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When is the NFL Trade Deadline? Sometimes it seems like the NFL doesn't know, either

It's easy to forget when the NFL Trade Deadline is, because nothing ever seems to happen on it. 2012's delayed deadline looks to be no exception.

When the NFL Trade Deadline finally hits, this guy'll probably still be a Ram.
When the NFL Trade Deadline finally hits, this guy'll probably still be a Ram.
Mike Ehrmann

Everybody knows when the MLB trade deadline is—July 31. It's easy to remember because it's the same day every year but also because things actually happen on it. Seasons change as buyers and sellers trade prospects and big-name veterans. The NFL Trade Deadline? Well, in 2012 it's at 3 p.m. Thursday, November 1, delayed for two days after Hurricane Sandy intruded on Tuesday's deadline.

So what's happened in the extra two days? Basically, the remaining trade rumors have been heartily denied by teams and players alike. Jeff Fisher basically denied that the St. Louis Rams would trade Steven Jackson, who loomed as the biggest name on the trade market, and with veteran running backs' values at a low ebb it's hard to blame the Rams for holding onto their only offensive veteran for one last half-season.

Feel free to watch things closely until the bitter end, but we at SB Nation St. Louis are predicting nothing much at all when the alarm goes off on another unimpressive NFL trading season. Whether it's the restrictive salary cap, the short peaks of the best offensive players, or the simple time it takes to get a player acclimated into an NFL offense, some combination of factors continues to keep football's trade deadline moribund.