As a former member of the players’ union, Giants defensive end Michael Strahan doesn’t think NFL players are in good enough financial shape to withstand a long lockout. And he thinks some of those players are already worried with the lockout just a week old.

“You’re panicking if you’re a guy who is living paycheck to paycheck,” Strahan told Sean Jensen of the Chicago Sun-Times. “You have to remember, every guy [in the NFL] doesn’t make millions. Then you have to remember, some of those guys making millions still live paycheck to paycheck. If you’re an owner, you have leverage. That’s where players can get weak, when they start missing checks. That’s when it’s going to get scary for a lot of people. Trust me.”

It’s no surprise that the management side liked those comments so much that they were featured at NFLLabor.com. But I think all of us can like some of Strahan’s other comments.

“It’s a lot of money, but there’s a middle ground. Find it. Why wait until the last minute?” Strahan said. “They both have to give. At some point, nobody is going to benefit from this, and I’d hate to see this game — which is more popular than it’s ever been — turn off a lot of people.”

Strahan is right: Eventually, this dispute is going to get resolved and we’re going to have professional football. The question is whether they’ll find the middle ground and resolve the dispute in the spring, or if they’re going to wait several months and make this really ugly. If it’s the latter, they should recognize that not all the fans who are turned off will come back.