Ravens players, officials brace for lockout as final hour looms

NFL owners and players still seem miles apart as they try to find a way to split up $9 billion in revenue

"We've got 140 employees, not counting the 61 players," Bisciotti said. "So, when you talk about the labor being 60 percent [of our costs], what is not clear is that labor is more like 80 percent here by the time you pay the other 140 employees. I think you'd be hard pressed to find any other industry that has labor costs of 80 percent. It just doesn't happen. The health of the league, by you're your definition, is that revenues keep going up. But not if expenses keep rising at a higher percentage. If you were a public company, your stock would be going backward, and that's what we're trying to protect against."

Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said he believes most of the current players will know what they need to do in the off-season to stay in shape and prepare for the day when football starts up again, but he is worried about players who were rookies in 2010.

"I think the group that could get hurt the most by the work stoppage is last year's draft class on all 32 teams," Newsome said."Because this is where they get the opportunity to start from March to go all the way to Game 1, to work with coaches, to work with strength coaches and get themselves better and become better football players."

The 2011 draft class is facing even more uncertainty. Clemson defensive end Da'Quan Bowers, who could potentially be the No. 1 pick, stands to lose millions of dollars if the NFLPA and the NFL owners negotiate a rookie pay scale similar to the NBA. But at the NFL Combine, he said whatever happens is out of his hands.

"It's definitely different because we have never been through this situation," Bowers said. "It is something new for all of us, but we can't handle all of that. We are going to have to continue to train and whenever the teams call, we'll be there ready to work."

Ravens running back Ray Rice told the Asbury Park Press he believes the two sides will reach an agreement before the start of the 2011 season.

"What would this world be without football?" Rice said during a charity event in New Jersey. "One thing I learned about life is you can only control what you can control. So one thing I'm going to do is always stay in shape so if they get something done, I'm going to be ready to play football. ... Something will happen. It'll get done."

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Tribune Newspapers reporter Sam Farmer and Baltimore Sun reporter Jamison Hensley contributed to this article.

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