The NFL is planning to release its schedule at some point late next week. It will include the usual 17-week, 16-game slate, though contingency plans are believed to be built into teams’ schedules. One notable adjustment, however, is not yet on the table.
While the NBA and Major League Baseball have discussed holding games at centralized locations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NFL has not put such a scenario on the table, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports. Empty stadiums have been discussed, but as of now, it sounds like those sites will be in teams’ home cities.
This proves interesting because of the increased personnel the NFL requires compared to the two other top American sports. NFL teams will have 55-man rosters this season, which obviously dwarf the NBA or MLB’s game-day numbers. Each team then employs dozens of coaches, training staffs, executives and various other personnel. Based on the current landscape, that would require a massive coronavirus testing undertaking — one that would include fewer variables if centralized location(s) were used. Coupled with the uncertainty of playing games in the states ravaged most by the pandemic, the viability of holding contests in certain cities is in doubt. Travel may still be an issue by this point as well.
The NBA has discussed congregating at Disney World in Orlando, while the MLB season occurring at spring training sites in Florida and Arizona surfaced weeks ago. As of now, no NFL teams are allowed in their respective facilities. As long as any state has a stay-at-home order, the NFL’s offseason must continue to unfold virtually.
The NFL’s schedule is also not expected to include Saturday games, Fowler adds. This comes after a report indicated the league has discussed moving some games to Saturdays — in the event college football postpones or cancels its season. It is not clear if this means the NFL will not still consider moving games to Saturdays, but it sounds like the Thursday-Sunday-Monday setup will be what appears on the schedule when it’s released next week.
reporters need to stop pestering the league into suggesting it’s plans right now. way too early to know things for sure.
The sooner plans are held up to scrutiny the sooner you can plug the holes and have a better plan.
I think even a casual observer of the NFL would conclude that there is a tremendous among of “bloat”. I’m certain Halas and Lombardi would be shocked to see how large coaching staffs are now. Front offices for several teams have become unwieldy bureaucracies. It seems everyone is an assistance director of something. Then you watch a game on TV and see about 200 people not in uniform along the sidelines. Can all these people actually have critical duties?
I’ll tell you… Watching the replays of some of the classic games being shown, it’s amazing to see how incredibly different the game was even twenty years ago. Pacing, FAR less technology, FAR fewer coaches, nobody in skyboxes with iPads…
The brutality is almost shocking, too, which isn’t a good thing for the players, but regrettably made for a more entertaining game. I counted at least a half dozen hits that would be “roughing the QB” in today’s game.
Progress is a good thing but we should always understand that it comes at a price. When do the trade offs outweigh the gains? I guess we should leave that debate for another time.
That’s a good point, but it sure is an easy thing for me to ponder to myself as I watch older games!
I’m glad I’m not the only one seeking out old games online during this sports shutdown. There is a remarkable amount of old games, in their entirety, on youtube.
I started following the pro football in 1962 at age 8 so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I have a deep affection for football of the 60s. In retrospect it was comical in many ways, particularly with the AFL flying by the seat of it’s pants in those early years. Still, there was an innocence and purity to the game that I think has been lost over time. A lot of the passion has given way to greed and that is a tragedy.
If a Team has to play some where else Orlando or San Diego,St.Louis or Hawaii.