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Rob Morris, the Colts' first-round pick in 2000, often said his rookie holdout stunted his development. Former Ohio State running back Maurice Clarett didn't even make the Denver roster after missing two college seasons, and former Southern California receiver Mike Williams, another former first-round pick, had only 44 catches in his first three NFL seasons after sitting out the 2004 season.
The players in Indy want to avoid those mistakes.
"It's always a setback because you want to be able to learn as much as you can and get that jump on everybody," UCLA safety Rahim Moore said. "I hope there's a minicamp so I can get the playbook and learn as fast as I can. If you try to rely on a training camp, it can be a bad thing."
There's even a possibility that the league's first work stoppage since 1987 could lead to condensed training camps, the cancellation of games or, as unlikely as it seems, the loss of an entire season.
"At the end of the day, those guys are going to have to come up with an agreement because you can't cancel the game of football forever," said LSU's Patrick Peterson, currently projected as the draft's top-rated cornerback.
The other big issue will be contracts.
If the owners get the rookie wage scale they want, the days of record-breaking rookie contracts will be history. Last year's top overall pick, Sam Bradford, signed a six-year deal worth $78 million with $50 million guaranteed.
Team officials are hoping a wage scale will lead to fewer holdouts. But there are no guarantees.
And if there is a lockout, these players could lose a lot more than just cash. They could lose that precious time to learn the systems and become effective players.
"I don't know too much about all that. I just go by what I'm told," Black said. "It could be a setback. I'm still going about my business as usual."
[Associated Press;
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