NFL Lockout Aftermath: More Than Just Statistics

With the NFL lockout finally lifted and sanity restored, it's time to assess the changes that have occurred with the new collective bargaining agreement. In terms of numerical and fiscal battles, both sides gained what they wanted to a certain extent. For NFL owners, the ability to opt out of the new CBA in 2015 and 60% of all team-generated revenue are major conquests. The players have even more to smile about with a trimmed down Offseason Training Activities (OTAs) schedule, better retired player benefits and the sigh of relief that the proposed 18 game schedule is more or less off the table for the foreseeable future.

However one glaring note that is lost in all of this profiteering is the narrowing down of padded practices from 17 to 14 a season. In any normal league year, this wouldn't be a huge deal. Unfortunately, when you consider that practically 3/4 of the 2011 offseason is gone, you are left with fewer opportunities for improvement. Consider that free agency begins tomorrow (about 5 months later than usual) and that an entire rookie class has yet to have a regulated NFL practice with coaches and it's obvious that many aspects of football will suffer in 2011. While grueling and torturous as they may be, training camps are where most teams gain the knowledge, strength and endurance necessary to navigate a 16 game season. Here's what I predict (begrudgingly) will happen this year because of the lockout and the fallout surrounding it:

-Many of the playoff teams and teams on the cusp of the playoffs (Buccaneers and Raiders, to name a few) will lose momentum due to lack of coaching, causing key younger players like Josh Freeman to experience a sharp drop in performance.

-Any rookie player placed in a crucial role like Cam Newton, Jake Locker or Von Miller will have their learning curve accelerated exponentially, causing some of them to develop permanent shell shock or what I like to call 'David Carr Syndrome'.

-Passing teams with established quarterbacks like the Patriots, Colts, Chargers and Saints will have a leg-up on more smashmouth teams like the Dolphins, Jets or Jaguars because their offenses can be replicated in 7-on-7 drills, even without coaching staffs present.

-Quarterbacks will be at a premium in free agency, even more than expected. Yes, Kevin Kolb and Vince Young are sure to be traded. But don't be surprised to see some acquisitions that don't initially make sense to the average fan. One quarterback to keep an eye on is Shaun Hill, the current backup to Matthew Stafford in Detroit. Due to Drew Stanton's above average play last season, Hill is now a luxury rather than a necessity. He's played well in spots in both San Francisco and Detroit and would work well in a West coast offense. I'd look for the Seahawks and Vikings to trade for him.

-Lastly, there will be a glut of top-tier runningbacks with pedestrian seasons. Look for teams with a stable of runningbacks like the Saints and Cowboys to prosper this season due to the football equivalent of a change-up pitcher.

That's enough doom and gloom for now. All semantics aside, no football is much worse than mediocre football and I think everyone can agree on that.

Playing in the sandbox.

Anyone who has ever met me has equated my enthusiasm and outlook on life to that of a child. I've often been called 'a big kid' and not just because of my weight. I am indeed a child at heart and this outlook is often reflected in my writing. Part of my infatuation with advertising is the inherent playfulness hidden in the creative. Once you peel back the layers of product attributes and fine print, you can find some damn funny and cool stuff. As you can tell by past blog posts, I am a huge pro football fan. This extends to their advertising as well. I'm a sucker for low-brow, misogynistic humor often found in beer commercials for brands like Budweiser and Coors. But as a red-blooded southern football fiend, these ads resonate with me and therefore with the target. They are intended to be crass and flippant. I try to put that same colorful and playful humor in my radio spots. What I can't accomplish with pictures, I recapitulate with language, tonality, sound effects and music. The other day, I broke out into a dance session as I laid down background music for ads about lasagna. Advertising, writing, and yes radio aren't about seriousness and work to me. It's about tapping into that inner child. What's your sandbox?

The Invisible Ruler

Football players are often projected based on certain measurables such as height, weight, strength and speed. Millions of dollars and a certain amount of prestige are attached to where you are picked in the NFL Draft. Coaches are a lot more lenient with a struggling first round pick than they are with a later round player. Why am I mentioning all of these things? With the conclusion of the 2009-2010 NFL season rapidly approaching, the player evaluation process is reaching its peak. The Senior Bowl, a popular and accurate tool for coaches and pro scouts to gauge a player's ability, commences on Saturday. Strangely, it is the four days of practice that lead up to this game that matters most. These practices put players in unfamiliar situations with players they have only seen from afar. Behind the scenes, players interact with coaches and scouts to give a better feel of a player's character. Character, poise and leadership are unquantifiable traits that prove to be the most important for professional athletes. What most casual fans do not realize is that athletic ability is relative on the next level. Most NFL quarterback have a strong arm. Most NFL wide receivers can run the 40 yard dash in 4.4 seconds. What separates good players from great ones is the invisible ruler. How much does this player love football? What does this player do when everything is falling apart around him? How does this player respond to adversity or criticism? The answers to these questions can be very telling and provide the dividing line between players who last a year in the league and those whose career spans over a decade. Some of the best football players are those who do not fit the prototype of their position. Joe Montana was viewed as a small player with a slight frame and an average arm. Jerry Rice was a slow small college player. Sam Mills was too short to play linebacker. All of these players had long and prosperous careers. Speed and strength are and will always be impressive attributes. However, it is what lies beneath that defines greatness.

Christmas Capitalism

For a holiday that officially starts and ends on December 25th, the commemoration of Christmas is seemingly expanded to ridiculous lengths every year. Like most holidays in America, there is a distinct brand of commercialism and capitalism that has painted over the more sacred elements of Christmas. Black Friday kicks off this rapid parade of bargain shopping and hording of gifts, which means that there is a cavalcade of TV, radio and Internet ads that accompany this procession of spending. Old holiday symbols and relics are rehashed every year: Frosty the Snowman, Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and of course, the ubiquitous Santa. Retail outlets like Gap try to shake things up with jazzy song and dance numbers. Unfortunately, most of these ads come off as hokey, uninspired, even boring. The repetition of symbols and songs combined with hard selling takes all the humanity out of the corporation-consumer relationship. Joseph A. Bank is practically begging customers to shop at their stores! I find it oddly appropriate that the most amusing and memorable advertising comes from insurance providers and beer companies. I think that even Santa Claus would need a Bud Light to digest some of this repetitive garbage.

No Fun League

Anyone who knows me on a personal level knows that I have strong feelings about the NFL. In short, I love it. However, there are some nuances about the league that constantly irk me, particularly those that involve the interference of the front office. Today I read a very interesting story by Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports about Philadelphia Eagles tight end Brent Celek. Celek celebrated a touchdown reception this past Sunday by posing with a teammate in the corner of the endzone. So what? Well, it garnered significant attention from the league office because the celebration involved the ubiquitous Captain Morgan pose. This pose was premeditated as part of an effort by Captain Morgan to raise brand awareness through a gorilla marketing strategy involving the participation of NFL players. While the NFL along with the other major American sports leagues vehemently oppose this as crass, underhanded marketing, I view it from a much different angle. Captain Morgan made a bold move by asking for a select group of NFL players to participate in this campaign. What gets lost in the uproar is the contributions made by Captain Morgan towards the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fun, an initiative created to raise awareness and funds for retired NFL players. Putting all the business semantics and bureaucracy aside, I thought both Captain Morgan and Celek were not in the wrong here. I think its time that a league known for its tight control and reluctance to think outside the box needs to reevaluate the way it does business. It's time for the NFL to stop being the No Fun League.

Social Media. Who's Talking?

My Space. Friendster. Facebook. And now Twitter. There are more avenues now for public discourse, which has seeped out of the private sector and into commerce. Businesses are now using Twitter and Facebook to connect with their customers, gaging their opinions and preferences at their convenience. Surveys and consumer interest panels are becoming outmoded; they simply can't keep up with the pace of human interest. It was only a matter of time before social media became a mode of advertising. Brands build fans, so why no reach out to consumers where they are most active? The demographic of social media users becomes wider and more diverse every day. Hell, there is even a 104 year-old woman who tweets! Don't believe me? Check out http://twitter.com/IvyBean104. Who's talking? More like who's NOT talking.