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NFL owners will gather in Atlanta Tuesday to decide where the Super Bowl in February 2012 will be played. This will take place in conjunction with them plotting a mission that could lead to the cancellation of that very game and the preceding season.
One of the many issues owners will discuss is the evolving strategy regarding the collective bargaining agreement with the league’s players. Right now, the plan appears pretty straight forward: opt out of the agreement in November.
This, of course, is the doomsday scenario – one that seems to defy common sense given the apparent success of the NFL.
“Everybody is doing well right now, the players and the owners,” Indianapolis Colts center and NFLPA player representative Jeff Saturday said in February. “For us to not be able to work this out … I don’t think the fans would be very understanding of that.”
Saturday’s comments are similar to many other players’ and were echoed by New England owner Bob Kraft.
"Both sides have a duty to work together in these talks because we are doing very well,” Kraft said. “Hopefully both are smart enough to make that happen.”
Opting out of the agreement triggers many things, including the possibility that there will not be a salary cap in the 2010 season and that the terms of the agreement will cease after that season. If that happens, the NFL Players Association expects the owners to attempt a lockout of the players, starting in March 2011. A lockout could ultimately threaten the 2011 season.

I, too, think that it is a bluff. The NFL and the Players' Association have not been on the same page lately (ranging from topics to pay compensation to injured veterans, to salary cap and rookie contracts). Other strikes in sports were because of a decrease in popularity, and a direct relation between the athletes and the league.

From that I read also, their could be no salary cap in 2010...Yet with Roger Goodell as the NFL Commissioner, I think that this will all be worked out, because he is very precise at what he does.

Also, For the second time in eight years, the Atlanta Falcons opened the vault and dropped a ton of cash on a franchise quarterback.

Matt Ryan, the No. 3 pick in last month's draft, signed a $72 million, six-year contract Tuesday. The announcement of the new deal came with smiles, confident talk of the future and no mention of Michael Vick, the first pick in 2001 who signed a $130 million extension, the richest in the league at the time, in December 2005.

This contract is just.. ubsurd, now Chris Long will be wanting more than this contract and Darren McFadden will be wanting slightly less.
They need to have some kind of rookie contract cap.

I agree, One of my pet peeves is high contracts to rookie draft picks who have yet to prove themselves. So much guranteed money, and Matt Ryan can turn out to be another Ryan Leaf. It's sad how these guys are making the big bucks, without playing a single down in an NFL Game. I say rookies should earn their stripes, and the right to be paid that much money. Now I'm not saying pay them scraps from the dinning room table, but their should be a decent compromise somewhere so first round draft picks, who turn out to be busts don't run off to the bank with so much money that in the long run can and have hurt teams in salary cap issues... Though this topic of discussion includes the possibility of no more salary caps, but you get my point.

plus ryan is a product of a weak qb draft class. if ryan was drafted last year he would be 3rd round at best.
the Falcons shot themselves in the foot with this guy.

I think it's a bluff too, but that would suck if they cancelled.

Oh it's so a bluff. People will literally die.
American's love their football way too much! To live without it!

If the pros didn't play we would have strike football. There will always be football to watch