2020 Season - Will they play?

[stripesincarolina]

Given the difficulties emerging with MLB, this really highlights the challenges facing the NFL, especially when you need a full 17 weeks plus the playoffs and SB to complete a season. I think it is highly likely at this point that one or more teams will miss a game from an outbreak. If the NFL went ahead and built an extra 2 or 3 weeks into the season, maybe call them flexible byes or something, that would allow for rescheduled games to be played those weeks.

Its pretty clear now that once Covid is in the locker room its going to have a significant impact on the roster.

[Bengals1]

Numerous players are beginning to opt out of any potential 2020 season due to fears of Covid-19....

Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL)
Patriots LB Dont'a Hightower one of five New England players to opt out of 2020 season, joining Brandon Bolden, Marcus Cannon

[4256 Hits]

Symptoms of athletes testing positive last 7 days. Player are in more danger driving to football than from CV-19. Note mild is loss of taste or smell.

[Exile]

Given the difficulties emerging with MLB, this really highlights the challenges facing the NFL, especially when you need a full 17 weeks plus the playoffs and SB to complete a season. I think it is highly likely at this point that one or more teams will miss a game from an outbreak. If the NFL went ahead and built an extra 2 or 3 weeks into the season, maybe call them flexible byes or something, that would allow for rescheduled games to be played those weeks.

Its pretty clear now that once Covid is in the locker room its going to have a significant impact on the roster.

The one thing that gives me some hope that the baseball problems won't necessarily be the football problems is the differences in our schedules. I don't think you're wrong to think that it's going to be a huge challenge to play a season, but I think football is helped out by only playing one game each week. If players have to quarantine for two weeks after testing positive, in baseball that can be 12 games. In football, that's 2. I suppose there probably have to be some thresholds in place--how many players can be positive and still play a game? Beats me, but it's possible that we can still get games played with players out, and as you mentioned, if they can build extra weeks in with flexible byes, they could maybe handle the need to reschedule games. They can also learn lessons from baseball (and to a lesser extent basketball) about what works and what doesn't. If they do play out the season, it's probably going to be crazy as hell. But even while I'm far from optimistic about the Bengals or the Buckeyes playing a full season of football this year, I'm clinging to some hope.

[Bengals1]

It was bound to happen eventually....

[Bengals1]

Adam Schefter@AdamSchefter
It’s still being negotiated and finalized, but the players’ opt-out deadline at this point is looking like Wednesday.

[stripesincarolina]

College news.....Mid America Conference scraps the entire season. Domino effect may be underway. Any of their non conference opponents will now have to scramble for games and the logistics of those changes, with literally only 2-4 weeks before the first games are scheduled, may likely be too much to overcome. Any way you slice it this is going to be a wild next 4 weeks in the sports world.

Edit - Big 10 colleges meeting today to decide on next steps.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2 ... -football/

[Bengals1]

NFL privately remains very confident a full season will be played...

[https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2 ... be-played/]

[Bengals1]

Looks like another nail in the coffin for college football this year...

[Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy)
Dan Patrick reports Big Ten had internal vote & by 12-2 margin, league members opted on not having a fall football season. Nebraska & Iowa were only schools that voted to play this fall, @dpshow said. Patrick said Big Ten & Pac-12 would cancel fall seasons Tuesday.

[stripesincarolina]

I'm far more aligned with this than pro football being cancelled. These kids have no chance to make it through the semester given their class requirements, dorm lives and general exposure on or around campus. Sucks, but I think it makes sense.

Pro's, on the other hand, get paid a crap ton of money sufficient to be able to isolate themselves, as a group if necessary. While I still think the logistics of the NFL machine will make a full season extremely challenging, I dont want to hear a peep from players about how they cant effectively quarantine themselves. We're all out here doing it every freaking day for pennies on their dollar.