Doug Farrar of Yahoo's Shutdown Corner takes a look at the real story behind the NFL's rookie wage scale issue.

"Both sides are pretty clear in their intentions. The NFL wants to reduce player costs and increase revenue. The NFLPA wants to uphold its obligations to the players. The only way that both sides will be able to accomplish their goals at the same time is for each negotiation to be based on an open and frank exchange of ideas."

In addition to reducing player costs and increasing revenue, the NFL wants to maintain control over young players. That's why I like the NFLPA's approach towards the rookie wage scale issue, one that is overwhelmingly pushed for by NFL owners, media, and fans.

The union will never complain about the money being paid to rookies. To them, the escalating guaranteed money paid to incoming rookies is a choice that owners themselves have made. Since rookie contracts have an influence on veteran contracts, why should the NFLPA act? Publicly, the union has shown a willingness to save the owners from themselves, so to speak, by offering a compromise:

Take $200 million currently ticketed towards rookie contracts, steer 75% of that towards veterans who have earned it, and 25% towards retired players, who have earned it, and then some. BUT, if you're going to make the rookies "earn it", it's only fair to give them the opportunity to do so by limiting rookie contract lengths to three (or four) years, the average length of an NFL career.

Plenty of red meat for the media and fans, but the union surely knows that on the ownership side, the decision-makers won't yield control over player movement. By appearing intent on working towards a solution that all parties, fans and media included, find agreeable to this (non) issue, they may even out public opinion, which to this point, has overwhelmingly favored the NFL.

In reality, it's a missile aimed at the dividing line between the business and football operations departments of NFL teams. It's the union telling the team to make a choice. Short-term financial savings or long-term roster planning: What's more important to you?

It's telling that the closest thing to a public response from the NFL on this issue has been a team undergoing an ownership change signing a rookie quarterback coming off a shoulder injury to a six-year, $78 million contract that includes $50 million in guarantees.