So what if they start this NFL season and the players just aren’t prepared —mentally and physically? How evident will be it when watching a game? Will it be sloppy? Will there be more injuries early on due to the lack of OTAs and minicamps?

When the NFL owners locked out the players in early March, no one had a clue what would happen from there on. Would the whole 2011 season be lost? Would a judge lift the lockout? No one knew.

Still we’re in the dark.

Reports have been mostly optimistic the past two weeks that a deal is close. It’s got to get done soon to have a full training camp, along with a free agency period and preseason games. Oh, and the draft picks need to be signed.

Camps usually open at the end of July and it’s more important than ever that they be full training camps since all of the offseason workouts and minicamps with coaches have been eliminated.

The first NFL Sunday is set for Sept. 11. More and more I wonder about the quality of the NFL games especially in the first few weeks. Fans will be mighty disappointed if the players are not up to speed.

If anything the Lions should be as prepared as any other team. They have the same head coach and coordinators for the third straight season. It could pay off especially in the first few weeks of the season. They open with three of fur on the road.

Of course there’s still the big IF — if there is a season.

(Follow me on Twitter @PaulaPasche)