DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Players considering sitting out

j/c

I'm wondering if cancelling preseason games is the right way to go. Reading the points brought up on various posts, it seems to me the argument should be for having preseason games. Let's be honest, any agreement for safety that the League and NFLPA agree to is theoretical until the games start playing right?

So let's say worst case scenario there aren't any measures that they can take that are going to be sufficient. Would you rather them find that out in the midst of playing a 4 game stretch of games that don't mean anything? Or would you rather find out Week 3 or 4 after they have committed to playing a season?

I get that trying to play the preseason games as originally planned puts them on a time crunch. So why not just move the entire schedule back? Say 4 weeks.

I'd still take a Lombardi, even with an Asterisk.

I agree, and it really wouldn't be any different than players missing games to injury. That happens all the time.

Just a thought.

This season is already messed up. It'll have an asterisk regardless.

Instead of trying to work out the logistics of a full season, why not just go with a shortened season. Instead of 16 games over 4 months, play 12 games over 4 months. Each team plays 3 games every 4 week. Each team plays division rivals twice, 4 games against out of division conference rivals, and 2 out of conference games. Play 2 consecutive weeks, a week off, then 1 game and a week off, 2-bye-1-bye...or 1-bye-2-bye. It would reduce the impact of C-19 positives and allow for schedule flexibility if things change.

Because that’s a lot less revenue in a season where everyone is already taking a huge hit.

That sounds fine in theory. But what if it's us that's hot and miss out due to Covid cases?

TODD GURLEY
RB, ATLANTA FALCONS

Todd Gurley said he's open to sitting out the season if the NFL doesn't come up with a proper COVID-19 safety plan.

“It’s really not structured right,” Gurley said about the NFL’s current restart plan. “There’s not a proper plan in place that I’m comfortable with. I don’t have a wife. I don’t have any kids. You have to look at guys on the other side who have [a] pregnant wife, kids and a wife that they go home to every single day. I just feel like we just need to come up with something a lot better than what they’re giving us. Everything they gave us is pretty last minute. We should have been able to have answers weeks ago, if not months ago. You have to be prepared to not play or be prepared to have a half a season. If they don’t do things right, we won’t have a full season. It’s just how things have been going so far this year. Hopefully everything goes well, but I don’t see [it]. It just doesn’t sit well right now.” The league and NFLPA are working on a plan as we speak, but this is something that should've been done weeks ago, as Gurley said, with training camps scheduled to open this coming week. Gurley is one of the first players we've seen actually talk about the possibility of sitting out.

SOURCE: 92.9 Atlanta
Jul 24, 2020, 10:40 AM ET

All I know is, I'd much rather not have a season and keep all of our players one extra year than try to have a pointless season and we're 1 year closer to losing talent without anything to show for it.

Why would it be pointless?

If we're having players in and out of the lineup with COVID symptoms and can't get any sort of momentum going during the season.

What if it benefits the Browns?

If they play, it won't be meaningless. Hopefully, they figure out some protocols aimed at safety that make sense and players and staff can follow. They'll come up with something. There's too much money at stake.

I watched baseball and exhibition basketball last night. It was wonderful.

What it it doesn't? See, that's the big gamble in all of this. We could be having a great year and a few of our star players could be quarantined for a few weeks and we miss the playoffs.

It's a gamble either way you go. And there is no "foolproof plan" that's going to keep everyone safe. Those simply don't exist. Sure you can cut the risks, but that's as far as it goes.

Whether they play or don't play is far less important to me than the life of the players, and even more critical, the health and safety of coaching and medical staffs who for the most part are much older. So far, for many, that seems to have been placed on the back burner as of now.

So if they play are you not going to watch?

Where in the hell did you get that from? I said it's a gamble either way and I'm more concerned with the life of others.

But everyone has the right to do as they choose. If these players and coaches decide they are going to play, I'll watch. Hell, I watch boxing, MMA and NASCAR. And I think it takes a moron to participate in those three sports.

j/c:

I think some people are being overly dramatic regarding player's lives being in jeopardy. Malls are open, salons and barber shops are open, dentist and doctor offices are open. Everything is open.

And the death cont has risen to well over 1000 per day. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Name one active athlete that has been diagnosed with COVID who has developed serious complications and hasn't immediately recovered?

The fatality rate for COVID has changed. The fatality rate with the new wave of cases is much different than the first.

April 18th it was 7.74% and yesterday it was 1.22%.

http://91-divoc.com/pages/covid-visualiz...08o1bMLIv8G4V0c

You seem to be forgetting about the coaching and medical staffs. How do you think Andy Reid would do? Then there are those that serve their meals, provide their transportation and provide their lodging. Let's try and think big picture here for a moment.

And that fatality rate is on the rise along with the cases being on the rise. You do realize that sometimes it takes weeks after someone becomes infected before they die, right? That's why the death rate rises slower than the cases rise. I mean you didn't think they just fell over and died as soon as the diagnosis came in did you?

While the death rate may have dropped due to 'whatever' happened in the data, the bodies behind that number are still no joke. I don't think acting like covid is somehow less severe is the answer to anything.

Actually, I think there is a chance it's less severe but because there's so much they still don't understand about it and there is no bona-fide vaccine or treatment it's like playing Russian roulette if you don't exercise caution.

You or one of your loved ones could be one of those ones it just attacks relentlessly.

With over 1000 deaths a day I don't think, 'yeah but it isn't killing athletes' quite covers it. The coaching staff, their families, the medical staffs and all of the supporting staffs are people too.

I'm not acting like COVID is less severe. I am just saying that it isn't severe enough to cancel the season as long as the proper protocols are put into place.

Pit, with the new spike in coronavirus cases over the last month and a half, the number of deaths should have already spiked by now. During the first wave there was a 7-10 day lag in deaths. Cases started spiking again in mid June but deaths did not in the same ratio as they did before.

1000 deaths a day is severe but not as severe as it could have been. If the pattern from the first wave remained the same we would be looking at something like 7000 deaths a day right now.

Recent news from the NFL seems promising:
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/29531605/sources-nfl-camps-open-pending-ok-players

j/c:

Despite the attempts of some, this is not a political forum. Once again, if it is okay for folks to clean other peoples teeth, fill their cavities, do root canals, etc........then I doubt that the NFL is more at risk.

My two kids had it. Both are in good shape. Hell, my son is a cancer survivor and I was really worried about him. But, both have said that the symptoms were not that bad.

I am not trying to say that Covid isn't a real thing or trying to diminish it's effect on society, but I don't think it would devastate the NFL community like some seemingly are implying.

It's an election year and I get that, but this is the Pure Football forum. My guess is that they will play.

They will for sure play.

I'm getting excited.

More good news. Looks like football is back on the menu boys.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/29531605/sources-nfl-camps-open-pending-ok-players

At least for now.

You wonder how many more guys we’ll see choose it

100% agree... if a player has or lives with someone who has an underlying disease that would deem them at risk I get wanting to sit out the season...

but several people and players I think are over blowing this thing...

get the protocol in place... but recognize that the protocol will change...

I've been working throughout this entire thing... the first couple of months our protocols changed every other week it felt like... we still change/update protocols as new information comes out but it's less frequent... just the nature of a novel situation

People dying isn't political no matter how much you try to twist it.

God bless your son. I have cancer survivors in my family also. My nephew was diagnosed at 10 years old, he is now 45. He was given three years at the time. It is devastating to the family as I'm sure you know first hand. Staying strong and having faith is all you can do. My prayers will always include your son from now on

I'm still wondering how they intend to keep players from transmitting the virus while playing the game... And then what happens when those players go home to their wives and kids?

Very happy for your kids good luck with Covid.. Sorry to hear about your son and Cancer.

Not for nothing, but there are over 140,000 that can't say that.

It's well over 1450,000 now. But hey, that's only dead Americans so it's not a big deal anymore, right? I mean as long as his family got through it okay, right?

I see the players point of view but every time they play an NFL game they're risking their health.

INCORRECT. Even Harvard says that someone tested within 24 hours of exposure is going to yield a false negative 100% of the time. At the 4th day from exposure, test yields a false negative 40% of the time. At 4th day AFTER symptoms, test still yields false negative 20% of the time. Simply put, the test isn't accurate enough fast enough to stop the spread of this thing...yet.

There isn't a lot of clarity on how long it takes from the time of exposure until you you can spread it.

You have your most risky players for MAJOR injury of COVID (HEAVY folks) knocking heads and effectively wrestling one another a minimum of 60 times a game.

This thing is going to spread like wildfire...you may even see Belecheck having it spread to an opponent the week before each game!

.

I really don't see them playing until 2021 or when there is a safe vaccine.

So do you think the next thing the NFL does is the next Draft in April?

I've entertained that thought a few times.

How you equate someone saying they don't think it will devastate the NFL to them meaning all the people who died don't matter is just simply mind-boggling.

I guess you sign on for hazard pay. I think the players will need to be screened continuously. I also believe that there can be "Q (quarantine)— wins" for starters who may need to sit out.

I would hope that with the accuracy percentage, both ways, that the testing will be thorough to ID infected fins and that those flagged have tests also to be "Q breakers" and able to play if there is a false positive for them, a pretty well known result, and a literal game changer.

I suspect a mess, and the NFL believing it can tweak away its problems as long as they keep ringing the register. My hope is for a reliable and effective vaccine.