Last Friday's CBA deadline was referred to by many as the possible beginning of NFL Armageddon. That potentially ugly situation got put off for a week thanks to an agree upon extension. But now we sit here again on the precipice of NFL labor disaster.
But let's begin this week's "five" with some actual football talk - not labor negotiations.
1. Are the Dolphins interested in the veteran Seahawks signal caller? That's the hot rumor right now. Adam Wright, who is known on Twitter as "Seahawks Talk," tweeted this week that the Dolphins are one of the teams that are considering quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, who will be a free agent this offseason (if free agency ever begins).
"I'm also being told that the Dolphins and the Vikings are interested in acquiring QB Matt Hasselbeck," tweets Wright.
Of course, the obvious question here is who the hell Adam Wright is and how he would be privy to this kind of information. Beyond that, though, you have to wonder if this kind of signing would make sense for the Dolphins if this rumor was indeed based on some truth.
Hasselbeck will be 36 in September and coming off of his worst career season, having completed only 59% of his passes while throwing 12 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. It's worth noting, though, that Hasselbeck wasn't exactly playing with a skilled supporting cast.
If nothing else, signing Hasselbeck to a short-term contract could buy this regime time to groom a new, younger quarterback - maybe even a first round draft pick. Either way, I could definitely get behind the idea of signing Hasselbeck and spending a high draft pick (even if it isn't necessarily a top 15 pick) on a rookie quarterback.
2. We might be headed to NFL labor hell. That's the feeling this morning after a seemingly contentious day of negotiation/mediation yesterday that spilled over in public through the media last night. Just when it all started to seem as though the two sides were working towards an actual agreement, Thursday was clearly a day of setbacks - or so it seems.
It's worth keeping in mind that it's beneficial for both sides to make it seem like negotiations are falling apart heading into the final day before the CBA expiration. That's part of negotiating. However, painting a negative picture heading into Friday could backfire if neither side actually caves. And right now, I don't know if either side will be willing to blink first. We all know that both the owners and the players stand to lose a lot if a deal isn't struck. But you can't underestimate the egos of the people involved - which is why I suddenly have a very bad feeling about how this will turn out.
3. Dolphins owner Stephen Ross is the second richest owner in the NFL. According to Forbes annual list of the world's richest people, Ross is worth $3.4 billion. And still, in the event of an extended lockout - perpetrated by the owners, keep in mind - the Dolphins could choose to cut the salaries of their coaches. There's actually language in their contracts for this very situation. How much each coach could see their salary cut is entirely up to GM Jeff Ireland on an individual basis. But this is just more proof that the NFL owners have been preparing for a lockout for quite a long time now.
4. Anyone got any ideas on how to spend Sundays in the fall if there's no football? Better start preparing now.
5. So Pat White has now failed at two professional sports since his days at West Virginia. After failing in the NFL, he failed to report to spring training for the Royals, ending (for now) his MLB career. But don't feel bad for him, people. We're talking about a guy that pocketed over $2.5 million from the Dolphins. Many people won't even make that amount of money in their entire lifetime.
Anyone got any career advice for the now unemployed former pro athlete?