Some NFL executives downplay the NFLPA poll results, because of course they do

The NFL Players Association has created a new tradition. Understandably, some in the NFL don't like that.

Of course they don't. The NFLPA has found a way to harness the collective voice of players. It gives teams and owners something that many don't like.

responsible.

As we said during Thursday BFT LiveOwners and team executives can respond to bad signs in one of two general ways. First, they can take feedback on board and pledge to make changes. Second, they can reject it, ignore it, and/or try to undermine it.

It is not surprising that some do the latter, without mentioning their names.

Via Ben Fisher Sports Business JournalSome executives “raise questions about the survey and wonder how useful it really is.” They also believe that the key variable for most categories is the “age of facilities”, with teams that build a new building being rewarded with a grade increase.

Per Fisher, some of the unnamed executives “also wonder how many people have enough context to judge their team, whether the factual claims raised by participants have actually been verified, or what other factors might be driving their perceptions.” They also point out that there is “little clear correlation between results and performance on the pitch.”

It's all part of an effort to deny, deflect and dispute undeniable feedback from players. Although Fisher doesn't put it that way, it also sounds as if the NFL has checked the collective bargaining agreement to see if the union has the right to conduct the poll.

what a shame. Players have found a way to exert real power and influence. It resonates with the media and fans. Naturally, owners who can't be fired aren't happy with someone telling the world they're not as great as their team's success on the field might suggest.

Instead of taking the criticism seriously and trying to make players feel better about the different categories taken up in the survey, some are expected to try to come up with something/anything to make themselves think players got it wrong.

Even if they get it right.

So don't care about the men behind the curtain. The players spoke loud and clear for the second year in a row. Without a mechanism to understand how teams and owners treat players other than input from the players themselves, these grades will continue to go into the permanent records of various franchises and the people who run them without fear of them ever being replaced.