The NFLPA gears up for the CBA battle

This happened Sunday but it's worth covering even a day after the fact. The NFL Players Association elected Washington D.C. based attorney DeMaurice Smith as the union's new executive director. Somewhat of a surprise, Smith is not a former player or NFLPA official. That doesn't matter. Smith's selection centers on the upcoming CBA fight, a fight likely to define the future of the NFL as we know it. 

Smith's resume underscores the fact that despite his outsider status in league circles, he's a heavy hitter when it comes to contract fights. How heavy a hitter is he? Using his considerable experience with Congress, he plans to use the legislative body in the looming CBA fight...as if two wars and a recession weren't enough to keep Congress busy.

Just how much did the CBA fight figure into the vote, from the SI.com article:

"[Smith] gave a plan, a detailed account of how to win [against the NFL], in the CBA negotiations,'' a union source said. "It was a plan that reached the players, because it was concise and detailed and had a strategy to it. It was an outline to follow."

You can see Smith's official professional bio here. Congrats to man. And get ready for a big, bloody battle.