Courtroom football will begin in just a day, so some of the media focus on the draft will shift back to the lockout situation this week. While we do not expect to have an immediate ruling, the start of this hearing will at least bring us closer to having some sort of resolution with the hope it brings us football sooner than later.

We're not talking about two yutes, but the two suits filed against the NFL were combined and will be heard on Wednesday.

Active, retired players have suits combined … by U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson. This means that the scheduled hearing for Wednesday will include arguments not only for the attorneys representing the current players, like Tom Brady, but also for the retirees, who filed a lawsuit against the league because the lockout could jeopardize their benefits. The league didn’t oppose combining the cases, but still wants the lockout to continue. With the suits melded, Panther owner Jerry Richardson and Packer president Mark Murphy wrote a letter to the retirees detailing the offer made to the NFLPA. Judge Nelson could rule from the bench on Wednesday to lift the lockout, or the proceedings could go [...]

We are officially in April, and no worries, we are not about to pull any April Fools’ Day jokes here in the Fantasy Guru Daily. Instead, we sit here in the calm before the storm as we await the April 6 preliminary hearing in Brady v. NFL.

Pennington gets hurt again … To call free agent QB Chad Pennington injury-prone would be an understatement at this point, as he tore his ACL in a pickup basketball game and will undergo surgery with Dr. James Andrews next week. This comes after he dislocated his shoulder after just two plays in 2010. That, of course, came after a shoulder injury ended his 2009 season in Week Three. Pennington has attempted a total of two passes since September 2009, and with a torn ACL on top of the shoulder problems, it’s getting harder and harder to see him making an impact in the NFL again. According to the Sun-Sentinel, Dolphins coach Tony Sparano has expressed interest in Pennington as an assistant coach, which seems like a good move for Pennington at this point.

Your lockout news for the day … We know how much everyone just loves lockout news, so for today, we bring you [...]

We are just eight days away from the big April 6 court date, so for now, we bring you news of another lawsuit, this one filed by retired players, and a football guarantee from an owner.

Retired Holmes still a fantasy stud? … It wasn’t too long ago that former Chief RB Priest Holmes was a fantasy beast, like in 2004 when he averaged 24.7 FPG – 5.6 more than the next best RB Shaun Alexander. Now, Holmes, along with former players such as Hall of Fame DE Carl Eller, could help fantasy football again by filing a federal class action, antitrust lawsuit against the NFL, as Yahoo! Sports reports. We’d recommend reading Dan Wetzel’s story for yourself, but the most important point is that Eller v. NFL also covers draft prospects, as they are not represented by the NFLPA. Essentially, the suit argues that draft prospects were not involved in decertification but are being negatively affected by the lockout. Many fans aren’t interested in the details and simply want to see football, and obviously, we want to see football too. It’s tough to tell how much of an impact the Eller v. NFL case will make, but there’s certainly a [...]

We are in Week Two of Lockout 2011, and the owners have arrived in New Orleans for their annual meetings. Anything important for them to talk about? Hmmm.

Players answer Goodell’s letter … First both sides in the CBA talks quietly met in mediation. Then they started taking shots at each other over Twitter and through the media. Now, they’re writing letters to each other. Commissioner Roger Goodell sent a letter to the players at the end of last week, detailing the owners’ offer and asking the players to return to negotiations. Many players didn’t enjoy the letter, and the NFLPA’s executive committee sent a reply to Goodell on Saturday. The gist of the letter: “Your statements are false.” So there we go. Andrew Brandt of the National Football Post says the letters again show the distrust between the two sides as they battle for public support. The April 6 court date still seems like ages away with nothing but this back-and-forth war of words happening. Brant also delivered a nice overview of what to expect from the Brady v. NFL case that will begin in a few weeks. The latter piece is required reading for anyone interested in the upcoming [...]

With the NFL at a standstill, we openly wonder if there will be anything to talk about in this blog, yet we continue to have content with either the league or the players finding the need to open their mouths to convince the fans that they’re the ones doing whatever it takes to make sure there’s football in 2011. It hasn’t changed anything and at this point, we’d like both sides to keep quiet unless they’re announcing a resolution to this mess.

Is this what Comissioner Goodell meant when he said there will be football in 2011?

Goodell sends out letter to players … detailing the final offer the league made last Friday in an effort to get back to negotiations. The letter details the proposal and tries to convince the players that that a fair offer was made to prevent a work stoppage. While the league is presenting this as the Commissioner trying to communicate with the players who weren’t at the negotiating table, it’s obvious he’s trying to create a divide among the players and pressure those who weren’t there to urge their leaders to get back to negotiations. Early reactions indicate that the players aren’t biting, as [...]

Welcome to another day filled with exciting talk about he lockout. The vow of silence of a few weeks ago seems like ancient history, as the two sides continue to do anything but discuss a new CBA together. With that, we pass along some lockout reading to you.

The commissioner speaks … Roger Goodell appeared on the NFL Network on Tuesday to discuss his view of where things stand. Goodell doesn’t want draft prospects to boycott the draft, saying players who worked hard to get to that point shouldn’t be denied the spotlight on the stage in New York. Of course, as soon as they walk off the stage, they’ll be unable to negotiate contracts or deal with their new teams, and one of the top prospects happens to be involved in the players’ lawsuit. I’m guessing Von Miller won’t be shaking Goodell’s hand on the stage. Goodell went on to say that he’d return to mediation in a heartbeat, although we wished everyone involved had that enthusiasm when they seemed to be quietly sitting on their hands during most of the sessions before speaking up at the last moment. Other than that, Goodell wisely avoided taking shots at the other [...]

Each year about half way through the playoffs, I find myself slightly depressed because I realize just how few games are left in the season. For 22 weeks of the year, there is something to look forward to every weekend. Wins and losses are easier to deal with in other sports with the teams playing much longer seasons. NFL games are events that are built up every week. Every day leading up to gameday we find ourselves monitoring injury reports, game plans, and fantasy projections. A win in the NFL can boost your entire week, while one loss can make you feel like a season is in shambles. The emotional investment in our teams is so great since there aren’t chances to see them all the time, but that is what makes the league so special. Unfortunately, Roger Goodell disagrees, and has proposed an extended season.

Football is so popular because it is always in demand. Most fans get to see their teams play 16 times, then wait NINE MONTHS to see them again, and are completely fine with that. That’s what makes the games so meaningful, so why try to water that down? Goodell says that preseason games [...]