The Swamp

A_B wrote: ↑Tue Jul 28, 2020 11:15 am Six Patriots have opted out. WTF.

Tanking for Lawrence and/or Fields. Orchestrated by Belichick.

(kidding)

(sort of)

Of course, they should absolutely opt out if they want to. I'm not going to say teachers shouldn't go back but NFL players should (ignoring that an NFL veteran is more likely to have the financial stability to opt out and actually make more than pretty much every school teacher in the US anyway). Just strange that six players who will be in a state that really isn't a hot spot have decided not to.

Maybe because the league that hasn't ever given a shit about the health and safety of the players isn't going to give a shit about the health and safety of their current players.

A_B wrote: ↑Tue Jul 28, 2020 11:25 amJust strange that six players who will be in a state that really isn't a hot spot have decided not to.

Yeah, where was Donta Hightower's agent on the whole "does not have to tackle anyone from outside the Northeast" provision?

Ryan wrote: ↑Tue Jul 28, 2020 11:28 am

A_B wrote: ↑Tue Jul 28, 2020 11:25 amJust strange that six players who will be in a state that really isn't a hot spot have decided not to.

Yeah, where was Donta Hightower's agent on the whole "does not have to tackle anyone from outside the Northeast" provision?

Right!??!?!

Guys, I don't think implementing that provision would be feasible.

Guess it's a good time to bring this one back out

Not sure why the NFL isn't looking into some sort of "bubble" with games played at particular stadiums. The newer stadiums have hotels, restaurants, etc. etc. attached. There's no reason to have to play home or away as there are no questions of ticket revenue.

They do get the cap relief though. belichick might have rather the $25mm space anyway.

Good thing a 68-year-old coach wouldn't be putting himself in situations where he could become infected.

Rush2112 wrote: ↑Tue Jul 28, 2020 4:24 pm Not sure why the NFL isn't looking into some sort of "bubble" with games played at particular stadiums. The newer stadiums have hotels, restaurants, etc. etc. attached. There's no reason to have to play home or away as there are no questions of ticket revenue.

How many hubs would you need? Probably couldn't get 13-16 games each week at one location. Seperate AFC and NFC bubbles could work. One game Thursday and Friday night, trippe headers on saturday and sunday. That's 8 games at each stadium for weeks with no byes. Would have to be artificial turf fields. Outdoors preferably for virus safety, but weather postponements could be a headache. Players would have to agree on bubble isolation for however long of a season they have, which I think is a pretty tough ask.

Here's the thing, though... Every other sport has made concessions and condensed play and done other things to address the fact that things are incredibly far from normal.

They scrapped preseason? Big fucking whoop. They could easily condense the schedule, and go to a bubble format with multiple venues if they wanted to. It's like everything else we've been talking (not just sports), putting your head in the sand ISN'T GOING TO WORK.

ETA - I meant to say every other sport except for NFL and MLB.

8 bubble cities, 4 teams each, play a round robin over 3 weeks and then do a bye/travel week to shuffle the teams and bubbles. Don't get greedy, do 12 games of that over 16 weeks and then a playoff bubble. The bye weeks also give flexibility when a team (the Bengals) inevitably fuck up and all get COVID.

Couldn’t they just create two bubbles, one for each conference, and cut the season by one week? Use the early soccer model of one game at a time to ensure full TV coverage and trust people will sit at home and watch all day Thursday-Sunday or whatever with nothing else to do.

One conference would be like 2000 people, right?

Rex wrote: ↑Tue Jul 28, 2020 9:10 pm 8 bubble cities, 4 teams each, play a round robin over 3 weeks and then do a bye/travel week to shuffle the teams and bubbles. Don't get greedy, do 12 games of that over 16 weeks and then a playoff bubble. The bye weeks also give flexibility when a team (the Bengals) inevitably fuck up and all get COVID.

That's still asking 4+ months of isolating from family and society practically to do it proper. That's a crazy ask of players. It looks like the bubble system can work, but as nonlinear said, you'd really have to bite the bullet and just do an 8-10 week season + playoffs.

Ryan wrote: ↑Tue Jul 28, 2020 9:26 pm One conference would be like 2000 people, right?

Probably more, Ryan. Find a hotel with 1,000 rooms, go 4 to a room like my family (who get paid way less than NFL players do) does on vacation and you’re set for a great season of football.

It would be pretty unpatriotic for a hotel not to turn over all of its rooms to the NFL for the entire season.

Rex wrote: ↑Tue Jul 28, 2020 9:48 pm It would be pretty unpatriotic for a hotel not to turn over all of its rooms to the NFL for the entire season.

Jim third amendment!

mister d wrote: ↑Tue Jul 28, 2020 9:37 pm

Ryan wrote: ↑Tue Jul 28, 2020 9:26 pm One conference would be like 2000 people, right?

Probably more, Ryan. Find a hotel with 1,000 rooms, go 4 to a room like my family (who get paid way less than NFL players do) does on vacation and you’re set for a great season of football.

Eat cake bitch.

Come to think of it, couldn't they outfit all of the players with RVs and have them live in the parking lots like on the PGA tour?



That's even family friendly.

Rush2112 wrote: ↑Tue Jul 28, 2020 4:24 pm Not sure why the NFL isn't looking into some sort of "bubble" with games played at particular stadiums. The newer stadiums have hotels, restaurants, etc. etc. attached. There's no reason to have to play home or away as there are no questions of ticket revenue.

I discussed this (I think in the COVID All-Sports thread), but the NFL could never get essential personnel to agree to a bubble. Since there are only 16 games and exponentially more personnel needed for NFL games, it just can't work. Take game officials for example. Baseball and soccer have 4, and there are so many more games, it's a full time job. NFL has maybe 12 on field, then all the guys holding the chains, down markers, the guys holding the balls, the guys with the giant orange mitts to signal TV timeouts... None of them get paid for shit, and they all work full time jobs during the season. [Did you know Ed Hoculi is a named partner in a Phoenix law firm!]. I'd like to know the actual number of staff on an NFL sideline, but it has to be over 200 people for each team.

I know the Jets have at least 4 team doctors, and none of them are full-time doctors for the team, they all run private practices, and I know they won't throw away their practices away. The sheer numbers aren't workable for a bubble situation. I'm sure they could manage with only 10 equipment manager/ball boys for warmups instead of the 20 they currently use. I just can't imagine the NFL will be able to pull off a season. Jets players reported yesterday, and 2 were either COVID positive or exposed and placed on the COVID-list. With 53 players on a roster, there is always going to be a few who violate the curfews and it just takes one of them getting the virus to cause a spread.

One of the first days at my job (officially started 15 years ago today!), I saw this law firm named Jones, Skelton & Hoculi and thought "no way that's him" and sure enough!

Giff wrote: ↑Wed Jul 29, 2020 9:03 am One of the first days at my job (officially started 15 years ago today!), I saw this law firm named Jones, Skelton & Hoculi and thought "no way that's him" and sure enough!

I was making a joke as I must have seen 20 games where the announcers mentioned he is a lawyer in Phoenix. Kind of a throwback to the old "Did you know Jerome Bettis is from Detroit?" joke after the SB game he played in Detroit. I realized it was a stretch and nobody would get my point, but that joke was for me.

They should consider a 8-10 game schedule with an off week in between.. Play in conference only.

That's what I was saying up thread, yes.

College football conferences are doing this. Most of the P5 aren't playing OOC games.

But, per Syb, it doesn't really matter. There's no practical way football can pull this off, IMO.

As a logistician who deploys, I find all of this planning so cute.

It's fun to see (mostly) multimillionaires in an enterprise run by billionaires have trouble figuring out something like this. I know I should have more empathy for being away from family and whatnot, but the fix for everything is $$$$. They just don't want to spend it.

Damien Williams opted out on Wednesday and was ripped by people on the wb, you know the people who live on their couches. Well the reason why he opted out.



Respect to DW and prayers to his mother.

who was ripping Damien Williams' decision to sit out?

I'd be the first person to see and notice that given my, ya know, proximity and stuff, and ... there was nothing of that sort.

Brontoburglar wrote: ↑Fri Jul 31, 2020 2:40 pm who was ripping Damien Williams' decision to sit out?

I'd be the first person to see and notice that given my, ya know, proximity and stuff, and ... there was nothing of that sort.

People on the internet. Come on, Bronto! Simple reading comprehension.

The Sybian wrote: ↑Fri Jul 31, 2020 3:23 pm

Brontoburglar wrote: ↑Fri Jul 31, 2020 2:40 pm who was ripping Damien Williams' decision to sit out?

I'd be the first person to see and notice that given my, ya know, proximity and stuff, and ... there was nothing of that sort.

People on the internet. Come on, Bronto! Simple reading comprehension.

people on the internet are ripping you!!!!!

Oh yeah it was all over the place by the [snide voice]"Andy Bros"[/snide voice]. Onus is on you to prove it wasn't and that the select comments I post are common among all fanbases and not unique to Kansas City.

This is something.. Is he the biggest name to be put on the list?

Man it feels good to watch playoff hockey all day.

psunate77 wrote: ↑Sat Aug 01, 2020 4:06 pm This is something.. Is he the biggest name to be put on the list?

No COVID for Stafford after all.