George Ferguson Column: End of NFL Lockout means Mariani time

Football fans, it's time to rejoice.

And in Havre, as well as all across Big Sky Country, that means we won't have to worry about the NFL Lockout messing with the machine that is Marc Mariani in 2011.

Finally, on Monday morning the NFL Lockout, of which I already can't remember how many days old it was because it was so silly to me, came to an end when all 32 player reps voted to accept the new proposed NFL CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement).

None of that, or what's inside the new CBA, which will reportedly last for the next 10 years matters much to me. In fact, I'm old enough to have seen plenty of labor disputes in the NFL before, and none of them really ever effected me because quite frankly, I enjoy the passion of high school and college football much more than the pros and it would have never broke my heart to not have the NFL missing from my life for an extended period of time.

I know, I know, that's not popular with many of you diehards who live for Sunday's, and while I too love the NFL game, remember I'm also a true Vikings fan, and the year's of disappointment have made me bitter.

But this last labor dispute, over things and issues I was never too concerned with had me worried. It had me worried, and probably a great deal of people in this area worried because we all want to see Marc Mariani continue what he started last year with the Tennessee Titans.

And because of the day-in-day-out ramblings on ESPN and other sports talk shows all summer of the most recent NFL labor dispute, it made the Pro Bowl and all that Mariani did in his rookie year with the Titans seem like a long, long time ago.

But that's all over now, and not a minute too soon. It's my understanding that had this dispute lasted much longer, a significant amount of regular season games would have been lost and possibly the entire season. But thankfully, the owners and players came together, mended fences, got a deal done and now we won't have to wonder what might have been.

Instead, all of the die-hard NFL fans, at times, me included, will have their Sunday's this fall and winter they crave so much. And all Marc Mariani fans will have him back too. So get ready Havre, because football is back and hopefully, another great Mariani thrill ride is coming with it.