The sky was falling on pro sports' model labor agreement yesterday after players union head Gene Upshaw predicted no contract extension would happen before free agency begins in the NFL Friday.

If there is no CBA extension by then, the league will operate under different rules that could hinder the players' contract offers and set up the NFL for a wild-west-like economic shootout next year.

Steelers chairman Dan Rooney, though, held out hope yesterday that an extension of the collective bargaining agreement could be reached by Thursday's deadline.

"As long as you're talking, you have a chance," Rooney said from his office. "I don't say it's easy, but I'm hopeful something can get done."

Upshaw, the NFL players association executive director, made his comments to a group of agents and news media gathered in Indianapolis, where scouting combine workouts for college prospects are taking place.

"Once we get to the league year, I don't see us getting a deal done anytime soon," Upshaw said. "We're taking the position we're not going to get this resolved, so you should go ahead and do contracts based on that."

The league year begins Friday, when teams can start signing free agents. The rules change if there is no CBA extension by then. Signing bonuses that previously could be prorated over seven years are reduced to a maximum of four, which could affect their size.

"You don't have as many years as you can to spread the cap," Rooney said.

That could slow down the process of signing free agents, but it's only the beginning of what could be ominous economic problems for teams and players if the CBA is not extended.

If there is no extension, the current CBA, which expires after the 2007 season but allows for a 2008 draft, calls for what were considered poison pills for both sides to go into effect starting this year. Certain incentives -- officially called not likely to be earned (NLTBE) -- would count against a team's salary cap as soon as they are earned this season and not the following year, as has been the case. That could throw a team's cap budget way out of whack and force them to make moves in, say, December because of it. Also, 2007 would be an uncapped year in which teams could drive their payrolls as high -- or as low -- as they wished. NFL teams also would not contribute to pension funds and other player benefits.

The main roadblock to an extension is the owners. They cannot agree on a new revenue-sharing plan that would include income that isn't required to be shared among owners or as part of the players' compensation.

Upshaw and the union say there will be no CBA extension until the owners agree on revenue sharing, but Rooney disagreed.

"You can do either one first," Rooney said. "They both have to be done. You really don't have to say which is done first. You can do the labor agreement on Tuesday and then get this economics done on Wednesday."

Getting the owners to agree, though, will be more difficult than anything, Rooney believes.

"I don't know that I'm too optimistic with that. People's opinions and attitudes have hardened. They've become more, let's say, untenable than they were a year ago."

The NFL has been a model league for sharing revenue since the early 1960s, when the large-market teams such as the New York Giants agreed to share network television revenue equally among all teams.

Although television revenue has grown enormously, that is not the issue splitting the owners. It is the growing revenue that is not shared -- club seats, local advertising, certain merchandising, stadium naming rights, etc., -- that has become disparate from team to team. It has been reported that some teams earn $100 million more per year than others.

Exacerbating that problem for the owners is that the players want to participate more in revenue that is not included in the current agreement. The so-called haves don't want to give up their money machines. Their main argument is why should they be penalized for creatively making money in, say, New England while the Minnesota Vikings do not?

The richer teams have hardened their stances, and there is no agreement in sight. There needs to be 24 of the 32 teams in favor of any change in the owners' agreement, and each side has at least a solid nine votes on its side, blocking any accord.

The future of the league could turn on agreements being reached or not reached.

"The league as we know it," is how Rooney stated it. "Everybody keeps saying we're so great because we have a great system. But some people are willing to chuck that system. What's the alternative? Baseball, hockey, basketball, none has the system we have."

While Rooney remains optimistic, he wondered aloud yesterday why that is.

"It's not an easy thing, I will admit that, but I wouldn't say it's impossible to get a deal. I'm always somewhat optimistic. That's the problem. I keep talking like I am optimistic and nothing gets done.

"It doesn't matter what I say, it doesn't seem to be happening. But I'm still not giving up."

NOTE -- Chet Fuhrman, the Steelers' conditioning coach the past 14 seasons, was given the NFL strength coach of the year award last night in Indianapolis by the Pro Football Strength and Conditioning Coaches Society.