday, unveils the following (pg. 30):

There was information in the record that the former head football coach encouraged sports marketer A to hire student-athletes as interns. A current NFLPA certified agent ("sports agent B") is the chairman of a sports agency and a colleague of sports marketer A. He reported that the former head football coach asked sports marketer A to consider hiring football student-athletes as interns in his agency. Sports agent B reported:

(Sports marketer A) was like,

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Deep Posts: The UFL draft, and the case for replay

In case you didn't notice (and you probably didn't), the UFL Draft took place yesterday. Among those players selected were veteran NFL tackle Shawn Andrews(notes), and a defensive end from Purdue by the name of "Cheeky Okeefer", who may be related to ex-Purdue defensive end Chike Okeafor(notes), who has played for the 49ers, Seahawks, and Cardinals. The first overall pick was DeWayne White(notes), who put up 27 sacks in seven NFL seasons. The expansion Omaha Nighthawks got all three players, leaving them in the catbird seat as the UFL's next dynasty (if any of these guys actually suit up). We're assuming the only reason LenDale White(notes) wasn't drafted was that he couldn't be bothered to register.

The origin of Mike Nolan's departure from his role as the Denver Broncos' defensive coordinator was a series of run blitzes he sent against the Colts in Week 13. Nolan, who engineered one of the biggest defensive turnarounds of the last two decades, learned what everyone else already knew - if you land on Josh McDaniels' hot list for any reason, you're going bowling elsewhere. Nolan's now in Miami, and has been replaced in Denver by the more obedient Don "Wink" Martindale. We can't make this stuff up.

Patriots receiver Wes Welker is way ahead of schedule in his rehab, having undergone ACL surgery just four months ago. He was on the field for New England's Wednesday OTAs, making cuts on the field and taking his knee brace off without a care afterward. It's welcome news for the fanbase of a team that seems to be drifting away from the idea of Tom Brady(notes) as an ongoing concern.

In a 1998 game between the Seahawks and Jets, the inability of Phil Luckett's crew to tell the difference between Vinny Testaverde's(notes) helmet and a football brought about the return of instant replay to the NFL. Should the Jim Joyce blown call that denied Armando Galarraga a perfect game be the same type of clarion call for Major League Baseball? Yahoo's own Jeff Passan thinks so, and I agree. Umps have less to watch on a play-by-play basis than football referees of any stripe, and if they're still blowing calls of that magnitude, something has to be done. And as Joe West has displayed, some of these guys need a lesson in humility -- though it's worth mentioning that Joyce himself has handled his mistake as responsibly as it is possible to do.

Related: LenDale White, Tom Brady, Denver Broncos

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Twitter fight escalates: Shiancoe creates Osama bin Sharper

By MJD

Remember the slightly ridiculous and very childish back-and-forth Twitter exchange between New Orleans Saints safety Darren Sharper(notes) and Minnesota Vikings tight end Visanthe Shiancoe(notes)?

I'm happy to report that it's gotten more ridiculous and more childish.

Shiancoe posted the following picture on Twitter ...

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