It's May, and the NFL's labor problems still aren't settled. This has had the effect of canceling the rookie mini-camp and off-season voluntary workouts, and is inching ever closer to everyone's fear: canceled regular season games.
Mike Ditka is just as disgusted as every football fan, but he thinks the problems revolve around one thing: egos.
But that's not what's happening. Instead, the players and owners are each preparing briefs saying the injunction that was granted by a federal court that lifted the lockout should be upheld or denied. A ruling is expected on those briefs in early June.
Until then, players, owners, coaches and front office staff have no choice but to wait.
Teams are juggling their off-season schedules to deal with the uncertainty, and weighing the possibility of salary cuts. In Chicago, the Bears already have guaranteed there will be no salary cuts unless games are canceled.
The certainty of a paycheck helps, but it won't make the coaching staff's job any easier. No matter when the season starts, coaches will be forced into jamming an off-season's worth of training into a few short months.
Why can't everyone in the league just listen to Da Coach and make this thing work?