If, as it seems, the NFL lockout ends within the next week, it appears that the only game in the 2011 season that could potentially be in jeopardy would be the Hall of Fame Game between the Chicago Bears and St. Louis Rams. However, it appears as though preseason and the regular season are to proceed as expected. Given the long nature of the lockout, there are sure to be ramifications – both positive and negative – for teams, and individual players for the 2011 season. I personally see this as being a season ripe for the breakout of individual players.

But who do I see these breakout players being? I’m not referring to the obvious Cam Newton’s or Blaine Gabbert’s. My money is on veteran players, and other relatively unknown players who have been in the league for a number of years, having the potential to have a very successful year. The reason I see it being a veteran, backup, or even third stringer with a few years of NFL experience is due to a few factors. First off is the NFL experience they have had. Players who have been in the league for a number of years know the “scheme” of the team they play for, they have on the field experience – or at the very least, NFL style and intensity practices under their belts, and they have had a chance to adjust to the increased speed, aggressiveness, and intensity of the NFL.

Some are likely wondering how the lockout might have this effect. During the lockout players were forced to take control of their own personal and multi-player training efforts. This means that guys were on their own, finding their own trainers, as well as their own facilities to practice in. For those who evaluate their performance during previous seasons are able to identify the areas where they have the greatest number of weakness. When working with a personal trainer, using a regimen that is very much individual-oriented, one can focus on those areas of weakness. Whereas, in team oriented practice sessions, this may be a lesser focus.

Many players, since they had to take their own training upon themselves, have also contacted players from their own, as well as other teams. This gives them a wider variety of skills to enhance since most teams run slightly different offensive and defensive schemes. Players are exposed more directly to those differences. Cores that have gotten together to have self-directed practices are also likely to be at an advantage as they have stayed in shape, have worked with the playbook, and have also likely stayed in better rhythm as a unit than those cores who have not been focused on team-oriented practice sessions.

As much as who has been working out, with who, how much, and on what, are also those players who have slacked off during the lockout – and there are those who have done this. These players are likely to come back out of shape and out of sync. Could this lead to a slew of early season injuries due to lack of conditioning? It seems that this could certainly play out as such, which would allow backups a chance to show off their skills, perhaps breaking out as a great player who makes a big impact on the team in the 2011 season. One thing is for certain, if things go off without a hitch and we have football as we expect to, this is going to be an interesting season for sure.

As we have passed beyond the 100 day mark in the NFL lockout, there are many who are starting to wonder if we will, in fact, have a 2011 NFL season or not. With rumors swirling that cover both extremes, and not much official coming from either the NFL Players Association or the owners, speculation seems to be all we have to fall back on. There are rumors that a deal is close to being made, and that the NFL season will proceed on a regular schedule; then there are also rumors that players and owners are preparing for the possibility of an 8-game 2011 NFL season. As with most things that come out of a rumor mill, the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle.

But there has been progress this week in an official capacity. The two sides have been ordered to once again and sit down and try to work out a negotiation. Though it still appears that neither side is budging, and negotiations have been minimal, all should see this as a step towards progress. Does this mean that they are close to coming to an agreement? More than likely, it doesn’t really mean much at this point, but it could. These are court-ordered mediation/negotiation sessions and the players and owners have no choice in participating in said sessions. We will have to see “what comes out of the wash”, as they say, once this latest rounds of talks come to a close.

There is speculation that things are going well, but there is starting to be a sense of real urgency. Not only are players going to start going without paychecks – as they have already been unable to access facilities, trainers, physical therapists, and team doctors – but time is also running short for teams to actually plan and execute a full scale training camp. Many say that if a deal is not garnered before July 4th, that the ability for many NFL teams to have the proper training scenario is going to be impossible.

So what are the players doing? Surprisingly, most of them are getting down to business, even if it is on their own dime. Some players, including recently drafted rookies, were able to get their hands on playbooks and other materials during the brief injunction and lifting of the lockout. Many are studying those playbooks daily, and have made copies for all members of the team. Rookies are getting together and practicing to keep in shape at high school gyms, public fields, and so on.

Seasoned veterans and young players alike are, on their own dime, putting together small unofficial training camps so that players can get comfortable with each other, keep in shape, get the moves down, and get the new players up to speed. Basically, most of the players are doing all they can to be prepared to start doing their job – playing football – as soon as the higher ups give them the word. In the end, to fans and players, it is about playing the game, so hopefully the players and the owners can come to some sort of agreement so we can all have what we want: football, plain and simple.

As the NFL Players Association and the league and owners failed to hash out a deal before the expiration of the NFL collective bargaining agreement, the law has gotten involved, and emotions are running high. Much controversy has surrounded a recent comment made by Viking‘s star running back, Adrian Peterson. In an interview with Yahoo!, Peterson likened the current situation between players and owners to “modern day slavery”. This language, of course, ruffled a good many feathers, and has had the talking heads foaming at the mouth ever since, but is there something to Peterson’s comments?

Of course, nobody would consider an NFL player, earning millions of dollars a year, a slave, but if we take the semantics out of the equation and take a look at what I think Peterson actually meant, you see a much different story. Perhaps a better term for the situation would be “well paid indentured servitude”. The situation that NFL players currently find themselves in is not a new one – struggles between unions and employers have been part of America’s history for a long time – but it is a unique situation.

As a player in the NFL, you are well paid, and for many, it is the realization of a dream. However, this benefit does not come without cost. A contract is a contract – a legally binding document that, when signed, renders both parties bound by law to follow through on the agreed upon terms of the contract. What makes an NFL players contract a bit different from one that you would, say, create with a contractor, is that not just their services are under contract, but they are under contract as well.

What this means is that, while being at the whim of a union, where a majority decision trumps that of individual members, there are personal restrictions placed on players who are a part of the league. There are certain activities one might participate in during their free time, that have nothing to do with the game of football, and are perfectly legal, but are expressly restricted in the terms of the contract. That means that an NFL player may have terms in their contract that define a whole list of personal activities that they are no allowed to participate in.

Of course, the player has the choice to sign, or not sign, that dotted line and become part of the NFL and all that goes with it. But that does not, however, mean that Peterson was entirely wrong in his comment. Being a part of the NFL Players Association does make you part of a high earning, and elite club, but you are held to different standards than you would be in any other job – union or otherwise.

Personal conduct is regulated, and thus one’s “freedom” as a football player is a bit relative. Is the price they pay worth it? I would say that is a personal decision that each player has to make, but given the popularity of the sport, and the love of the game displayed by the players, I would think that there are plenty of people willing to sign that dotted line, regardless of what it entails.