So we’re back to football. Almost.

The NFL players’ association have agreed to the terms that the owners set forth in their CBA proposal from Friday. While the rank-and-file players still have to approve the 10-year agreement in a vote later today, there is strong indication that they will, and that the NFL lockout will end later today after 136 days.

The goal is for the NFLPA to present the completed document to its 13-man executive committee between 11 a.m. to noon ET on Monday, with a vote to follow. Some members of the executive committee aren’t expected to arrive in D.C. until the 11 o’clock hour. The player rep call will include a briefing of the deal and, in particular, changes since last Wednesday’s meeting.

The player reps would then vote on the deal. After that, the 10 plaintiffs in the Brady et al v. the National Football League et al lawsuit would have to sign off, which is fully expected.

At this point, what remains is “a few small points” in the language, according to a source.

–NFL.com

Tomorrow, rookies would be able to sign, players could be traded, and free agents would be allowed to negotiate with teams, but those players won’t be able to sign before Friday. The more interesting wrinkle of the current proposal is that all NFL teams would have to spend 99 percent of the cash in their available salary cap (which will be about $120 million). While some teams will struggle to get under that number, that’s big for teams like Cincinnati and Tampa Bay, who some people expect to find themselves at $50 million below that number or more. Hell, with $50 million, the Bengals could sign Dominique Strauss-Kahn and Casey Anthony and still have cap room left to buy Plaxico Burress a new pair of sweatpants.

"What CBA can I taaaaake?"

Houston Texans running back Arian Foster is ready for some football. How ready? Last night he wrote his own collective bargaining agreement and signed it. Who cares if his CBA is only one page long and its entire text is a series of wavy lines? Oh look, the NFL “Owners” signed it, too. I guess it’s legit.

Very funny, Mr. Foster. I already feel less guilty about that ARIAN NATION tee-shirt I bought last week.

Foster’s sentiments echo that of most of the fans: Let’s just get this damn thing done and play some football. The Tennessee alum is especially eager, since he’s entering the walk year of a contract that will pay him a paltry $480K this fall. And that’s after leading the NFL last year with 1616 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns, and yes, he played all 16 games in 2010. I checked. That’s a stat line that would make Molly Ringwald moist. And it’s about time; what is she, like, 50?

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel led his team to an AFC West title last season. Not bad for a guy that never started a game in college. When K-Swiss had their four-day shoot to restart their awesome Kenny Powers “MFCEO” campaign, With Leather’s Josh Zerkle was invited to check it out and spend time with the athletes supporting the California-based shoe brand. Cassel was reached via phone on his way home from relief work in Joplin and asked about his experiences with the K-Swiss campaign.  Portions of this Q&A were edited for clarity and space.

How did you fare on camera for the commercial shoot in Wilmington, NC?

To be completely honest, I have no idea how I fared on camera, because most of the first day I was there, Patrick [Willis] was there and he had his shirt off the entire time, and I just…I don’t think he had a shirt on the entire day. Let’s just put it that way.

[Laughing]

I told them, “Look, I’m wearing a shirt, okay?” I, for some reason, was not genetically blessed with the six-pack and that whole deal. So as you watch the video, I think you’re going to recognize, one, that I was overshadowed from the body standpoint, but that’s okay. I told them, “Maybe you could play around with the special effects, hook me up, ya know?”

[Laughing]

But seriously, it was a blast. We had a lot of fun. K-Swiss is a great company, and to go to Wilmington and do a photo shoot and commercial shoot with Danny McBride or Kenny Powers was totally cool because I’m a Kenny Powers fan.

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In just four years, San Francisco 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis has already taken his place as one of the greats in the game today. When K-Swiss had their four-day shoot to restart their awesome Kenny Powers “MFCEO” campaign, With Leather’s Josh Zerkle was invited to check it out and spend time with the athletes supporting the California-based shoe brand. Willis was reached via phone and asked about his experiences with the K-Swiss campaign.  Portions of this Q&A were edited for clarity and space.

So what are you up to today?

My girlfiend is getting her nails done, and I came with her. Once a month, I try to come in and get my feet done. I know some people are like, “Man, I’m a dude,” but it really helps. I don’t my nails painted or any of that. But yeah, once a month I like to come in and get my feet done, keep my heels from busting open. That kind of thing.

Your girlfriend probably appreciates that, too.

Right, yeah. [Laughs].

So, first question. Are you best inside linebacker in football right now?

[Pause.] Yessir.

Yes! [Clapping hysterically] That’s awesome!

But I say that with some humbleness and hunger behind that, you know? You said, right now, at this point in time? That was a weird question. You asked me that question, I mean, what else am I gonna say? I believe in myself, but there are guys out there like Ray [Lewis] and Brian [Urlacher] and guys like Takeo [Spikes], those guys are the pioneers of the game and that’s who I’m chasing, to get a legacy comparable to their. You say those names, and you just think “Wow, those guys can play.” True players. That’s what I’m trying to get to.

I think it says a lot about the quality of your play that a west-coast guy that plays defense can…I mean, those aren’t the guys that get endorsements in the NFL, and now here you are doing work for K-Swiss. I think that says a lot about what you’ve done in just four years in the league.

Yeah, it has been a blessing. I don’t let it get to my head. I’m still trying to think about how I can get better. Today, I wanted to rest. I know I needed rest, I don’t feel like I can rest. What if somebody else is working today? So I gotta do something, whether it’s mentally or something physically, I gotta do something.

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Urijah Faber and Jon “Bones” Jones are two of the great forces in mixed martial arts. When K-Swiss had their four-day shoot to restart their awesome Kenny Powers “MFCEO” campaign, With Leather’s Josh Zerkle was invited to check it out and spend time with the athletes supporting the California-based shoe brand. Faber and Jones sat down seperately with Zerkle, among others, in a roundtable discussion last month to share their thoughts on their sport and being part of the K-Swiss campaign.  Portions of this Q&A were edited for clarity and space.

Bones, You took a fight for UFC 87 with just two weeks to prepare. I’d imagine you cut a few corners in your preparation there.

JONES: Yeah, it was a big move, but it was a big opportunity.

What do you cut out of your regimen at that point?

JONES: For the two weeks, I just did all cardio. I knew I had the technique, but I wanted to focus on not making cardio be an issue. At the time, my opponent had so many tricks with experience and technique, black belt in jujitsu. I said, “You know, if I lose, it’ll be because he’s just flat out better.” I wasn’t gonna lose because of my cardio.

So counterattacking…trying to match styles?

JONES: Yeah, he trained with some high-level coaches. I figured he’d be a better combatant, but I just wanted to make sure that my heart could get me through.

Are you the best pound-for-pound right now?

JONES: In my weight class.

In the world?

JONES: No, not in the world. There are so many great fighters.

If you could change one thing in MMA, what would it be?

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Josh Cox is one of the great American runners, but it wasn’t that long ago when he was dirt poor with awful hair. When K-Swiss had their four-day shoot to restart their awesome Kenny Powers “MFCEO” campaign, With Leather’s Josh Zerkle was invited to check it out and spend time with the athletes supporting the California-based shoe brand. Among those was ultramarathon runner and reality show alum Josh Cox, who discussed some of the tools of his trade with Zerkle in a roundtable discussion last month. While you may never set the American record for the 50K or run a marathon in 2:15:01, you might try after reading this inspiring discussion. Portions of this Q&A were edited for clarity and space.

With Leather: So how long can you actually run on a single pair of shoes?

Josh Cox: That’s an interesting question. I was on the standard athlete shipment, so I assume I was getting these shoes like all the triathletes are getting and everyone else, and I’m like, “I need more shoes, man!” [laughs] Shoes will typically last up to 500 miles. That’s the rule of thumb, but now the way that they’re made, the treads don’t wear out as fast. I look at the bottoms and I think, “My shoes look great.” But what you want to look at is the cushioning system. Look at the side of the shoe, and when you start to see a breakdown through the sole, that’s the cushioning system breaking down. You won’t realize it until you put on the fresh pair and go, “Whoa! These feel awesome!”

In your peak training, is that a new pair every two weeks or so?

Yeah. But I like them new and I get them for free. I like to get new shoes after every 350 miles or so.

Did you ever use those barefoot-simulating shoes? The ones with the toes in them?

Oh yeah. So…[long pause]…I have a large social network, and I get guys on Twitter and Facebook and they’re always asking me, “What do you think about these?” These are guys that identify themselves as barefoot runners. “Barefoot Runner Mike,” like that’s literally his screenname. Whatever. But I’ll tell you this: I thank barefoot running for learning how to run properly. It’s a great tool and we actually do some of that. You want to strike you foot in the middle of your foot. You don’t want a heel strike. Heel striking is breaking.

A lot more stress goes into the leg when you’re heel striking. It’s a shock. When you strike on the mid-foot, the shock happens underneath the body. When you’re out on your heel, it’s too much. Lots of injuries happen that way.

I’ve been to Africa. I’ve trained with the Kenyans in their camps. And I’ve been out there with them, and yeah, the schoolchildren are chasing us while they’re carrying their books and yelling “Mazunga! Mazunga!” That’s Swahili for “white man!” They would come up to me and say, “Why are you running? Europeans don’t run.” And I’d say, I’m not European. But they’ve been doing this since they were four years old, and they’re built…they’re Kenyan. They weigh 120 pounds and they’re running on dirt.

I wish I had a nickel for every Barefoot Runner Mike who reached out to me in the last year, saying he was dedicated to barefoot running and later said, “I’m injured.” People want to go out and run 20 miles barefoot and I know it’s cool or whatever but you’re gonna get hurt. And to each his own, but…

Would you recommend doing that once a week? Or–

Yeah. In small doses, I think it’s fine, it’s actually a good idea. If you can start by walking around the house, the mall in your bare feet [Editor's Note: Ew.], there are a lot of muscles in your feet you don’t use because we have shoes. Then, when you start running with those things, stay on soft surfaces. There’s nothing worse as a runner than being injured. When you want to get out the door, and you can’t, it’s horrible. You need to start slow. That would be my advice.

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