The Pittsburgh Steelers are now into the offseason, following a year in which they had high hopes for Super Bowl success, but ultimately fell short of even reaching the postseason at 8-8. It was a tumultuous season, both on the field and within the roster, and the months to follow figure to have some drama as well, especially in light of the team’s failure to improve upon the year before.
The team made some bold moves over the course of the past year, and some areas of the roster look quite a bit different than they did a year ago, or even at the start of the regular season. Whether due to injuries or otherwise, a lot has transpired, and we’re left to wonder how much more will change prior to September.
How will Ben Roethlisberger’s rehab progress as he winds toward recovery from an elbow injury that cost him almost the entire season? What about some of the key young players, some of whom have already impressed, others still needing quite a bit of growth? Will there be changes to the coaching staff? The front office? Who will they not retain in free agency, and whom might they bring in?
These are the sorts of questions among many others that we have been exploring on a daily basis and will continue to do so. Football has become a year-round pastime and there is always a question to be asked, though there is rarely a concrete answer, as I’ve learned in my years of doing this.
Question: Will the NFLPA elect to accept the terms of the new proposed Collective Bargaining Agreement?
If you’ve been following the news around the NFL for the past 24 hours, then you have probably become aware that today could potentially be a big day. The league has already voted to approve the terms of the current CBA that is on the table. The NFLPA is set to discuss the proposal today, with a vote likely though not guaranteed to follow.
In other words, the framework is there for a new CBA to be put in place within the next several hours. Once it goes through all the motions, some of its effects will be immediate, while others will be rolled out over the course of the next decade.
While it seems as though we have gotten very close to the finish line, it’s still ultimately on the players to ratify it, and we’ve already seen some prominent players voice their opposition to it. These are people who have influential status and could affect the vote.
The current generation of NFL players is being given the baton, making crucial decisions not just for the present, but for the future, and the past. This is a huge responsibility not to be taken lightly, and there are certainly voices who are arguing that the CBA, which gives the league the authority to expand both the regular season and the postseason, that it is still woefully imbalanced. If the players don’t approve the CBA, things could get rocky over the course of the next two years.
