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Owners might consider moving NFL draft


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Sweeping changes

 

Owners might consider moving NFL draft to late February

 

By Mike Holbrook

March 22, 2009

 

Indications are strong that the annual NFL owners meeting to be held March 22-25 in Dana Point, Calif., could be one of the most compelling gatherings in many years.

 

And the country’s economic woes appear to be a big reason why.

 

Not only will the owners be hearing from the NFL’s Competition Committee on a number of rules changes to impact games during the season, but whispers are growing louder that the league may be ready to consider making dramatic changes to the offseason schedule, including changing the dates for the postseason all-star games, the Scouting Combine, the draft and veteran free agency.

 

Multiple inside sources throughout the league have told PFW that the economic climate, coupled with the uncertainty of the next Collective Bargaining Agreement with the players in addition to the potential for an uncapped year in 2010 and a potential lockout in ’11, have made cost-cutting measures a top priority.

 

The decision by commissioner Roger Goodell to take a 20 percent pay cut in annual salary and to eliminate 169 league jobs back in February might have been the prelude to bigger and bolder budgetary decisions, though nothing has been decided yet.

 

For instance, the draft has been held in late April or early May since 1977. However, there are a number of movers and shakers in the league who believe that veteran free agency should follow the draft, and with the CBA still to be agreed upon for the next contract, this issue could be a bargaining chip for owners.

 

Those same league insiders would like to see the draft moved to late February, with free agency to commence following rookie minicamps, most likely in mid-to-late March.

 

"They need to get the draft put ahead of free agency," one veteran talent evaluator told PFW.

 

If the draft were to be held two months earlier, it obviously would compress the time allowed to evaluate talent. All-star games for college seniors would be affected, as would the Scouting Combine.

 

The Senior Bowl, the most popular all-star game for player evaluation in the league and a traditional gathering spot for NFL coaches, GMs and scouts in the week before the Super Bowl, has been held in Mobile, Ala., for years. However, Senior Bowl organizers are looking for an NFL venue to move their event to and have given Tampa, Fla., exclusive negotiating rights to become the long-term home of the game.

 

The East-West Shrine Game, an all-star bowl game for college seniors that began in 1925 and spent 80 years in the San Francisco area before moving to Texas in 2006, is also seriously considering moving to Tampa.

 

By having both big senior showcases in the same city, the games could work in unison to attract the best talent and give prospects an opportunity to practice for two weeks in front of NFL decision makers, plus play games on back-to-back weekends.

 

The Combine would be held in early February following the Super Bowl. With little time for players to work out on their own and hold pro days at their school, the Combine would become even more important for prospects to show NFL scouts what they can do. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the number of invitees to the Combine was increased to accommodate more prospects.

 

The biggest upside for the league and its 32 teams in combining the Senior Bowl and East-West Shrine Game in the same city along with an expanded Combine is tremendous travel savings. Expenses have grown exponentially over the years, with teams sending scouts across the country from all-star game to all-star game and from pro day to pro day. By making travel more efficient for scouts and personnel men, the league believes each team could save millions of dollars.

 

One other key factor in holding the draft earlier is that it is likely to limit the amount of input from the head coach and his assistants. It will force teams to rely more on their scouting staffs and personnel departments. The earlier draft will reward well-organized and talented scouting departments and expose less-talented, less-informed scouts.

 

With the league streamlining the draft in recent years and moving in the direction of making the first two rounds a prime-time event, the timing of a late-February draft would be excellent in terms of taking place during one of TV’s key sweeps months. It also would be at a relatively dead time in the sports calendar — before college basketball’s March Madness or baseball’s spring training and well before the NBA or NHL playoffs begin.

 

The earlier draft would allow teams to select for need with younger players first, then see what they’ve got in minicamps before deciding whom to pursue in free agency. The system currently encourages teams to fill roster needs with veteran free agents before the draft.

 

Pro days won’t go away. In fact, less-heralded draft-eligible players who aren’t drafted could still hold pro days to showcase their skills when working out with juniors who are being evaluated in anticipation of the following year’s draft. As a result, teams would be encouraged to start collecting information for the next draft as soon as possible and have their scouting departments be prepared to hit the ground running in the fall.

 

Finally, pushing up the draft would naturally create a lengthy break from league business — allowing for ample downtime in May and June — something that many league insiders believe is desperately needed to prevent burnout and the feeling of being on a treadmill that they can’t get off.

 

"Some way, somehow, the NFL needs to find a way to give the league more of a break," a top executive told PFW. "It's like a treadmill that keeps getting faster and faster. They need to have a bigger window between the draft and free agency, regardless of which one comes first."

 

 

 

PFW

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That is fascinating and I hope they do it. The only losers potentially are aging FA veterans since teams could seed themselves with rookies first and maybe not feel the need to get old vets as much.

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Sweeping changes

 

Owners might consider moving NFL draft to late February

 

By Mike Holbrook

Multiple inside sources throughout the league have told PFW that the economic climate, coupled with the uncertainty of the next Collective Bargaining Agreement with the players in addition to the potential for an uncapped year in 2010 and a potential lockout in ’11, have made cost-cutting measures a top priority.

 

The decision by commissioner Roger Goodell to take a 20 percent pay cut in annual salary and to eliminate 169 league jobs back in February might have been the prelude to bigger and bolder budgetary decisions, though nothing has been decided yet.

Anyone on the side of players as far as the CBA goes is missing the boat. An uncapped year and a potential lockout would be two of the few things that could ever push me away from the NFL.

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I thought this was going to be about moving the draft LOCATION not the date. That would have been a tragedy. There's nothing better than seeing the Jets fans booing there pick.

 

 

I like the idea of moving the dates though. Dynasty league commitment would get that much more intense. It might start alittle weeding out process for the more inactive owners.

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I like it... I really like the idea of getting the rookies in camp and seeing what you have, then being able to pick through free agents to fill needs.

 

Now when are they going to start seriously considering a rookie salary cap?

 

2011 and its not a consideration. Its a reality.

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I thought this was going to be about moving the draft LOCATION not the date. That would have been a tragedy. There's nothing better than seeing the Jets fans booing there pick.

 

 

I like the idea of moving the dates though. Dynasty league commitment would get that much more intense. It might start alittle weeding out process for the more inactive owners.

 

Why? You don't have your rookie drafts BEFORE the NFL draft do you? :wacko:

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Makes perfect sense to me. It may also help get rookies more prepared for the coming NFL season with a couple of extra months with their new teams.

 

What month would they join their teams? If the players are seniors, I supposed it would be mid to late May after they graduate.

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What month would they join their teams? If the players are seniors, I supposed it would be mid to late May after they graduate.

NFL rules currently state that draft picks can't practice with the team until classes end for that spring semester. But does not apply if he already graduated before that.

Edited by Big John
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2011 and its not a consideration. Its a reality.

Are you talking about the rookie cap? If so, it's far from a reality. NFLPA isn't keen on the idea, and want a bigger share then what they have now. The league and teams are laying off employees and freezing ticket prices. I'd say a lockout in 2011 is a reality. The players want the money, but don't want to help pay for anything.

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Are you talking about the rookie cap? If so, it's far from a reality. NFLPA isn't keen on the idea, and want a bigger share then what they have now. The league and teams are laying off employees and freezing ticket prices. I'd say a lockout in 2011 is a reality. The players want the money, but don't want to help pay for anything.

 

I gotta agree with you here. As far as it being a reality, it is in the sense that it will be proposed and rigorously pushed by the owners and Goodell. What the NFLPA does to deter it is another piece of the puzzle all-together. The one thing the owners have going for them, and to a point the fans, is the passing of Gene Upshaw. I think it would have been extremely difficult to implement a rookie cap if Gene were still with us.

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How would dynasty league commitment change?

 

If the rookie draft is held a month earlier, that means owners have less time to be inactive between the FF superbowl and the draft. And under this proposal the FA period would kick in immediately afterwords. I'm just saying..there are owners that disappear during the "offseason" and you don't hear from them again until its FA. Then they disappear again until the rookie draft. Then they are gone until the season starts. I love it that you have to pay attention pretty much year round under this proposal...not that most of us don't do that anyway. It just weeds out the less committed alittle more than usual imo.

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If the rookie draft is held a month earlier, that means owners have less time to be inactive between the FF superbowl and the draft. And under this proposal the FA period would kick in immediately afterwords. I'm just saying..there are owners that disappear during the "offseason" and you don't hear from them again until its FA. Then they disappear again until the rookie draft. Then they are gone until the season starts. I love it that you have to pay attention pretty much year round under this proposal...not that most of us don't do that anyway. It just weeds out the less committed alittle more than usual imo.

 

But you can have your fantasy drafts whenever you want to. That's what confused me. Carry on.

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I just think it's going to be a tough to sell a Walmart league to the networks at Rodeo Drive prices. The league is pinching their money like never before but I don't think that they will be asking for less money when the tv contracts come rolling around.

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