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As we've noted many times over the past two years, signing draft picks isn't the adventure that it used to be. The NFL's collective bargaining agreement, ratified for the 2011 season, created a streamlined negotiating process and provided far less wi...

John of Belleville, Ill., asks a fair question that allows for two important points. Wrote John: "Why do rebuilding teams (like the Minnesota Vikings) want to hold out their starters for the final preseason game? In my opinion, with the new CBA li...

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- CampTour'12 is less than a week old and already we've seen significant changes to traditional training camp principles, adjustments that stem from the 2011 collective bargaining agreement (CBA). Last year's rushed training camp was...

The NFL's collective bargaining agreement (CBA) grants NFL commissioner Roger Goodell the authority not only to punish players for conduct detrimental to the league, but also to serve as the arbiter of the ensuing appeals process. But does the CBA es...

John of Belleville, Ill., is tired of a common refrain from players suspended as part of the New Orleans Saints bounty case. In particular, the "judge, jury and executioner" theory that suggests NFL commissioner Roger Goodell shouldn't both determine...

Under the NFL's previous collective bargaining agreement, it grew increasingly difficult to discern between organized team activities and minicamp. The only difference was obligatory attendance at minicamp as opposed to the voluntary OTAs, and even t...

The NFL's new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) has brought an issue we haven't faced in a number of years: Tight salary-cap situations. After jumping considerably in the final few years of the old CBA, the league's cap limit isn't expected to...

We're Black and Blue All Over: The Green Bay Packers returned from their bye week Monday to a dose of reality: A rare full-padded practice. Under the new collective bargaining agreement (CBA), NFL teams can have more than one full-pads practice...

The final years of the NFL's previous collective bargaining agreement (CBA) rendered salary cap totals nearly moot. Big jumps in cap allowances eliminated almost every tight spot and, for the most part, allowed teams to sign the players they wanted w...

John of Belleville, Ill., wonders if practice rules dictated by the NFL's new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) will impact the quality of games this season. The rules include no formal two-a-day practices during training camp and a limit of 14 p...

We're Black and Blue All Over: MANKATO, Minn. -- NFL teams are expected to take things up a notch Thursday upon formal ratification of the collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The latest hope is that the process will be complete by mid-day, whic...

We're quickly learning that the signing of draft picks is all but a formality under the new collective bargaining agreement. Either that or agents haven't yet identified enough loopholes to draw out negotiations. Regardless, the NFC North is humming ...

We're Black and Blue All Over: After a wild and emotional day on the NFL labor front, ESPN's Chris Mortensen reports that the NFL Players Association expects to call a vote on the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) ratified Thursday by owners. ...

Earlier Monday, we noted multiple reports suggesting the Green Bay Packers have made plans for at least some players to gather Saturday at Lambeau Field, presuming NFL owners have ratified a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) at that point. ...

We're Black and Blue All Over: Welcome back from what will probably be the NFL's last dark weekend for the next six months. Owners and players are hoping to reach a handshake agreement on a new collective bargaining agreement within the next 48 ho...

This, my friends, could be our last "dark" NFL weekend until, oh, February 2012 or so. Yes, if all goes as hoped and the new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) is ratified in the coming days, we'll at least be readying for a wild free agent market...