07-08-2020, 01:08 AM
(07-07-2020, 11:23 AM)Wes Mantooth Wrote: I think the logistics of having a season are going to be more difficult than some think. Acknowledging this doesn't have to mean you're subscribing to the theory that Covid-19 = The Black Plague. It doesn't need to be a political discussion either. If you look at how other the leagues, and even other businesses are approaching testing then I think you can safely assume that the NFL will follow a similar suit.
It seems to be commonplace that a posiitive test results in a 14 day quarantine, which is then followed by producing a negative test result before returning to work. Now imagine if you have a player, or two, or three, test positive over a week or so span. These guys are going to be out for a minimum of two weeks, and up to 3 or 4 weeks total. Then imagine another case or two coming a week or so behind these. They'll overlap. And they'll continue to overlap week to week.
Clemson just saw 23 football players test positive a few weeks ago. Imagine what happens if this were to occur in season? What happens if 23 players on The Bengals test positive for Covid-19 in the middle of October? This is a question you have to have an answer for. There has to be some type of contigency plan built into the season if this were to occur. You can't simply say this won't happen. It did happen, just a few weeks ago.
This league will have star players that will be sidelined at some point during the season, due to a positive test. It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when, and who. What does this mean from a competition standpoint? How do you prepare for, or combat this scenario? I don't have that answer, and I don't believe the NFL does either.
Getting further into the sheer logistics of everything, things like travel, it becomes even all the more murky. Let's say NFL Team A has a player or two produce a positive test on Weds. What hurdles will they face when fly out to another city just days later? If you're the Hilton Hotel in Miami, and you've got a team coming in of 100+ employees what protections and safeguards might you look at?
The MLB is already running into testing problems only a few weeks in. They're supposed to be testing every two or so days. But they're already seeing results coming in later than the next scheduled test. One team just had to cancel their practice on Monday because they still haven't received their results from Fri. And keep in mind, their roster is less than half the size of an NFL team. They also have less staff as well.
It's real easy to say "None of these guys are going to die, most will probably be asymptomatic" and use that as a reason that they should or will play. But when you start considering just how difficult this entire process will be I think you'll understand that it just might not be doable.
If MLB and the NBA start up without a hitch then that will tell you everything you need to know. But I think this is going to be a disaster, and both will either not start at all, or shut it down. Everything surrounding this issue right now is a logistical nightmare.
Good post mate, I know the NFL has approached the football leagues over here about the biosecurity measures that have been put in place. An example is all teams fly in and out of venue city on the day of the game, that might not be practical in the NFL as all our flights are a couple of hours. We have also moved teams out of cities with outbreaks and had them play in other states, we actually have a team in our Rugby League competition from another country and have moved them to Australia until the borders reopen.
At one point we had plans to move players into isolation and have them live in hotels in a closed off clean zone, our cases dropped dramatically so we never got to that point. Though one of our sports is primary based in a state with the biggest outbreak and has had to move 9 teams to other parts of the country.
