Now that Super Bowl XLV is finished, we can finally say good bye to the 2010 NFL season. And we can now look forward to... well, we're not really sure yet. Along with top player agents, the NFL Players Association is now threatening to boycott the NFL Combine and all Draft related activities. We don't see it happening either; nothing more than a ploy by the union by threatening the league with a fan-favorite activity, studying prospects and building mock drafts. Yet, there's no positive momentum between the NFL and the Union coming to terms for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. The NFL has become your favorite show that's struggling in the ratings. You wait for the network to renew it, or cancel it. But at some point, you get irritated because all you want are answers.
That is what we have to look forward to, at least as of this posting.
Things can change in a heartbeat. In a single moment, momentum can shift towards positive resolution and instead of wondering when the 2011 regular season will begin, we could have certainty by the NFL Draft. Who knows what will happen. A sudden shift towards establishing dialogue that progresses the Collective Bargaining Agreement could be a phone call away. Or the two sides could swipe at each other in the press, trying to be that person on The Price Is Right that locks in the previous bidder by adding a dollar to his bid, at the very least, making sure he doesn't win. A sucker punch would be approved through the school of decency.
As for the Bengals, there's a chance that the team could use the franchise tag on one of their role players. No, this isn't because of anything we heard. We're basing this simply on history with the team having used the tag in the past. Two leading candidates to be "awarded" the franchise tag are Johnathan Joseph and Cedric Benson.
There are at least 11 players in total that were either starters or regular contributors on offense or defense. Along with the two mentioned above, others plaeyrs include Dhani Jones, Reggie Kelly, Roy Williams, Chinedum Ndukwe, Brandon Johnson, Brian Leonard, Jonathan Fanene and Evan Mathis will all be free agents.Not that it matters. The Bengals still have to wait for a Collective Bargaining Agreement to be struck before they're able to sign the players that they want.
So now we wait.