The great standoff between the NFL's owners and players appears destined to reach a standstill, as it's become more and more transparent that the forced negotiations between the two parties over the past two weeks have accomplished little towards establishing a new collective bargaining agreement in time for the start of the new league year.
It's an uncomfortable air of uncertainty that also applies to the 2011 draft, the one event that's assured to go on as scheduled (albeit in a potentially altered form) regardless of the seemingly inevitable work stoppage that's about to take place in the very near future. Much like the league and the union, the Carolina Panthers -- owners of the top overall pick in next month's college player selection process -- are finding that coming to a satisfying resolution is going to be a slow and cumbersome task.
The just-completed scouting combine was supposed to make Carolina's decision easier, with the hope that a bona fide franchise quarterback would emerge out of the intriguing yet flawed cast of candidates that descended upon Indianapolis. Unfortunately, a week's worth of meticulous measurements and observations raised more questions about this year's crop than it answered.
The A-Lister among the passer ranks, Auburn's Cam Newton, demonstrated himself to be a tantalizing talent blessed with exceptional physical gifts at the combine, but those were qualities we were already well aware of. And after a notably shaky performance in throwing drills and reports of displaying a limited football acumen during one-on-one interviews with teams, the reigning Heisman Trophy recipient also reinforced his previous reputation as a high- risk, remarkably raw project that will have quarterback-needy teams choosing in the top 10 leery of pulling the trigger.
Newton's hardly alone in that category, though. Neither Washington's Jake Locker nor Arkansas gunslinger Ryan Mallett did enough in Indianapolis to completely put to rest the issues scouts and personnel executives have about their games (accuracy in Locker's case, attitude with Mallet). Missouri's Blaine Gabbert, considered Newton's chief competition to be the first quarterback taken, also remains something of an unknown quantity after opting not to throw at the combine on the advice of super-agent Tom Condon.
As it turns out, Gabbert's strategy may have been the right one, considering Newton's struggles and the combustible Mallett handling an aggressive media onslaught at his introductory press conference about as well as he did the Alabama defense in a three-interception meltdown against the Crimson Tide back in September.
All that mystery at the quarterback position may have the talent-deficient Panthers eyeing defense with their top choice, though there's still plenty of debate over who's the front-runner on that side of the ball as well. Newton's Auburn teammate, defensive tackle Nick Fairley, was at one time thought to be a perfect fit for a Carolina team in desperate need of an interior pass-rushing presence, but his stock is seen to be slipping after a so-so showing at the combine. Clemson end Da'Quan Bowers missed out on a chance to state his case after skipping workouts while recovering from a knee scope.
As for the labor talks, Thursday's 24-hour extension of the existing CBA could be viewed as a positive sign of progress, and there's a growing belief that the window will be further lengthened in the hopes of reaching a settlement. Then again, that perceived breakthrough may turn out to be fool's gold, if the two sides are indeed as far apart on the core points of contention as reports have indicated.
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