Even though we’re still in early June with this NFL lockout and we haven’t missed any actual football yet, people are still FLIPPING THE HELL OUT about the possibility of the 2011 season being cancelled. Who’s flipping out about No Football In June? Even the biggest fantasy football nerds haven’t started their preseason prep yet. I mean, it’s not like the NFL is considering slashing half of their entire season.

The National Football League is considering season lengths for 2011 as short as eight regular-season games, half its normal number, as it plans for the possibility of an abbreviated season because of the nearly three-month-long lockout, sources said.

An eight-game season could start in late November. Allowing for five weeks up front for free agency, training camps and perhaps one preseason game, the contingency suggests the league and players could reach a deal on a new labor agreement as late as mid to late October and still salvage a season.[..]

Wow, an eight-game season? What kind of contingency planning is that?

Asked at the owners’ spring meeting last month about the league’s contingency planning, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said, “We have contingency planning for our contingency planning.”

Great. Why not just flip coins to see who gets into the playoffs. An eight-game season could totally screw up the postseason, but then the Super Bowl is scheduled to be in Indianapolis, so how much of a chance did it have to begin with?

[via Business Courier]