2011 Season - Training Camp Update

We will be drafting our 2011 teams at 4pm on Bank Holiday Monday August 29th. There is no flexibility because work gets in the way again. The first game of the season (Saints @ Packers) is on Thursday September 8th and we will watch it on the Friday evening. Not that the draft matters as Johnnie proved last year. He didn’t draft a single player on his final winning squad, it was all about his trades. Due to work I will be away almost all of October so Trading Day 1 will be on Sunday 30th October before week 8’s games & Trading Day 2 will be on Sunday 4th December before week 13. Please put these dates in your diary. Franchise Players I hope you are all back for another season, please let me know asap if you want to drop out. Although the NFL is suffering through a big labour dispute where the owners have locked out the players and the players have decertified their union, we need to continue to plan for a 2011 season. Basically the Billionaire Owners and Millionaire Players are arguing over how to divide the $9 Billion per year the NFL makes. Even if they miss games we need to work our front offices like there is no stoppage. The biggest impact on us is that there has been no Free Agency so far but there was an NFL Draft. If a new Collective Bargaining Agreement is signed then Free Agency should swiftly follow but things have got quite feisty and both parties are back in court on June 3rd. In the meantime we must select our 2011-12 Franchise players. You must supply the name of your new Franchise Man to me by July 1st. To help out a few bits of research are on the way. Firstly attached is the final table with the BUMS teams (so you can remember who you had on your squad in the first place) and how much they will cost you for the next two years if you Franchise them. Remember if you cut your franchise player you still pay him his signed salary for the rest of the season/two seasons. This year’s superstars becoming available include quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers, Philip Rivers and Eli Manning, running back Michael Turner and receivers Greg Jennings and Larry Fitzgerald as they have all ended their 2 year Franchise designation and become free agents. They are released onto the open market together with the rookies - the rookie report (attached) details 29 players from the first 3 rounds of the NFL Draft who may be available to us this season, together with who signed them. Four quarterbacks were taken in the first 12 picks & six within the first 36 but only one running back was selected in the first round. Team Nicknames If you wish to change your teams nickname you can do so, again this should be with me by July 1st. So that’s it… 3 things to email me by the end of next month. 1) Are you in for the 2011 season, 2)Your 2011-12 Franchise player & 3) Team nickname if you are changing.