Implementing and following the new NFL’s COVID-19 policies isn’t easy, but the Houston Texans have diligently followed them to the best of their abilities.
Peter King from NBC Sports took readers through a day in the life of the Texans now that the NFL has implemented COVID-19 policies to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Each day of training camp starts at 4:30 a.m. in the guest bedroom of Texans infection control officer Geoff Kaplan, who sleeps there to prevent possible spread of the disease in his own home. Kaplan awaits an email from BioReference Labs, the league’s testing lab, about the status of 180 Texans players, coaches, and staff. Are they free of COVID-19?
Coach and general manager Bill O’Brien arrives to NRG Stadium by 5:15 a.m. every day to undergo COVID-19 screening. Of course, it begins at 4:00 a.m. when he fills out a 17-answer questionnaire about his health over the past 48 hours. Along with his screening at the stadium, which includes the uncomfortable nasal swab test, O’Brien needs a confirmation email generated from the questionnaire to get into the building.
The 51-year-old’s day doesn’t end until 9:30 p.m. Every day is a long day of getting ready for the regular season while constantly having the effects of a pandemic in the back of your head.
The club takes a unique Texans approach to the policies. For instance, in how the position groups are broken up for testing, there’s green for rookies and first-year players, silver for defensive players who play special teams, Liberty White for veteran quarterbacks, non-special teams, and veterans of six-plus years, Battle Red for offensive players who play special teams, and then Deep Steel Blue for offensive and defensive linemen.
Defensive end J.J. Watt likes the new version of training camp that combines team facility work with also recuperating at home in one’s own environment.
“I mean, if I’m being perfectly honest, it’s somewhat nice from an actual football standpoint,” Watt told King. “Think about a normal training-camp day: You’re in the building from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. And you got a whole bunch of meetings. Now, we are very efficient in our meetings. We get things done.
“Nobody’s screwing around. Everybody’s locked in. It’s just really been good with our Zoom meetings. Just purely being in the comfort of your home doing your Zoom meetings, and not having to rush into the stadium early in the morning. It is a nice feature.”
As of Aug. 9, the Texans did not have any players who tested positive for COVID-19. Houston hopes that streak continues well beyond their Week 1 opener at the Kansas City Chiefs.
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