NFL Lockout In 2011?

It is starting to look like there is going to be a lockout of NFL players that may affect the 2011 season. There always have been talk about the owners locking out the players, but the layers union, the NFLPA is telling it's players to start saving money in case of a lockout.
Some NFL players have a hard time saving money. Earlier this year, a NFL player for the Denver Broncos committed suicide, in part of poor money management, including owing 10's of thousands of dollars to Las Vegas casino's. You also see players who have made hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars during their career and be totally broke within a couple of years after they are out of the game.
From ESPN: "The NFL players' union has advised its members to prepare for a lockout it expects to come in March, telling players to save their last three game checks this year in case there is no season in 2011.
In a letter to the players that was seen by The Associated Press, NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith said the union had an "internal deadline" for agreeing to a new collective bargaining agreement.
"That deadline has now passed," he wrote. "It is important that you protect yourself and your family." http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5882717
While unions like scream hyperbole, for some reason, this letter seems like a sincere effort to get the players to understand the seriousness of the situation.
I'm not taking sides. Both sides have valid points and both sides are greedy. But in the end, we just may not have a full 2011 football season.