In the event that they have to, the term of an NFL Commissioner or NFLPA head is defined by the CBA he negotiates. Everything he does before and after is really just filler. The CBA sets the labor regulations for the coming years, and goes a long way in deciding if the league will be successful.
The negotiations of this current CBA have been icy so far. The two sides have seemed unwilling to compromise. But as the deadline approaches, both Commissioner Roger Goodell and NFLPA head DeMaurice Smith have been impressing those involved in the negotiations.
In the end, owners came away with a higher regard for Smith than most of them have had since he replaced the late Gene Upshaw nearly two years ago. They were convinced by Thursday evening that Smith was prepared to make a deal and believed others on his executive committee were less enthusiastic about agreeing to the general framework being discussed by the two sides.
Mike Silver of Yahoo had the same glowing things to say about Goodell. Hopefully, they are shining because they are negotiating a good CBA for the league, and not just because they decided to begin compromising. But they still only have until tonight to make a new CBA happen.