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As well they should. For the sake of competitiveness and safety.

You CANNOT, with any good conscience, keep playing the "safety" card and then tell all these players to jump on the field this weekend. We'll have cases exploding by next Wednesday, and it would be the league that put them in an at risk environment.

You also CANNOT, in good conscience (although you probably will) tell a team (or two) to scrap their season for reasons that are no fault of their own.

Yet, no limit on fans attending.

I guess we'll now know what a 4th preseason game squad VS and NFL team will perform (in our case very poorly)

If we sign a qb today/tonight, can they play saturday? Would hate to see Mullens test positive and we have to play a rb/wr at qb like Denver had to last season

This is the biggest outbreak in any league since Covid started.

And the NFL mandate, this morning, was NOT to test vaccinated individuals without symptoms? That borders on egregious, if we are to trust your concern for "safety".

If I were Haslam, I would report our stadium as "CLOSED" due to safety concerns for the fans and players.

Let them chew on that... if it results in a forfeit, well hell, it already did.

Baker got his wish


all 32 teams now in intensive protocols

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id...-protocols-return-intensive-restrictions

The NFL and the NFL Players Association have negotiated changes to the league's COVID-19 protocols, some of which are being put in place immediately and could help teams whose rosters have been decimated this week.

Effective immediately, all 32 NFL teams will be placed in intensive COVID-19 protocols until the conclusion of Week 15. This means the reimposition of mandatory mask wearing in team facilities, social distancing, grab-and-go meal service in team cafeterias, all-virtual meetings, limits on the number of people allowed in weight rooms and restrictions on activities outside the facility.

Teams already in intensive protocols due to ongoing outbreaks will continue daily testing of all players and personnel -- vaccinated or not -- but the rest of the teams won't be subject to daily testing.

Also effective immediately, the league and the NFLPA will institute changes in the return-to-play COVID-19 protocols that will make it easier for players who are vaccinated and asymptomatic to return to practice and games.

Under the previous protocols, a vaccinated individual who tests positive for COVID-19 has to produce two negative tests 24 hours apart before being cleared to return. The new protocols relax that requirement and could enable teams such as the Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Rams and Washington Football Team to get some players back for this weekend's games.

In creating the new return-to-play protocols, the NFL and NFLPA focused on a new metric that measures the viral load of a player, known as the "cycle threshold" (CT). In essence, the CT value can measure whether a player is still contagious, even if in some cases he would still test positive on a traditional test.

That testing can begin as soon as one day after the initial positive and could significantly shorten the amount of time a vaccinated player spends away from the team facility.

There are now three ways for a vaccinated player to return under the new protocols:

• Two PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests that are either negative or produce a CT value of 35 or greater.

• One PCR test that is either negative or produces a CT value of 35 or greater, and a negative Mesa test result taken with 24 hours of the PCR test. (Mesa tests usually return results in less than an hour.)

• Two negative Mesa tests.

According to NFL chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills, previous NFL test analysis has shown that players with CT values at the level of 35 or higher do not transmit COVID-19 and thus would not be contagious.

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"It's not about loosening our standards," Sills said. "If anything, we're just bringing a higher degree of precision in measuring ourselves against a more precise ruler."

There is no change to the rules for unvaccinated players, who will continue to be tested daily and must stay away from the team facility for at least 10 days before they can be cleared to return after a positive test.

​"Throughout the pandemic we have continuously evolved our protocols to meet our goal of advancing the safety of the players, coaches and staff," the league said Thursday in a statement. "The changes we are making today aim to address the increase in cases and the advent of the Omicron variant. Effective immediately, all clubs will implement preventative measures that have proven effective: masking regardless of vaccination status, remote or outdoor meetings, eliminating in-person meals, and no outside visitors while on team travel. We will continue to strongly encourage booster shots as the most effective protection.

"Finally, and based on expert advice, we will adjust the return-to-participation requirements for those who have recovered from COVID-19. All of these changes are grounded in our data and science-backed approach, with safety our number-one goal for the entire NFL community."

The NFLPA also is pushing to allow players the ability to opt out of the season if they are uncomfortable with changes to the protocols, though it's unclear whether the league would agree to that.

As of Thursday afternoon, there was no plan to mandate COVID-19 booster shots for vaccinated players, though the league and the NFLPA continue to strongly encourage unvaccinated players to get vaccinated and vaccinated players to receive boosters.


The Cleveland Browns, meanwhile, announced Wednesday that head coach Kevin Stefanski has tested positive for the coronavirus, and at least eight starters -- including quarterback Baker Mayfield -- have been placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list this week.

The Los Angeles Rams have placed 13 players on the reserve/COVID-19 list in the past week, including star cornerback Jalen Ramsey, star receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and starting running back Darrell Henderson.

Washington has placed 17 players on the reserve/COVID-19 list this week -- including eight on Wednesday and three more on Thursday -- bringing its total to 21 overall and 11 starters.

My guess is that we’ll sign someone. Kyle Lauletta is currently on the Jaguars practice squad so we could theoretically pick him up. Any guys who are available who played in the Shanahan/Kubiak offense would also be in play.

At this point we are probably better off getting like 20 more positives tests just to see what the NFL would do.

You know what? Screw that. We shouldn't be out there raiding other teams practice squads and signing players off the street just so we can field a team on Saturday. Tell the NFL to postpone the game or shove it. We've been playing by the rules, we shouldn't be punished. And that's exactly what this is, punishment.

That's my Quarterback.

Is Phillip rivers still available?

Definitely

I think it's crazy that this is a story on every major news site but it's almost like everyone at BSPN fell asleep at the desk.

The Rog must'a made some calls.

I see it on BSPN now.

He'd need to already be in testing protocols or he would need 3 days, I believe, before he could join the team.

Didn't know that.. thanks... it was a bit tongue in check... but seriously, it feels like we need to find another QB for the weekend...

j/c...

21 players is 40% of our active roster...

It is idiotic to play games when a team is missing half it's roster. Just stupid. We all knew that the NFL cares about 1 thing and 1 thing only, and that's money ..... and this proves it definitively.

Just wait NFL, when your precious Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs lose half of their roster the week of their playoff game, can't postpone because that sets everything back so they'll have to tough it out like everyone else

25 is more than 50% of the players they can dress. smh they need to push some games back

I think the immediate start of daily testing all players, coaches, and other personnel league wide will add several other teams to the situation in short order. Omicron is going nuts from Thanksgiving and daily living, what is an open Christmas going to do?

The concern that the NFL is missing is the player's arent showing symptoms and testing positive. Unless you test every single player before the game you can have the entire league positive in the next 2 weeks.

None of this should come as a surprise.

So, between injuries and covid, do we even have any starters left on either side of the ball?

As of right now? Yes. Ask again in 24 hours and the answer will likely be different.

Just some thoughts as I sit in my hotel room in Covington, KY in wait to finish the drive up to Cleveland later this morning.

1. Should the game be re-scheduled? I think so. I'd feel this way even if the Browns weren't involved. That is why I didn't have a problem with the Ravens getting to move a game last year. To me it is about competitive balance.

2. Does the NFL think only about the money? I don't think so. Rescheduling at any point, but especially this late creates problems. The logistics of putting on a game is more than simply saying the game will now be played on "this" date. The logistics apply not only to the team, but TV networks, fans, hotels, airlines and a whole assortment of functions many aren't thinking about. You don't just reschedule. I am a fan. My travel plans were made with a Saturday game scheduled. If the game was moved to Sunday, no big problem. If it is moved to Mon or Tue, that creates a problem for me. I am heading to Florida for the Holidays on Wed. My plan was to be back in Chattanooga on Sunday to prepare for the Florida trip. I am not complaining. I only offer that as a small slice for one insignificant fan. Others may have airline tickets to consider...the list goes on across the entire spectrum, both small like mine, to large.

3. A bye between the regular season and playoffs should have been scheduled. That would have allowed for a situation like this and when you get down to it, that would allow playoff teams a extra week to heal up at bit, possibly providing a more exciting, competitive playoff season with teams in better health.

4. Are Jimmy Haslam and the Browns being tight lipped? I don't think so. Going to the press and screaming like a child isn't going to be productive. I have no doubt that Haslam and others have been in contact with the league to express their concerns. Just because we haven't read about it in a MK Cabot column or heard about it on "Chico After Dark" doesn't mean those conversations haven't/aren't taking place.

Unfortunately I think we’re going to play, mostly because of the $ and tv contracts involved (not just THIS saturday as a stand-alone game, but Christmas vs Green Bay will be a huge draw. The NFL doesn’t want to affect that game as well.)

If only they would do that!

The article said: "Teams already in intensive protocols due to ongoing outbreaks will continue daily testing of all players and personnel -- vaccinated or not -- but the rest of the teams won't be subject to daily testing."

Sadly, testing won't be daily or league wide.

Handling business quietly, out of the public's line of sight, has done nothing to keep us from being the league's punching bag. We always seem to get the short end of the stick. You can go public without whining like a child.

I totally agree, not that I wish COVID on anyone. This crap of raiding practice squads and signing people off the street just to field a team, especially when you're fighting for a playoff spot, should not be acceptable to anyone.

more coming.... could be up to 4-5

Newsome seems pretty upset on Twitter.
Mack Wilson has tested positive

And the Rams would still have more.

and the Browns would still have more starters (12) out due to Covid than Rams (8)