Hello and welcome to a summer special edition of Inside the Huddle. My name is Neil Reynolds,

joining me to discuss the latest news from the United States and to look ahead to the biggest

domestic game to be played in the UK for many years, Mike Carlson of Channel 4 and the BBC.

Mike, lots to talk about this week, but much of it's going to be pure random speculation,

which is kind of what we do best. Yeah, speculation is good, you know, and then we can forget about what we speculated on.

I'm glad you're working from notes, though, so that you've got the, my name is Neil Reynolds bit, right.

Don't give it away. I have to put that bit in. You never know what you're going to forget I leave that bit out. Self-publicity.

That's what I'm all about. We're going to talk about some high-profile free agents.

Obviously, we don't know the exact status of free agency until the CBA gets squared away.

We'll look and open up the mailbag and answer questions from fans and listeners.

But first to the lockout, Mike.

We're recording this Thursday, June the 30th, officially day 111 of the dispute between the NFL owners and the players. Is the end in sight?

I'd like to believe it was, but then I wanted to believe that they were going to settle back in March. But the way things have gone with the owners discussing proposals among themselves and having

feuds among themselves, which is always a good sign because it means that someone's getting

closer to a deal.

And now the players in that same situation of discussing the agreement, you like to think

that they've got something that they can now tweak and work.

And what's been leaked and released, it sounds to me like there's

progress there to be made because the players are making what is a visible come down. Right.

But at the same time, can be presented as a better deal overall. Is that why that deal now is

taking out the money that was going to be set aside

and just have a, they're talking a straight percentage split? Is that so that it's, it's not as easy

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