NFL - NEWS & NOTES

So far... the plan is to play the game as scheduled.

Could change to MNF, but we will see.

 

The reason I say it shouldn’t be is that it could wind up very unfair to the Steelers if they had a virus outbreak and already rescheduled their bye for the Titans. I say screw the teams that get covid. Even if it happens to my team. Not every game will be convenient for rescheduling.

 

I understand your point and its valid. I also think the League realizes this also and thats why they will really push for the game to go as scheduled Sunday. It would really suck if it didnt.

It was only 3 players on the Titans and 5 staff members last i read... isolate them and carry on. This might be a case of making mountains out of mole-hills. They also have time to do the rechecking and see if they nipped it in the bud.

 

I think you and Gidion are missing the actual risk, here.

The NFL and its supporters have touted the frequency with which players get tested, including on game day (if that's untrue, someone let me know). And yet, they've got players with positive COVID tests having played on Sunday, potentially while having and being able to spread the virus.

So if it's possible that those guys had COVID on Sunday, and therefore the testing protocol isn't ironclad, then you can't just isolate those guys and move on as normal. Because clearly, normal didn't work. And if it doesn't work again, this gets way worse.

The MLB has managed to minimize COVID issues because they shut teams down. When the Marlins had their COVID issue (they weren't the only ones, just the first big outbreak), the players were quarantined, the Marlins cancelled games, and then they resumed them with an entirely new roster / staff as needed. If they had just sat some players and kept going, there's no telling how much worse that could've been.

Frankly, I think the NFL is lucky we're through week 3 before this started to become a threat to games being played. If they're not very careful, they might not be as lucky with the next 14+ weeks.

 

Goodell to team executives: Titans’ results show we need to remain diligent

After three players and five staffers on the Titans tested positive, the NFL is reminding all 32 teams of the requirement to take every possible step to prevent a COVID-19 outbreak within an NFL locker room.

In a memo to club presidents and executives, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said today that it is vital that they follow all league guidelines about protecting everyone at the team facility from the virus.

“These results confirm the need to remain diligent in implementing all of our health and safety protocols to the fullest extent,” Goodell wrote. “This includes not only our testing program, but facility maintenance, wearing of PPE by players and staff, and carefully regulating behavior and contracts outside of the club facility. It is also critical to remind everyone in your organization — players and non-players — immediately to report any symptoms that they have, or that family members or others with whom they are in close contact have, to your club physician or Infection Control Officer.”

Goodell said the league is exploring the nature of contacts among people who tested positive on the Titans to determine whether infection likely occurred in the locker room, a team flight or elsewhere. The league wants to determine exactly what happened with the Titans outbreak, and be sure it doesn’t happen again.

NBC

 

I think its obvious the testing isnt foolproof and shouldnt be completely trusted, but at the same time, IF, you find the virus infected person or persons, they definitely have to be isolated until they clear-up... I dont know what else the NFL could possibly do except to shut the whole thing down, but does 3 players testing positive warrant that?

Its just my opinion, but i think going into this the NFL expected a few cases to surface and the protocol was implemented to handle it the best way they know how. The players have to be diligent in their lifestyles and follow the already set standards if this is going to work. There is no 'normal' here and thats the tricky part.

Curious to see how this unfolds as we go.

 

Tom Brady will be without one of his star receivers this Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers.

NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday morning that Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout Chris Godwin underwent an MRI Tuesday that confirmed a mild hamstring pull, per a source informed of the situation.

Godwin is expected to miss this week's game against L.A. and could also sit next Thursday night against Chicago, given the short week.

Rapoport notes Godwin's absence shouldn't be much more than the two games.

The star wideout, who missed Week 2 due to a concussion, played 53 snaps in Sunday's win over Denver before leaving with the hamstring injury. Still working on his chemistry with Brady, Godwin put up 11 receptions for 143 receiving yards and one TD this season in less than two full games played.

Sans Godwin, expect Brady to continue to seek out Scotty Miller even more than he has through three weeks. Miller seems to be Brady's new favorite slot target, ranking second on the Bucs in targets with 14, behind only Mike Evans' 18 through three games.

NFL.com

 

Titans-Steelers postponed



Sunday’s Titans-Steelers game has been postponed as a result of the multiple positive COVID-19 cases affecting the Titans, a league source tells PFT.

The Titans have shut their facility down for the week because of the positive tests, which yesterday included three players and five staff members, and today included a fourth player.

It is unclear when the game will be played. It reportedly will be postponed only a day or two until Monday or Tuesday night, but if more players test positive it could be postponed to later in the season, which would necessitate the juggling of bye weeks.

The Vikings’ game against the Texans is currently still on, as the Vikings have had no positive tests after playing against the Titans.

This is the first time the NFL season has been significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The league had been testing players daily and maintaining strict health and safety protocols, but those protocols weren’t perfect, and the outbreak within the Titans’ facility should serve as a reminder to the other 31 teams of how vigilant they need to be.

UPDATE 11:30 a.m. ET: The NFL released the following statement: “The Steelers-Titans game, originally scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, will be rescheduled to allow additional time for further daily COVID-19 testing and to ensure the health and safety of players, coaches and game day personnel. Details on the new game date and time on either Monday or Tuesday will be announced as soon as possible.”

NBC

 

The postponement of Sunday’s Steelers-Titans has created a challenge for the NFL. It also will create another national TV window.

Andrew Marchand of the New York Post reports that the game between Pittsburgh and Tennessee, which originally was lumped within the 1:00 p.m. ET cluster of Sunday games, will be nationally televised in its new time slot, whenever that may be.

If the game moves to Monday, it’s expected to start at 5:00 p.m. ET, setting up an unprecedented non-Week One doubleheader, with Steelers-Titans on CBS preceding Falcons-Packers on ESPN. If the game moves to Tuesday, it will be played at 6:00 p.m. or 7:00 p.m. ET.

Marchand notes that CBS prefers that the game start at 7:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, in order to avoid a conflict with national programming like the CBS evening news, and the late-afternoon local news broadcasts for its various affiliates.

However it plays out, the Steelers-Titans game not only will be getting a new day and time but a larger footprint. In turn, it will draw larger ratings. And that makes the mini-outbreak in Tennessee ultimately a good thing for the NFL and for CBS.

NBC

 

25 names appear on Seahawks’ injury report



Three weeks into the season, the Seahawks are banged up. How banged up? A whopping 25 players appear on their Week Four injury report, only three of whom got time off for rest.

The best news is that running back Chris Carson (pictured), who suffered a knee injury when having his knee twisted by Cowboys defensive lineman Trysten Hill, participated in practice on a limited basis.

Not practicing on Wednesday were safety Jamal Adams (groin), tackle Duane Brown (knee), cornerback Quinton Dunbar (knee), defensive end Benson Mayowa (groin), defensive tackle Poona Ford (groin), and linebacker Jordyn Brooks (knee).

In addition to Carson, player practicing on a limited basis were tight end Will Dissly (Achilles), cornerback Shaquill Griffin (shoulder), cornerback Neiko Thorpe (hip), safety Lano Hill (back), running back Carlos Hyde (shoulder), guard Damien Lewis (ankle), center Ethan Pocic (ankle, knee), and guard Mike Iupati.

Fully participating in practice despite injury were defensive tackle Jarran Reed (back), linebacker Cody Barton (quadriceps), tackle Cedric Ogbuehi (pectoral), defensive end L.J. Collier (wrist), tackle Jamarco Jones (elbow), cornerback Tre Flowers (hand), and receiver David Moore (ankle).

Three players were listed as being limited in practice due to rest: Receiver DK Metcalf, receiver Tyler Lockett, and tight end Greg Olsen.

The 3-0 Seahawks face the 1-2 Dolphins in Miami on Sunday.

NBC

 

Gostkowski? He missed like four kicks in one game. What did he do in the other games to make up for that?

 

Steelers-Titans game will not be played in Week Four

We learned on Wednesday that the Titans and Steelers would not be playing as scheduled on Sunday.

On Thursday, we found out that the two teams will not be playing at all in Week Four.

The NFL announced that the game will be rescheduled until later in the season. The league said the decision was made after one more Titans player and one other team personnel member tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday. There were eight positive tests on Tuesday and one other player tested positive on Wednesday.

The league’s statement also said that the Titans facility will remain closed until further notice.

No word was given on when the league might look to play the game, but Week Seven looks like a good bet. The Titans are scheduled for a bye that week while the Steelers are set to play the Ravens. Baltimore and Pittsburgh both have scheduled byes in Week Eight, however, and they could move the Ravens bye up a week to account for this week’s change in schedule.

 

Ravens sign Marlon Humphrey to a five-year extension



Cornerback Marlon Humphrey and the Ravens have struck a deal that should keep the 2017 first-round pick in Baltimore for quite a while.

The Ravens announced on Thursday morning that they have signed Humphrey to a five-year contract extension. The Ravens did not announce any other terms, but PFT has confirmed, via a league source, that the deal has a total value of $98.75 million.

Humphrey will be paid $37 million of that money by March 2021 and the deal has $67 million in guarantees overall. The deal continues a run of new deals for cornerbacks as Jalen Ramsey, Tre'Davious White, Byron Jones and Darius Slay have all landed contracts this season.

Humphrey has 150 tackles, eight interceptions, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and a half-sack in 49 regular season games for the Ravens.

NBC

 

I hope we have no more cases of COVID-19 this season because the NFL has their heads up their asses on this one.

 

Stephen Gostkowski didn’t start the season the right way, but he knows how to finish.

The Titans kicker was named AFC special teams player of the month for September, after his impressive run of three straight games with game-winning field goals.

Gostkowski missed his first three field goals and an extra point in the opener against Denver, but bounced back to hit the game-winning field goal, and has hit nine straight field goals since.

That included late winners against the Jaguars and Vikings. He’s the first kicker since the 1970 merger to hit game-winning field goals in the final two minutes of his team’s first three games.

It’s his fifth player of the month award in his career, the first four coming during his time with the Patriots.

NBC

 

Steelers @ Titans moved to Week 7 during their bye.
Steelers @ Ravens originally schedulled then to be moved to Week 8.
Ravens Week 8 bye moved to Week 7.

 

Well, the league is stupid, they should have waited before scheduling this game. Two weeks wouldn’t have hurt anyone

 

This isn’t announced yet, you’re just wanting it

 

I believe it was announced.