NFL GridIron Gab Daily Digest

Giants wide receiver Steve Smith says the rehab on his surgically-repaired knee is going as planned.

"I just got out of a really tough workout in the pool right now," Smith said on ESPN New York 1050′s Ruocco and Lundberg show by way of Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork on Thursday. "I am running in the pool, doing a lot of strength work and I am doing pretty good. Things are looking good for me. I'm really excited and I can't wait to get this lockout done."

Smith could be a restricted free agent based on whatever the new collective bargaining agreement will be. The wideout reiterated that he wants to remain a Giant and is confident that the team will re-sign him. The Giants have given him a second-round restricted free-agent tender just in case.

"It is a little bit of uncertainty but I am confident, the Giants want me there and I want to be there," Smith said. "I love New York and I love the fans and we have had so much success there, I just hope that we can get a deal done and I will be back."

If the NFL lockout is still in place in August, it’s completely logical to believe there will be some kind of player revolt according to Gary Myers of the New York Daily News.

The owners can afford to think long-term, even though shutting down a $9.3 billion-a-year industry doesn’t help those making big mortgage payments on those big new stadiums. The players have short careers and have to think in the present. And any money they lose will not be made up.

One former player who is keeping a very close watch on the labor situation thinks the players have it in them to hold it together. But when asked what he thinks the player mindset will be on Aug. 1 if there is no deal.

“I think there will be increasing concern. To deny that is to deny the obvious,” he said. “I still think De (Smith) and his staff and the player reps have done enough in communicating why the players are in this position that they are in. They may have to do more as the time approaches

Will players making $10 million or more a year be able to pacify the players who rely on their checks to make ends meet? Until now, there’s been a handful of players calling for a resumption of negotiations, but there is not the player revolt that took place in 1982 and 1987 and crushed the strike.

Can the players force Smith back to the bargaining table? Will that uprising come? “I think the vast majority of the players will stick together,” the former player said.

But he says it will be inevitable that some players will start speaking out, just as some owners have become more chatty recently about the need to get a deal done. And with all the social media avenues to get a point across, he is concerned that even if a few speak out that it will appear that the “entire 1,800 will pack up the tent and call it a day,” when that won’t be the case. “The squeaky wheel gets a lot of oil,” he said.

With the NFL players and owners at an impasse in negotiations, Saints quarterback Drew Brees said some players are suffering more than others as a result of the work stoppage.

“If you combine rookie free agents that aren’t able to sign with a team right now and the veteran free agents, you’re talking over a thousand guys that literally don’t have a job right now but have NFL talent,” Brees told Mike Triplett of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. “Those are the guys that are really struggling right now. There have been a few comments by guys out there, Ray Lewis, Wes Welker, Reggie (Bush), ‘Oh yeah I love this (time off).’ Well, yeah, you’re an established player, and you’ve been getting a big paycheck here for a long time, so you really have nothing to worry about.

“But think about the thousand-plus others that make up the majority of this league, that don’t have a job. There’s a lot of uncertainty in their life and their families. It’s tough for those guys. I hope people understand that. I mean, we’re not asking people to feel sorry for us, but this is just the situation we’re in. How do we make the most of it? Well, each team just stick together and take care of one another.”

Bengals DT Tank Johnson appeared on Sirius NFL Radio's Late Hits with Bryan McGorvern and Solomon Wilcots Thursday night by way of the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Johnson said he was surprised at Carson Palmers trade request, but agreed with RB Cedric Benson, when he said that bringing Carson back isn’t good for the team.

When asked what went wrong with the Bengals in 2010, he went on to say that the whole “Chad and T.O. show” was too much for this “humble” team. He said that with the star WR's coming into the season, fresh off of their reality shows, it brought to much hype to a team that did things differently in 2009. He said in 2009, players played for each other, played for the coaches, and played for the owners. And in 2010 the team didn't have that.

Tank went on to explain himself, which I thought was very important. Statements like these usually create a headline, and it seems like the player is calling out his teammates, which Tank didn't do.

Bucs center and captain Jeff Faine was under fire for missing several players-only workouts this week according to the St. Petersburg Times. Faine issued an open letter Friday to fans to clarify his comments. He also vowed to attend future workouts.

“I found it necessary to respond to a recent (online) post when my dedication to my team and the quality of my character as a captain was questioned,” wrote Faine.

“The Buccaneers fans deserve to hear the truth directly from me. There is nothing more I’d rather be doing than going through the offseason program and preparing for the upcoming season with my teammates on our journey to compete for a championship.”

Faine’s letter said he missed the workouts because of scheduling conflicts and he didn’t intend to question Freeman’s leadership. The eight-year veteran said he was only trying to point out how difficult it would be to assemble the entire team and hold workouts comparable to offseason practices organized by the coaching staff.

“I can assure you that my dedication to my team, the Buccaneers organization and the Tampa community has never wavered,” Faine wrote.

” … As Josh well knows, the relationship between a center and the quarterback is of utmost importance, and he knows that I support him completely in his efforts to prepare during the lockout. Although I missed the first three days … because of prior commitments, I will be part of future sessions to build team camaraderie.”