Front Office Football Central - NHL Holdout Article

Not the NFL, but a good read on effects of holding out.

http://www.sports-central.org/sports...ticle196.shtml

Quote:

HOLDING OUT FOR LESS - History has shown that holdout players are injury prone, streaky, out of shape, and out of favor with the fans.

Jason Allison, a holdout with the Boston Bruins before getting traded to the L.A. Kings, felt that even though players may perform statistically, holding out affects their mental preparation.

"It takes a while to get comfortable," Allison said. "Maybe three or four months, and even when you feel at ease with (the players), you don't know them personally as well as you'd like to. Our game is such a team sport and it's much easier going into the games when you know a guy's personality, you know how he is, and you're talking. You feel more comfortable."