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Thursday, November 01, 2001

By Chuck Finder, Post-Gazette Sports Writer

Before adjourning their three-day get together from the Pittsburgh Hilton and Towers, Downtown, at midday yesterday, NFL owners voted to extend the collective bargaining agreement between the league and the NFL Players Association -- even though the parties are still negotiating some minor points.

The agreement covers the salary cap through the 2006 season and the 2008 draft, leaving 2007 uncapped. In 2001, Resolution MC-4 that ratified the deal (without disclosing the vote count), the owners said they will begin "intensive good faith negotiations" with the NFLPA no later than April 1, 2004, on a multiyear extension for that uncapped season and beyond.

The owners also discussed: Substance and security concerns for Super Bowl XXXVI in New Orleans in February, the stocking draft for the expansion Houston Texans, their television contracts and Jacksonville's plans for stadium renovations for its Super Bowl in 2005. No direct action was taken by the group, which mostly stopped to take in the "Monday Night Football" debut of Heinz Field and place its stamp on the players' agreement.

The outline for the new collective bargaining agreement was approved in June and awaited only the owners' input and imprimatur, although it technically isn't final.

The Resolution ratified yesterday contained language to that point, saying the collective bargaining agreement "is approved subject to further agreement."

NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue said league officials and players' union leaders continue to negotiate about how they will handle the salaries, television revenue sharing and cost absorptions from stoppages such as the one in the wake of the Sept. 11 tragedy. Moreover, they are discussing potential cap revisions if an economic slide causes a change in their TV proceeds. There also is talk about the union bearing a portion of the costs from stepped-up security.

"The sharing of the costs of security is the least of the issues," Tagliabue said. "I think we'll get all of this worked out."

Other topics addressed, according to Tagliabue:

The rescheduled Super Bowl will have a streamlined personality and a vigilant security plan, Tagliabue said. "Our approach to the Super Bowl this year is, No. 1, to make sure the character and content of the entire weekend and entire week will take into account where the nation is right now." The second point, he said, is to "clearly define" the venues for pregame gatherings, the NFL Experience, and so on. To that end, Louisiana will be more involved than any previous host state in the planning and resource allocation of the event." It will be the most secure game played in the history of the league."

Jacksonville's plan to construct 6,000 new seats and improve infrastructure at Alltel Stadium by Super Bowl XXXIX, with the projected $40 million-plus costs to be paid in part by ticket revenue. "Those improvements would be on a permanent basis, so it would be a better stadium for the ticket holder and the NFL. It seemed like a win-win situation," Tagliabue said.

Ticket prices for playoff games and future Super Bowls might rise to incorporate increased costs in security. "We're in a different environment. Teams I'm sure will have to look at that for next year."

A rebate to the TV networks? "If they asked, at this point we wouldn't consider it."

Texans owner Bob McNair made a pitch to his fellow owners about his club's hopes for an expansion draft and stocking plan, and they apparently want some bonus draft picks like Carolina and Jacksonville received. Tagliabue said league owners are willing to further study the issue, but he expected only minor variations from the most recent plan employed for Cleveland three years ago.