edit: heckert will be on sto's all bets are off tommorrow. they didn't say exactly when he would be on, but it's their draft special which will air during abao's normal time slot from 3-6 and run on until 6:30 pm. chuck's last call will come one after the indians game and will deal with the draft as well.

i wonder if the browns will be one of the teams to hit big in this years draft??

hillis iz boss, this article answers the good question you brought up.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/vikings/nfl/120828114.html

MINNEAPOLIS - The federal judge who lifted the NFL lockout dealt another blow to the league late Wednesday, denying its request to put her ruling on hold and guaranteeing more limbo for the $9 billion business.

U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson wrote that the NFL "has not met its burden for a stay pending appeal, expedited or otherwise." She dismissed the NFL's argument that it is facing irreparable harm because of her decision Monday to end the 45-day lockout.

"In short, the world of 'chaos' the NFL claims it has been thrust into — essentially the 'free-market' system this nation otherwise willfully operates under — is not compelled by this court's order," Nelson wrote.

The judge acknowledged that her decision will be appealed to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis and the NFL has promised that step. There was no immediate word from the league after Nelson's decision.

The ruling means the league has no rules in place, shelved since the collective bargaining agreement ended on March 11 and the lockout was imposed shortly afterward.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, during an earlier predraft event in New York, said he wasn't worried about the state of confusion tarnishing the league's image but stressed his desire to "remove" the uncertainty.

"It's one of the things I don't think is healthy for the players, the clubs and most importantly our fans," he said.

Attorneys for the players had dismissed the NFL's argument that it risks either violating antitrust laws by coming up with new league rules without a collective bargaining agreement in place or harming its competitive balance by allowing a potential free agency free-for-all.

"If the NFL defendants are faced with a dilemma, they put themselves in that position by repeatedly imposing rules and restrictions that violate the antitrust laws," the attorneys wrote. "Any alleged predicament is of their own making."

The solution, the players argued, is to simply implement a system that does not violate antitrust laws.

Nelson agreed.

"Again, the NFL argues it will suffer irreparable harm because it is now 'forced to choose between the irreparable harm of unrestricted free agency or the irreparable harm of more treble damages lawsuits,'" Nelson wrote. "But no such Scylla-or- Charybdis choice exists here. There is no injunction in place preventing the NFL from exercising, under its hoped-for protection of the labor laws, any of its rights to negotiate terms and conditions of employment, such as free agency."

The NFL will now place its hopes with the 8th Circuit, viewed as a more friendly venue to the league than the federal courts in Minnesota.

Goodell said the surest way for the league to operate without running afoul of antitrust laws is to get back to bargaining with the players. The two sides had 16 days of talks with a mediator earlier this year and four more with a federal magistrate. Little progress has been seen, though the two sides are scheduled to meet again May 16.

"That's how we've been successful. That's how other leagues have been successful, and it should continue that way," Goodell said.

All of this played out while teams are preparing for Thursday's draft. Most players again stayed away from team headquarters, working out on their own as the NFL's first work stoppage since 1987 plays out in court. Two Washington Redskins players showed up at their facility, another rather fruitless visit.

"What we're looking for is a little clarity as far as what the rules are, so we can operate on the same page. So we'll just have to wait and see what those rules are," coach Mike Shanahan said.

Detroit defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch said he hadn't heard about any players visiting Lions headquarters.

"Until guys know they can get some work done at that facility, they're just going to work out on their own and take a wait-and-see approach," he said.

___

AP Football Writer Barry Wilner and AP Sports Writers Joseph White and Larry Lage contributed to this report.

the legal analysts on espn yesterday said the nfl will more than likely take their case to the 8th circuit and they will make a ruling by next week.

fyi,

http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/team/front-office.html

Dan Murphy Coordinator, Media Relations

from twitter

@DMurph_BrownsPR

Dan Murphy

Roger Goodell - @nflcommish - will introduce Peyton Hillis during round 1 of the #NFLDraft and he will read the #Browns pick at the podium

59 minutes ago via web

Zombo said:

Yeah, I don't play VGs, but I will pick up a copy as a collectible.

I wonder how sales will do in Pittsburgh?

Zombo

lol

and the winner is.......................................................

PEYTON HILLIS AKA THE JUGGERNAUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hillis-iz-Boss said:

Hillis also said he was embarrassed for Hines Ward which I thought was funny.

lol

27 minutes and counting.

hillis and vick are co-hosting the show. on one of the question segments about which is worse, vick was ripping on hines ward for wearing brown pants on dwts and hillis said something to the effect of "you got something against brown pants?". lol

@clevelandbigdawg said:

Well they are announcing it on Sportnation and right now they have a countdown on the top left of the screen. ESPN2

correct. on espn, trey said at 4 on sports nation. but on espn2's sports nation, they gave the actual time that the announcement would come at.

according to trey wingo, the final cover will be revealed today at 4 pm on espn2's sports nation.

i can't wait for tommorrow! i have no idea what the browns are going to do. i think heckert and co. have done a great job of not showing their hand/creating a smoke screen to throw everyone off and keep everyone guessing. it's going to make tommorrow night a very anticipated event for us browns fans!!

good ol' pre-draft talk. gms and presidents say the darndest things. all speculation and all hypothetical talk. they're just moving pieces on the chess board to set themseleves up for draft day.

i just turned to espn2's 1st take and hillis is on their with vick.

Josh Cribbs on Mike and Mike this morning

http://browns.ohio.com/2011/04/browns-wr-josh-cribbs-plans-to-keep-going-to-work/

In an interview with "Mike & Mike in the Morning" on ESPN Radio, Browns wide receiver Josh Cribbs said today that he'll continue to show up at the team's headquarters in Berea.

Cribbs, tight end Benjamin Watson and punter Reggie Hodges went to the Browns' facility Tuesday morning, a day after a federal judge ordered an immediate end to the NFL's lockout, but they were discouraged from working out and denied access to coaches or playbooks. Still, Cribbs told hosts Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic that he'll keep showing up to work to prove he is eligible for his workout bonus.

"A lot of guys who are under contract have workout bonuses," Cribbs told Mike and Mike. "Because the judge rules in our favor to end this lockout, those workout bonuses actually go into effect. In order to make a claim for them, we have to prove or show that we're showing up for work at least. That's all I can do at this point is show up for work. If they don't let me workout, hey, that's not in the contract. Showing up is all I have to to do until the judge issues a stay."

Browns safety T.J. Ward indicated that he returned to the team's headquarters this morning by posting the following message on his Twitter profile: "Leaving the facility. It felt good just to get back in my locker." Browns wide receiver Jordan Norwood did the same, posting a photo of the shoes he retrieved from his locker on his Twitter account.

Cribbs also posted the following message on his Twitter profile this morning: "Going 2 Browns facility 2 try & workout, hopefully i run in2 a coach, & the playbook falls out of his back pocket "I didn't c a thing" lol."

On Tuesday, Cribbs said it's important for players throughout the league to show they're eager to return to business-as-usual status.

"We're basically showing that we want to work," Cribbs said Tuesday in the parking lot of the Browns' facility. "We're basically showing that we're at work as scheduled. We want to get back at football. We want to continue to play football, and we're eager to get back on the field. We're showing that when the lockout is over, we're gonna be here like we're supposed to at work and to get a job done. That's what coming today proves."

Hillis-iz-Boss said:

You can tell Holmgren wants to have all the doors open and have everyone in the building getting work done. As soon as he heard the lockout was lifted he said that it was great news and he was happy, but then they get stuck telling players no. I feel like since they already got fined, that they are scared if they get into trouble again that they could lose a draft pick next year. At the same time I could see them having the doors open today and have the players talking to coaches and working out.

that could be a factor in the browns decision. but i wonder if it is because they are appeling the fine and they did talk to a high ranking person in the nfl to make sure they were able to give colt the playbook, etc. the way i see it, the browns or any other team couldn't get into trouble becuse they have the law on their side. the lockout was lifted and the giants are doing just fine. i dunno, i'm just guessing. maybe better safe than sorry?

i'll be glad when this crap is over. from what they've said on espn this should be decided on atleast by next week. the nfl have until 6 pm today to present a valid reason for why the nfl shouldn't be open for business now. if she isn't satisfied with their answer then the lockout stays in place. the nfl then can present their case to the 8th circuit and they'll make a ruling on it by next week. from what one analyst said on espn, the nfl better come with something new because nobody is buying their present case. the nfl also made themselves look real bad with the tv revenue fiasco. that's not helping the nfl's cause.