An important day on tap for the fate of the 2011 NFL season. Owners are in Chicago to try and finagle something close enough to a consensus on the structure of a new labor deal being discussed in settlement talks with players currently. This is taking place amid reports of dissent from a small segment of owners unhappy with the parameters of the deal in the works. So what happens with this meeting?
According to some, there are at least a few owners who want to continue holding out, forcing players to miss enough game checks to get a deal tilted more toward ownership. Roger Goodell and the other owners involved in the talks will be working the room in an attempt to get those owners on board with a deal now.
The source of the dissent is unknown; however, Peter King speculated yesterday that it could be coming from small market owners who want to see something that increases their profitability. There's also concern among owners about the state of the economy and what that could mean for rich new television deal in 2014. They might want to think more about the media landscape in 2014. Television habits change regularly, and that segment of entertainment/media consumption looks very close to the boiling point of disruptive innovation, when new technologies explode old mediums. But that's a discussion for another time.
Apparently the owners' labor committee met last night. The whole thing could last until tomorrow. Stay tuned for details.