NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Just keep the players isolated during the season. They are playing for good money if they don’t want to play they don’t want their pay. The money they make will draw 99% of them in. They can keep the players safe if they don’t go outside of team facilities. The problem is that the players want their cake and to eat it too.

 

You realize that these are millionaires you are talking about, right?

 

Sure, 4 months where no team employees (players, coaches, equipment and medical personnel, etc) have contact with anyone else. What could be so unrealistic about that? Thank you, Gid, for putting in better perspective than I possibly could, how insane that idea is.

 

It’s the only way players could be 100% sure they won’t catch the virus

 

he is on his last leg

 

Which should give them incentive to get paid

 

He can’t play on one leg

 

yes in a dream he can

 

In a field of dreams

 

Right... Which is why the idea of security is so unrealistic. The delusions that the organizations and employers are trying to sell are just that.

 

Memo sent to teams for path to reopening facilities

A route to reopening team facilities has been laid out to all 32 NFL teams.

Commissioner Roger Goodell sent out a memo Wednesday laying out protocols on how facilities may reopen, which includes consent from state government officials, establishment of a club infection response team, social distancing and other measures, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported.

All club facilities have been closed since March 25 to further efforts of combating the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the NFL has outlined protocols and procedures on the path toward opening them back up.

"The protocols are intended to allow for a safe and phased reopening," Goodell wrote. "The first phase would involve a number of non-player personnel. ... No players would be permitted in the facility except to continue a course of therapy and rehabilitation that was underway when facilities were initially closed.

"Clubs should take steps to have these protocols in place by Friday, May 15 in anticipation of being advised when club facilities will formally reopen."

Also of note, the principle that no team can reopen unless every team is eligible -- likely based upon respective state government's decisions -- remains in place, per a statement from league spokesman Brian McCarthy obtained by Pelissero.

"That principle remains intact," McCarthy's statement began. "This memo outlines the actions clubs will take to have the protocols in place by May 15. After that time, clubs will be advised when facilities could formally reopen. These steps include the clubs reviewing their plans with the appropriate state and local officials. It's anticipated there will be further discussion on the reopening of facilities at the May 19 league owners virtual meeting."

Among the protocols are wearing a cloth face covering or medical-style mask, and daily screening of employees and visitors who must have their temperature taken and answer questions.

In addition, Goodell noted that the NFL is actively working with the NFL Players Association on the protocols that would enable player access and expected to have what that entails "fairly soon."

Also in the memo, Goodell discouraged public comments from club officials concerning hypotheticals in regard to the 2020 season.

"It is impossible to project what the next few months will bring," Goodell stated.

But there are now protocols and a path set forth for reopening.

NFL.com

 

Yeah, what happened to Corey Davis? I thought surefire superstar....just didn't happen.


You got that right Dawg..............Titans 1st Pick and he was a bust.......5th overall.......you just never know.....

 

Bills owner emphasizes need to come back slowly, so no setbacks



Bills owner Kim Pegula talked to the Buffalo News about the next steps for the opening of the sports, and emphasized that it must be done slowly.

The videoconference took place before Roger Goodell’s memo discouraging league personnel from talking on their own about how the COIVD-19 outbreak and plans to deal with it, and during several points in the conversation, it seemed clear that Pegula was deferring to centralized messaging.

But she’s also realistic about the complications of bringing players from around the country together for anything resembling a training camp or a season.

“We can figure out a way to get our players back in the building and be safe by doing it slowly and with guidance from the league, the CDC and government officials,” Pegula said. “And then internally, it’s taking it slow, so that there’s no setbacks. . . . I think that’s the only way that we can really get us back, over time, into having a game and having fans.

“And if we can get a vaccine. I wish I had those skills. I don’t. But this country has been able to do so many amazing things. I can’t imagine that we can’t figure out, from a medical standpoint, a vaccine. But there’s a lot of things we can do in the meantime. We’re just going to do it slowly, and we’re just going to do it with a lot of guidance.”

Pegula acknowledged this process won’t be a simple one.

Asked about a potential date for starting training camp, she replied: “I’m asking the same questions. The league obviously wants to have a season, for sure. And I think they are, like everybody else, trying to stay flexible and not put limits, at least right now, on things like timing and the seasons starting, because we all may have to work differently. We may all have to do things in the short term, make some exceptions, whether it’s virtual workouts like we’re doing now. No one wants to quite put a timeline on it because we all want to be flexible, because we all want to have a season in some shape or form. And I think that’s the priority.”

Asked about the possibility of playing games without fans, she referred to the “competitive equality” aspect, meaning there’s a real advantage of some teams have home fans and some perhaps not being able to because of local restrictions.

“It’s safe to say that’s one of the options that we certainly are looking at,” she said. “And if that’s the way we have to go, we’ll be ready.”

When asked simply if she anticipated the season starting on time, she hedged.

“Anything could happen. I don’t know. It changes every day,” she said. “Right now, I’m being optimistic. The schedule coming out, that’s a great thing. I think it gives us something that we can at least work on going forward, even though we have to do other scenarios around it. But it gives us a path forward, which I think is really, really good. And I can’t speculate. I really can’t, but if the league is confident and wanting to put this schedule out, then I’m going to go with that.”

That message of hope and optimism is certainly what the league is pushing, though Pegula is smart to acknowledge that there are so many factors which will determine the future that are far beyond the control of the NFL.

NBC

 

NFL continues to show how utterly stupid they are with their decisions. The 2020 schedule will NOT be front-loaded with interconference games. It's a normal schedule minus international games. That is just irresponsible to the people and to their business. If they need to cancel games it will be a big issue to their schedule and in order to avoid that they will make sure to play which could make the situation worse or cause injuries or sloppy play because of a shortened preseason.

 

I think Ev pretty much said it all, here. That's what I would've tried to say, in probably a lot more words. I guess I should start tipping him, all the times he's saved me from having to type and post something.

 

Goodell: “We will be prepared to make adjustments as necessary”

The 2020 schedule has been released. With the schedule, the Commissioner has released a statement.

“The release of the NFL schedule is something our fans eagerly anticipate every year, as they look forward with hope and optimism to the season ahead,” Goodell said. “In preparing to play the season as scheduled, we will continue to make our decisions based on the latest medical and public health advice, in compliance with government regulations, and with appropriate safety protocols to protect the health of our fans, players, club and league personnel, and our communities.

“We will be prepared to make adjustments as necessary, as we have during this off-season in safely and efficiently conducting key activities such as free agency, the virtual off-season program, and the 2020 NFL draft.”

PFT has explained that there’s an “extremely small” chance the NFL season won’t happen. The league plans to play all games, and there’s optimism that it will happen in open stadiums. The key will be the availability of adequate testing for the coronavirus, and testing is expecting to be readily available and efficient by the time football season rolls around.

NBC

 

Mark Ingram: We’re gonna have the best backfield in the league



The Ravens led the league in rushing last year, so one might have thought that the last thing running back Mark Ingram would have liked to see the team do in the draft was add a back early in the proceedings.

That’s what they did by drafting J.K. Dobbins in the second round, however, and Ingram said on NFL Network Thursday night that he’s happy to make room for Dobbins in a backfield that also includes Gus Edwards and Justice Hill.

“I like his mindset, I like his attitude, I like the way he runs the ball. Just bring him and his talents to our room that’s already special; our backfield is gonna be the best in the league for sure,” Ingram said. “We’re all looking forward to it, being playmakers for the team and help us win the championship.”

The Ravens have talked about using all four backs and doing so with the same kind of success they enjoyed in 2019 should make their backfield tough to beat as the top in the league.

NBC

 

A.J. Green said goodbye to his longtime quarterback Andy Dalton on a FaceTime call after Dalton was released by the Bengals last week and now he’s looking forward to getting to work with the team’s new quarterback.

Green wasn’t able to work with Dalton last year because of an ankle injury, but he said he is “back to normal” and has been in communication with Joe Burrow since the Bengals made Burrow the first overall pick in the draft. With COVID-19 shutdowns in place, they can’t do more than talk at this point but Green said they’ve talked about plans to work on the other aspect of their relationship.

“We’ve been talking back and forth. We were talking yesterday and I know he wants to get together and throw somewhere,” Green said, via the Bengals website. “I told him wherever he is, we’ll come to him. I don’t know where, when, how. It’s all who can fly where and when. He’s the quarterback. He makes his location and we have to get there.”

Once they do start working together, Green will be trying to do more than adjusting to Burrow’s playing style. Green may be the veteran, but he wants to be sure Burrow “feels comfortable leading” right out of the gate because that’s the quarterback’s role on the team.

NBC

 

Ingram won’t be on the Ravens in 2021 if Dobbins looks good this season.

 

Saunders?