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As lockout continues, Garrett feels frustrated
chill@star-telegram.com
NEW ORLEANS -- Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett laments the fact that the off-season strength and conditioning program for the players would have started Monday if not for the NFL lockout.
But it's simply another example of the lack of normalcy during the current labor impasse.
"I think it's frustrating for everyone involved in the league that it's not business as usual right now," Garrett said during a break from the NFL owners meetings in New Orleans.
"But that's the way it is and we have to understand what it is and we have to deal with it and still be able to function as well as we can given the circumstances."
The lockout poses a bigger problem for the Cowboys considering they have a new defensive coordinator in Rob Ryan. Not having the off-season program and possibly the organized team activities and minicamps is a problem, he said.
"That's one of the issues with all the teams who have new coaches. You're not going to have that traditional off-season and hopefully it gets resolved quickly and you can get to that," Garrett said. "But we'll see."
Garrett said the Cowboys are fortunate because a good number of players live in Dallas and they came around the facility and received as much information as they could before the lockout.
More legal moves
There seems to be no end in sight to the current labor strife and its accompanying legal proceedings.
While owners were meeting in New Orleans, they also filed papers with a federal judge in St. Paul, Minn., in an effort to keep the lockout in place.
U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson has scheduled an April 6 hearing on the players' request to stop the lockout.
The NFL contends there are no legal grounds to stop it while accusing the players of trying to manipulate the law with a bogus antitrust lawsuit.
According to the league, any decision on a lockout must wait until the National Labor Relations Board rules on an unfair labor practice charge against the now-dissolved players' union.
It's just another stop in the circular fight between league and the players.
The players said they decertified as a union and filed the antitrust suit because the league was going to lock them out.
The league said it administered the lockout because the players decertified and walked away from the bargaining table.
The league said the players' decertification was a legal maneuver because they are still acting and talking like a union.
Both sides claim they want to resume talks. But the former union wants to engage in settlements of the lawsuit while the league only wants to engage in a bargaining session for a new labor agreement.
League officials also acknowledged Monday they could use replacement players during the lockout though they have not considered that possibility.
"There is going to be an agreement with the union," said Jeff Pash, NFL vice president and lead negotiator. "There is no question about that. There is going to be a labor agreement. We don't accept that the union has 'decertified' or something like that.
"We don't accept that; we don't believe that it has taken place. We believe that is a tactical move by the NFLPA. We believe they are continuing to function as a labor organization. We believe they intend to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement with us. And we think we should get to it."
Kickoff alterations
The NFL competition committee is considering tweaking the proposed new kickoff rules, Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones said.
The changes include moving kickoffs up from the 30-yard line to the 35 and while also not allowing a member of the kickoff team from lining up more than 5 yards back to preventing the running starts.
Touchbacks would move to the 25-yard line instead of the 20. Blocking wedges would be eliminated entirely.
According to Jones, the competition will consider leaving the touchbacks at the 20 in a possibly tweaked proposal that will be voted on by the owners today.
The changes are being proposed to cut down on violent injuries on kickoffs.
"I like the intent," Jason Garrett said. "You can't argue with the statistics. Now what's the best way to achieve the goal? I don't think it's all of the five components out there."
An interesting side issue with the change could mean that it would make kickoff specialists such as the Cowboys' David Buehler obsolete because it would cut down on returns by making touchbacks seemingly easier.
"People will vociferously argue on both sides, that it helps that guy because everybody says everybody can do it," Garrett said. "I'm not so sure."
Stephen Jones is not so sure either. He said many kickers would be able to kick out of the end zone from the 35-yard line.
He said Buehler's biggest issue in remaining with the Cowboys is his field-goal accuracy, not being rendered obsolete by the kickoff rule change.
Clarence E. Hill Jr.
Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/0...ut-continues-garrett-feels.html#ixzz1HKyiWf74
chill@star-telegram.com
NEW ORLEANS -- Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett laments the fact that the off-season strength and conditioning program for the players would have started Monday if not for the NFL lockout.
But it's simply another example of the lack of normalcy during the current labor impasse.
"I think it's frustrating for everyone involved in the league that it's not business as usual right now," Garrett said during a break from the NFL owners meetings in New Orleans.
"But that's the way it is and we have to understand what it is and we have to deal with it and still be able to function as well as we can given the circumstances."
The lockout poses a bigger problem for the Cowboys considering they have a new defensive coordinator in Rob Ryan. Not having the off-season program and possibly the organized team activities and minicamps is a problem, he said.
"That's one of the issues with all the teams who have new coaches. You're not going to have that traditional off-season and hopefully it gets resolved quickly and you can get to that," Garrett said. "But we'll see."
Garrett said the Cowboys are fortunate because a good number of players live in Dallas and they came around the facility and received as much information as they could before the lockout.
More legal moves
There seems to be no end in sight to the current labor strife and its accompanying legal proceedings.
While owners were meeting in New Orleans, they also filed papers with a federal judge in St. Paul, Minn., in an effort to keep the lockout in place.
U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson has scheduled an April 6 hearing on the players' request to stop the lockout.
The NFL contends there are no legal grounds to stop it while accusing the players of trying to manipulate the law with a bogus antitrust lawsuit.
According to the league, any decision on a lockout must wait until the National Labor Relations Board rules on an unfair labor practice charge against the now-dissolved players' union.
It's just another stop in the circular fight between league and the players.
The players said they decertified as a union and filed the antitrust suit because the league was going to lock them out.
The league said it administered the lockout because the players decertified and walked away from the bargaining table.
The league said the players' decertification was a legal maneuver because they are still acting and talking like a union.
Both sides claim they want to resume talks. But the former union wants to engage in settlements of the lawsuit while the league only wants to engage in a bargaining session for a new labor agreement.
League officials also acknowledged Monday they could use replacement players during the lockout though they have not considered that possibility.
"There is going to be an agreement with the union," said Jeff Pash, NFL vice president and lead negotiator. "There is no question about that. There is going to be a labor agreement. We don't accept that the union has 'decertified' or something like that.
"We don't accept that; we don't believe that it has taken place. We believe that is a tactical move by the NFLPA. We believe they are continuing to function as a labor organization. We believe they intend to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement with us. And we think we should get to it."
Kickoff alterations
The NFL competition committee is considering tweaking the proposed new kickoff rules, Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones said.
The changes include moving kickoffs up from the 30-yard line to the 35 and while also not allowing a member of the kickoff team from lining up more than 5 yards back to preventing the running starts.
Touchbacks would move to the 25-yard line instead of the 20. Blocking wedges would be eliminated entirely.
According to Jones, the competition will consider leaving the touchbacks at the 20 in a possibly tweaked proposal that will be voted on by the owners today.
The changes are being proposed to cut down on violent injuries on kickoffs.
"I like the intent," Jason Garrett said. "You can't argue with the statistics. Now what's the best way to achieve the goal? I don't think it's all of the five components out there."
An interesting side issue with the change could mean that it would make kickoff specialists such as the Cowboys' David Buehler obsolete because it would cut down on returns by making touchbacks seemingly easier.
"People will vociferously argue on both sides, that it helps that guy because everybody says everybody can do it," Garrett said. "I'm not so sure."
Stephen Jones is not so sure either. He said many kickers would be able to kick out of the end zone from the 35-yard line.
He said Buehler's biggest issue in remaining with the Cowboys is his field-goal accuracy, not being rendered obsolete by the kickoff rule change.
Clarence E. Hill Jr.
Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/0...ut-continues-garrett-feels.html#ixzz1HKyiWf74
