So, by now I expect that you guys have heard about the NFL Players Association decertifying, the NFL locking the players out, and the legal battle that is to ensue.
While this news stinks for all NFL fans, it will be even worse for fans of certain teams like the Miami Dolphins.
I am no expert on all of the legal stuff, but I have heard that the battle in court could last as long as six months. Six months from today would be September 12th, and the NFL season is scheduled to start September 8th. So, if the court battle between the NFL and NFLPA lasts anywhere as long as expected, then there could be some major problems for some teams.
Imagine an NFL season with no OTAs, training camps, or preseason. Some of you may not think that's a big deal, but it is a huge deal for teams with a new coach and new offenses to teach their players.
Enter the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins have a new offensive coordinator who has to teach his players a new offense, they have huge questions at quarterback, and we don't even know who our starting running back is.
This is all bad news for Miami, because the longer the battle between the NFL and NFLPA lasts, the less time the Dolphins get to prepare for the season.
The one bright spot is that Chad Henne was able to learn the new offense. I am very glad that he was motivated enough to take the initiative and prepare for a potential lockout. I just hope he will be able to successfully teach the offense to the rest of the team. Because of this whole mess, I do think it will be smart to start Henne for, at least, the beginning of the season.
I am NOT on the Chad Henne bandwagon, though. I just think he will be the best option to start off the season because of the lockout. If he ends up doing really well and lives up to the hype that surrounded him at the beginning of last year, then more power to him, but I just don't see it happening.
I am still a huge Ryan Mallett supporter. I will be a fan of his as long as he doesn't go to a team like the Jets or Patriots, and when he ends up being extremely successful in the NFL, you guys can flood my inbox with praise. I promise I won't mind it at all. My email address is paul@dolphinshout.com, so you should add that to your contacts for when you need to send me praise.
Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think about the lockout, Henne, or Mallett with a comment. I look forward to seeing what you guys think. You may have also noticed that I didn't put up a post yesterday, and I apologize to anyone who was expecting it, but I was hoping to keep my post about the trifecta compared to the bifecta up on the top of the blog because I wanted to keep the conversation going.
