Teams learn of new regulations tied to owner-approved CBA

As the NFL waits for its players to ratify or reject a new collective bargaining agreement that owners have approved, league and team officials moved forward with getting football back to business -- even though they don't know when business will be open.

More than 100 league and team executives, nearly all general managers and salary-cap aficionados met Friday in Atlanta for a four-hour tutorial from the NFL's management council on everything ranging from new salary-cap rules to free agency to the signing of players. Also, rules regarding reduced practice time and fully padded practices were explained.

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Team officials will be on the spot once a new league year begins because of the condensed time frame in which they'll have to sign free agents, make trades, cut players, sign rookies -- and open training camps.

Carolina Panthers general manager Marty Hurney said "there will be a lot of sleepless nights."

When those will come is the question.

"The nature of our business is there's always surprises, and you have to be flexible," Hurney said. "I think that applies right now more than any."

One football operations person quipped, "We feel like we're being held hostage" by the fact that there's no jointly ratified CBA.

Said John Elway, the Denver Broncos' executive vice president of football operations: "We were told that the lockout was still in place. We're just waiting."

Players want loose ends settled before they ratify a labor deal and trigger the start of the NFL business year. However, both parties have agreed upon operational rules -- including a rookie wage scale -- so no changes are expected in this realm of negotiated terms between owners and players.

Minimum salaries for first-year players will be $375,000 (about $30,000 more than what some teams expected), and minimum salaries for players with 10-plus years of experience will be $910,000, league and player sources told NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora.

Also, team officials were advised that there will be additional forfeiture language in contracts that will allow teams to recoup signing bonuses based on player conduct.

Some team officials had questions as to just how close to slotting the new rookie wage system would be. But after receiving a primer on the rookie pool, two team executives came away believing there will be considerable room for negotiation with draft picks.

According to how the NFL Players Association explained the rookie pool to player representatives in Washington this week, they estimate No. 1 overall draft pick Cam Newton to end up with $22 million over the first four years of his deal with the Panthers, with a $14.3 million option for the fifth year. First-round picks will be signed to four-year deals with an option for the fifth year that would equal the average of the top five salaries at a given position.

The NFLPA's figures obviously are an estimate based on how the Panthers will allocate their rookie pool and what the average of the top-five quarterback salaries will be in Newton's fifth year, when the team option exists.

So the NFLPA's total projection for Newton is $36.3 million over five years. To compare, St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford, last year's top pick, could receive a max of $78 million over six years, with $50 million guaranteed.

According to those who were present at the management council meeting, new regulations on offseason and regular-season practices were outlined Friday, La Canfora reported.

Offseason workouts will be limited to nine weeks, with two weeks of strength and conditioning, three weeks of instruction with no offense-versus-defense drills and four weeks of organized team activities -- a maximum of three in the first two weeks and maximum of four in the last two weeks.

In the preseason, veterans can report no earlier than 15 days before their team's first game. A first day is limited to physicals and meetings, and no pads or contact are allowed in the second and third day of camp. As has been outlined elsewhere, there will be only one padded practice per day. Including walkthroughs, players cannot be on the field more than four hours per day.

During the regular season, there can be just 14 padded practices for the entirety of the season, 11 of those sessions must be held in the first 11 weeks, and teams can hold no more than two padded practices per week. One padded practice per week is allowed during the playoffs, and all padded practices are limited to three hours max. Also, a bye week must include at least four consecutive days off, including Saturday.

However, the NFL advised team executives Friday that there are lingering issues with the use of shells in practices, including whether or not that constitutes a "padded practice" or not.

"If shells do count as a padded practice," one executive in attendance said, "then I think our coaches would revolt."

Up to four members of each team were invited to attend the seminar, and each team had multiple representatives in Atlanta. Cincinnati Bengals owner/GM Mike Brown was the only owner in attendance. The New York Jets' Mike Tannenbaum, St. Louis Rams' Billy Devaney, Kansas City Chiefs' Scott Pioli, Detroit Lions' Martin Mayhew, New York Giants' Jerry Reese and Atlanta Falcons' Thomas Dimitroff were among the personnel executives there.

One GM speculated that more than 1,000 transactions will take place in rapid time, as hundreds of undrafted and drafted rookies must be signed and more than 400 unrestricted free agents will broker deals, many with new teams. With training-camp rosters expanded from 80 to 90 players, teams will need to acquire more bodies.

Several GMs and coaches said they're very eager to get players with team medical and training staffs so they can gauge fitness and determine if injured players properly rehabilitated injuries and/or if any of them were hurt or developed any medical conditions during the lockout.

Indianapolis Colts president Bill Polian said Thursday that he's anxious to see the medical records of quarterback Peyton Manning, who had neck surgery during the lockout and might not be ready to participate in the early stages of training camp.

"We haven't seen him and we haven't seen the medical records," Polian said. "We need to get that information as quickly as we can. As soon as that can begin, that's a good thing. We'll be looking forward to it. Obviously, as soon as our doctors can get their hands on him, that's a good thing, too. Hopefully, it's sooner rather than later on that."

NFL Network insider Jason La Canfora and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Vikings' Ponder wants to start but willing to learn from veteran

Rookie quarterback Christian Ponder, the Minnesota Vikings' first-round draft pick, told KFAN-AM that he's gunning to become the team's starting quarterback this season, but he understands the thought process behind possibly bringing in a veteran.

"Obviously, I think everyone in my position would love to start Week 1," Ponder told the radio station last week. "It's the competitor in me, and something I've always dreamed of was starting in the NFL, and I want to do it ASAP. But obviously there are some reasons behind bringing a guy in, and obviously there's some definite pros to it. If they still bring in a guy, it's going to be someone who knows what he's doing. It will give me a lot to learn from and help me out.

"But at the same time, I want to definitely start Week 1. So, we'll see what happens, and whatever happens, I'll be completely fine with it. I think the coaches are going to make the best decision for me personally."

Ponder, a former Florida State star, said his offseason training at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., has helped him learn NFL verbiage and play-calling in a minicamp-style setting.

"There's probably 15 to 20 guys here at IMG and some guys that are in college, some guys are in the NFL and they are coming out and catching routes," Ponder said. "We had some guys that came in that were from the Vikings a couple of weeks ago and we did the same thing when they were here. (Vikings wideout) Manny Arceneaux is down here full time. ... (Vikings tight end Visanthe) Shiancoe was just down here for a couple of days this week ... I got to work with him a bit as well."

Shiancoe joined Ponder and Vikings quarterback Joe Webb, who was forced into starting as a rookie late last season because of injuries to Minnesota's other signal-callers. Ponder and Webb likely would compete for the starting job if the Vikings don't add a veteran quarterback.

"We really went over the playbook," Shiancoe told NFL Network's Jason La Canfora last week.

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"Visanthe is a freak," Ponder said of Shiancoe's athleticism.

Ponder told the radio station that he has kept an eye on labor talks during the NFL lockout, and he can't wait to get going once things are settled.

"I've definitely been following it," Ponder said. "It's just too hard to tell (when the lockout will end) because there's not enough details being released and everyone is being optimistic about it. Then you hear comments here and there that say not to be optimistic about it because we are a long way away, so it's too hard to tell. I want to be optimistic about it, and hopefully things are going to end soon. But at the same time, I don't want to get my hopes up and nothing happens. ... Hopefully it clears up in the next couple weeks. So we'll see."

Vikings star running back Adrian Peterson is waiting to see what Ponder can bring to the offense, The Star Tribune reported Monday, citing ESPN.

"I really don't know much about the guy," Peterson told ESPN earlier this month. "I've heard nothing but good things about him. I've watched him a little bit at Florida State. One thing I have noticed is he's smart with the ball, he's very accurate and just taking the surrounding cast we have as far as receivers -- Sidney Rice, Percy Harvin, Shiancoe -- I feel like he'll be able to do enough to get us there.

"We all have our part to do to contribute. I'm definitely going to do my part. So I'm going to do the best I can to make it easy on him, (being as how) he's a first-year guy and we'll see how he responds."

With the lockout in its fourth month, Peterson refused to count out Webb in the team's quarterback battle -- or the addition of a veteran passer.

"Obviously (Brett) Favre is retired, we've got some guys returning -- Joe Webb," Peterson said. "When you draft a quarterback (as high as Ponder), I'm sure you would assume that he's going to come in as the starter. The lockout is still in effect, and it's still undetermined when the season is going to start. I don't know how we throw a young guy into the fire like that. To just start.

"To be able to sit here and tell you who exactly is going to start, it's a long stretch for me to pick. I'm sure whenever the lockout is lifted and we start where there is some type of training camp, the best player will be on the field."

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