This is it. Do-or-die time in talks between NFL Owners and the NFLPA to come to an agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement. Late yesterday the two sides agreed on a 24-hour extension to continue their dialogue today. The feeling is that today would be used to actually extend the talks even further – perhaps 7-10 days – time enough to actually hammer out a new deal.
Mike Silver of Yahoo.com reports that the feeling both sides have is today is crucial for coming to an agreement:
Sources on both sides of the conflict agreed on one basic premise: If enough progress is made that another short-term CBA extension – perhaps a week, perhaps two – is announced by Friday night, the players and owners will almost certainly be headed for a settlement that will result in a multi-year deal before the end of this month.
That is good news on several fronts, but especially important to teams like the Cleveland Browns who are trying to implement a new coaching staff. If there isn’t a new deal until, say, August, the growth and development of Colt McCoy could be greatly affected. The sooner a deal can get done, the better.