Packers are telling players to be ready to show up on Saturday

[packers11]

After a few month break from the site (because of the lockout) I am back in action... So here is some good news!

pft.com

Source: Packers are telling players to be ready to show up on Saturday
Posted by Mike Florio on July 18, 2011, 10:16 PM EDT

Though the labor deal still isn’t done and no one knows for sure when and if it will be, the defending world champions are making it known that players should be ready to show up at the team facility on Saturday for a meeting.

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the Packers are telling players that the doors will open on Friday, and that the team wants the players in town in order to get started on preparations for training camp and the preseason.

This presumes that the remaining issues between the NFL and the NFLPA* will be resolved in time for the players and the owners to separately approve the new agreement. The fact that the Packers are getting the word out shows how widespread that presumption currently is.

Of course, teams aren’t supposed to be talking to players during the lockout. For many teams, however, that ship sailed a long, long time ago.

UPDATE: Jason Wilde of ESPN Milwaukee says via Twitter that the report is “100 percent true,” and that he has confirmed it through two team sources.

[red]

hell yeah, the champs will be in the building on friday

[Partial]

This is awesome! I'm so ready for some football! I'm not a baseball fan so this summer was getting a little long pro sports wise!

[gbgary]

woo hoo!!!

[MJZiggy]

Funny, Barnett said nothing about it. Though he is already in GB right now.

[pbmax]

Several Packers have denied it (including Rodgers, Lang and Bush), but one player source and two team sources have confirmed it with Wilde.

Reminds me of summer camp in football, where the coach would let a captain know that practice could be had starting two weeks ahead of the legal starting date, and somehow, in the days before email, Twitter and text messaging, the entire team found out.

[MadScientist]

There is probably some sort of deniable chain of communications going on here. E.G. Packers tell neutral party X that they expect the deal to be done and want players to show up for meetings on Saturday. Neutral party X tells this to a player friend and word spreads. Wilde finds out and the information is confirmed without saying that they directly contacted players. The reports go out, using the media to inform players that can't be contacted directly.

[bobblehead]

So, is the asterisk next to "NFLPA" because there is no NFLPA...they decertified and are not a union anymore right?

[vince]

http://www.espnmilwaukee.com/corp/page/07%2F18%2F11_Full_speed_ahead%3A_Packers_plan_return_/20?feed=2

One source suggested that teams may have been given permission by the league to begin planning their return to work, including allowing for brief contact with players about logistics.

Wilde said on his radio show that some people at 1265 are "less than thrilled" with him right now for reporting this...

[Joemailman]

So, is the asterisk next to "NFLPA" because there is no NFLPA...they decertified and are not a union anymore right?

My understanding is that the NFLPA still exists as an organization. It's just not a union right now.

[Harlan Huckleby]

I'm not convinced that they'll get it settled this week. The issues remaining are not so big, but they are complicated, especially the stake of retired players. I can see it going into next week. But we'll have a preseason, that's what counts.

[Patler]

This could slow it down:

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d820da4ea/article/report-wr-jackson-g-mankins-demand-to-become-free-agents?module=HP11_headline_stack

Mankins and Jackson want $10 million, or to be declared free agents before settling their suit.

[pbmax]

I'm not convinced that they'll get it settled this week. The issues remaining are not so big, but they are complicated, especially the stake of retired players. I can see it going into next week. But we'll have a preseason, that's what counts.

Carl Eller is on record (PFT had it) that they won't block the deal currently in progress. He says there is still work to do but they can do it with the NFL after the agreement. They also were given a seat at the table Tuesday for the first time. Previously, they had to sit at the retirees table on mats.

[mraynrand]

Carl Eller is on record (PFT had it) that they won't block the deal currently in progress. He says there is still work to do but they can do it with the NFL after the agreement. They also were given a seat at the table Tuesday for the first time. Previously, they had to sit at the retirees table on mats.

[pbmax]

This could slow it down:

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d820da4ea/article/report-wr-jackson-g-mankins-demand-to-become-free-agents?module=HP11_headline_stack

Mankins and Jackson want $10 million, or to be declared free agents before settling their suit.

I think this report is a warning shot by an owner's source. It might also be old and incorrect.

Adam Schefter has reported that Mankins has made no such demand, while he confirmed Jackson's agents did. A reporter from San Diego was just on the radio saying that while Jackson would prefer an exemption from the franchise tag, he will not hold up a deal on it and is willing to return to San Diego under its provisions. Previously, weeks ago actually, PFT had CAA (Creative Artists Agency) making a similar request for Brees and Manning long before the shape of this current deal started to take shape.

As I understand it, and I am not a lawyer, the named plaintiffs in such a suit are entitled to compensation in conjunction with any settlement. So these requests are not entirely unexpected and are not necessarily new. I think this represents a strike back from an owner's side source over the player's request for benefit dollars to be restored from last year. Even that leak had hallmarks of the owner's side (it was couched to PFT as a concern over Kessler).

In either event, these terms are no different than the named plaintiffs received in the Reggie White lawsuit in 1992. White and his compatriots received a blanket exemption from the tags for their careers. It would also make sense that the teams that stand to lose leverage (Patriots, Colts, Saints, Falcons or Chargers) might have an interest in stopping momentum on this issue.

This was just the long form version of me saying it might be much ado about nothing.