A few words from Goodell

[Paa Langfart]

On the upcoming season, and how the NFL has prepared for it.  I honestly did not think that a season was possible this year.  I am glad I was wrong.

Quote

The National Football League traces its early origins to 1918, when the world was threatened by an influenza pandemic. Then, as now, with covid-19, people’s lives and livelihoods were threatened, but they adapted and persevered together.

 

As our league has prepared for the kickoff of its 101st season on Thursday night, we have encountered challenges shared by businesses, schools and places of worship as they contemplate reopening after the pandemic lockdown. The league’s eagerness to return in full force has been modulated by our primary concern: the health and safety of players, coaches, staff and the public.

Quote

In addition to these measures and others, resiliency and mutual respect will be essential — after all, these protocols are only as strong as their weakest link. As a sports organization, we at the NFL know that each person’s daily choices and behavior can affect everyone. Risks and responsibilities alike are shared. The team wins or loses together.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/roger-goodell-and-allen-sills-the-nfl-is-ready-for-some-football-in-this-season-of-covid-19/2020/09/09/0ce3e92e-f2d7-11ea-999c-67ff7bf6a9d2_story.html

That last quote from the op ed is certainly appropriate for everyone to take note of.

[kungfoodude]

3 minutes ago, Paa Langfart said:

On the upcoming season, and how the NFL has prepared for it.  I honestly did not think that a season was possible this year.  I am glad I was wrong.

That last quote from the op ed is certainly appropriate for everyone to take note of.

Roger Goodell also said this when asked about the study showing 110 of 111 brains of former NFL players showed signs of CTE,

Quote

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell downplayed concerns about player safety on Monday, days after the release of a study that found an overwhelming number of former football players showed signs of the degenerative brain condition known as CTE.

“The average NFL player lives five years longer than you, so their lifespan is actually longer and healthier,” Goodell said in response to a question about player safety during a fan forum at the New York Jets practice facility. “I think, because of all the advancements, including the medical care that number is going to even increase for them.”

So......maybe take most of what that clown says with a grain of salt. 

[Paa Langfart]

 

 

7 minutes ago, kungfoodude said:

Roger Goodell also said this when asked about the study showing 110 of 111 brains of former NFL players showed signs of CTE,

So......maybe take most of what that clown says with a grain of salt. 

So what are you disagreeing about with this op ed ?  You saying its all bs and the NFL hasnt taken covid seriously ?

[kungfoodude]

9 minutes ago, Paa Langfart said:

 

 

So what are you disagreeing about with this op ed ?  You saying its all bs and the NFL hasnt taken covid seriously ?

Yes it is largely BS. The NFL primarily cares about their bottom line. It doesn't matter the issue, whether health, social issue, fairness, player punishments, etc, etc. they always protect their bottom line first and foremost. They have taken COVID seriously enough to allow them to have revenue. 

To pretend that Goodell of all people cares about anything but protecting the league, is pure folly. His record speaks for itself. 

The "spirit" and message of the Op Ed I have no issue with, I have an issue with the person delivering it. It is pure PR and largely disingenuous, at best. 

[Moo Daeng]

Regardless of their motivation it appears they are doing a good job and likely on the forefront of this topic. Money is a big motivator and why this issue is different than the concussion one.

And what I mean is that without investment and being proactive they wouldn't have a season. 

[Ready 2 Win]

Breaking News: MOST people in this world care about themselves first, they family/loved ones second, their business third (2 and 3 are often interchangable) their friends are often a distant 4th  and everyone else are just sloppy leftovers to care about when we need a little bit of goodwill in our lives.

I wont crap on Goodell for doing exactly what nearly all other people would do. His position is much bigger, but the logic and reasoning is the same as when you pass the homeless man begging for money because you just boughtr a new playstation or BMW.

Hank Williams asks are you ready for some football? Hell yes!

[kungfoodude]

2 minutes ago, Moo Daeng said:

Regardless of their motivation it appears they are doing a good job and likely on the forefront of this topic. Money is a big motivator and why this issue is different than the concussion one.

Well money was a big motivator on the concussion issue, as in protecting their interests from liability. How good of a job remains to be seen. The fact that they have had very, very low positive tests does indicate that all 32 franchises appear to be able to get the bulk of their staff and rosters to buy into what the league is selling. I think that bodes fairly well for the season.

If I was going to give credit to being "on the forefront" of the topic, that has to go to the NBA. Their bubble concept and the partnership with Yale to develop quick testing is pretty admirable. I have personally witnessed corporations with larger projects mirror that bubble concept to protect utility interests. 

[4Corners]

22 minutes ago, Ready 2 Win said:

Breaking News: MOST people in this world care about themselves first, they family/loved ones second, their business third (2 and 3 are often interchangable) their friends are often a distant 4th  and everyone else are just sloppy leftovers to care about when we need a little bit of goodwill in our lives.

I wont crap on Goodell for doing exactly what nearly all other people would do. His position is much bigger, but the logic and reasoning is the same as when you pass the homeless man begging for money because you just boughtr a new playstation or BMW.

Hank Williams asks are you ready for some football? Hell yes!

What a stupid post 

[onmyown]

33 minutes ago, Ready 2 Win said:

Breaking News: MOST people in this world care about themselves first, they family/loved ones second, their business third (2 and 3 are often interchangable) their friends are often a distant 4th  and everyone else are just sloppy leftovers to care about when we need a little bit of goodwill in our lives.

I wont crap on Goodell for doing exactly what nearly all other people would do. His position is much bigger, but the logic and reasoning is the same as when you pass the homeless man begging for money because you just boughtr a new playstation or BMW.

Hank Williams asks are you ready for some football? Hell yes!

By world do you mean America?

 

Why is Goodell talking about the average football player? Isn’t the average career of NFL players like 2-3 years? I thought the CTE concern was for the longtime players...and is age everything? What about quality of life? Li

Curious of the age expectancy/health for players who played 7+ years.

 

 

[Davidson Deac II]

48 minutes ago, kungfoodude said:

Yes it is largely BS. The NFL primarily cares about their bottom line. It doesn't matter the issue, whether health, social issue, fairness, player punishments, etc, etc. they always protect their bottom line first and foremost. They have taken COVID seriously enough to allow them to have revenue. 

To pretend that Goodell of all people cares about anything but protecting the league, is pure folly. His record speaks for itself. 

The "spirit" and message of the Op Ed I have no issue with, I have an issue with the person delivering it. It is pure PR and largely disingenuous, at best. 

What would you suggest they do different?

[kungfoodude]

15 minutes ago, Davidson Deac II said:

What would you suggest they do different?

If it were me, I'd go to a place like Hawaii and do a "bubble concept" like the NBA. They could use Aloha Stadium(home of Hawaii University) for games and allow families of the players and coaches to be inside the bubble. 

The obvious pros are that you eliminate interstate travel and exposure risks associated with all 32 teams traveling from state to state. Additionally, you are setting up shop in one of the lowest exposure states that is extremely isolated.

The biggest con is going to be related to expense. Setting up or leasing/renting infrastructure in Hawaii would not be cheap, to say the least. This also shifts about half of the cost of living burden from the players onto the league. Another problem with a "one stadium" set up is that you cannot have games on one day of the week. You would essentially have to spread the football out over the course of the week, almost like a regular season NBA/NHL/MLB. 

You could even do a variation of what the NHL did and have an "East Coast" bubble and a "West Coast" bubble. I think either of those concepts would work(and have worked). 

But, if the season motors on and the instances of COVID infections are extremely low or negligible(no postponements of games or losses to key players), then the NFL ran a tight ship and they did things the right way. 

What I foresee happening is something like the MLB, where outbreaks crop up and teams have to be quarantined for a couple of weeks. It's also something that college football has had to continually deal with during their training camps. This will likely lead to a lot of potential changes with scheduling and lineups. In some way, that could also be a little bit fun from a fan perspective just because of the general level of mayhem and uncertainty of outcome it might create over the course of the season. 

[Davidson Deac II]

3 minutes ago, kungfoodude said:

If it were me, I'd go to a place like Hawaii and do a "bubble concept" like the NBA. They could use Aloha Stadium(home of Hawaii University) for games and allow families of the players and coaches to be inside the bubble. 

The obvious pros are that you eliminate interstate travel and exposure risks associated with all 32 teams traveling from state to state. Additionally, you are setting up shop in one of the lowest exposure states that is extremely isolated.

The biggest con is going to be related to expense. Setting up or leasing/renting infrastructure in Hawaii would not be cheap, to say the least. This also shifts about half of the cost of living burden from the players onto the league. Another problem with a "one stadium" set up is that you cannot have games on one day of the week. You would essentially have to spread the football out over the course of the week, almost like a regular season NBA/NHL/MLB. 

You could even do a variation of what the NHL did and have an "East Coast" bubble and a "West Coast" bubble. I think either of those concepts would work(and have worked). 

But, if the season motors on and the instances of COVID infections are extremely low or negligible(no postponements of games or losses to key players), then the NFL ran a tight ship and they did things the right way. 

What I foresee happening is something like the MLB, where outbreaks crop up and teams have to be quarantined for a couple of weeks. It's also something that college football has had to continually deal with during their training camps. This will likely lead to a lot of potential changes with scheduling and lineups. In some way, that could also be a little bit fun from a fan perspective just because of the general level of mayhem and uncertainty of outcome it might create over the course of the season. 

 

The only change I would make if I were the NFL leaders would be to have no fans regardless of what the individual state mandates are.  Keep it consistent across the board.  

I don't think having the games on a single field, or a couple of fields would work very well.  Football games damage the field to a great extent.  Having two games in day in Hawaii would probably make the field nearly unusable for the next few days.  Any bubble field would probably have to be artificial turf.  As far as the players being in a bubble, I think that is something you could do without having them all in the same bubble.  Considering that NFL teams have their own planes, and charter buses, they can be easily isolated.  Isolating the families is more difficult, but the NFL has little control over that.  

Personally, I don't think there really is a right answer to the circumstances we have now and I don't necessarily have an issue with the way the NFL is handling it so far, but we will see how it goes.  

[kungfoodude]

1 minute ago, Davidson Deac II said:

 

The only change I would make if I were the NFL leaders would be to have no fans regardless of what the individual state mandates are.  Keep it consistent across the board.  

I don't think having the games on a single field, or a couple of fields would work very well.  Football games damage the field to a great extent.  Having two games in day in Hawaii would probably make the field nearly unusable for the next few days.  Any bubble field would probably have to be artificial turf.  As far as the players being in a bubble, I think that is something you could do without having them all in the same bubble.  Considering that NFL teams have their own planes, and charter buses, they can be easily isolated.  Isolating the families is more difficult, but the NFL has little control over that.  

Personally, I don't think there really is a right answer to the circumstances we have now and I don't necessarily have an issue with the way the NFL is handling it so far, but we will see how it goes.  

I agree on the no fans. If they want to keep the risks of delays and/or cancellations down, they need to realize not having fans is the best option. 

I agree that the field, time zones, etc. are all very real problems with any single field or limited field concept. But you have to weigh that against the risks of every potential mode of infection by the constant travel associated with a regular NFL schedule or allowing the players to essentially do whatever they want on their own time. 

You are correct, there isn't really a "right" response, there are multiple ways to approach it with varying degrees of success. We will see how it turns out. 

Also, I did not intend to derail this thread with "bubble" talk. I was just dropping in to give a big "fug YOU" to Roger Goodell.

[NCBlu]

Booooooooooooo