There is a lot of skepticism out there as to whether the NFL can pull off their 2020 season despite not having a ‘bubble’ like the NBA has. One can imagine how things can easily get derailed. Just look at Major League Baseball, which has already had a couple of team outbreaks. Now think if MLB had about three times as many players to keep track of. That’s the NFL right now.
One luxury the NFL has had is when the first wave of the coronavirus hit, they were just entering their offseason, so they could sit back and watch with some time to figure out how to approach things. Now that camps are here, and players have arrived, they know they must proceed with the utmost caution if they are to keep up hope that the season will happen this year. They aren’t the only ones hoping for that.
“When sports are on, it’s a good feeling to be able to watch something and cheer for somebody,” said Derek Carr over conference call Tuesday. “We understood that we’re going to do our best to be able to play and do all those things, but we got to be as safe as possible.”
That’s the situation the NFL is grappling with. While much of the country is taking the advice of scientists seriously, way too many people are not. People look at the pandemic differently. Some think they can go about their lives unchanged, while others understand the dangers and take precautions to try and stop the spread. But as Carr notes; “Whether you agree with this or don’t agree with that, it doesn’t matter.”
“We have to beat this virus,” Carr continued. “Because we’ve seen what can happen when people get hurt, you know? We’re scrambling to find that position, we’re scrambling to find this one. Trust me. It makes this tough. I don’t mean on myself, I mean on the coaches. We’re trying our best to figure things out. If we can stay healthy, we can crush the virus. We can dominate those things, I’m very excited to be able to go put on display what I think we’re going to be able to do.”
Players across the NFL have opted out for the season, whether because they themselves are high risk, or they have family members who are.
Thus far, three Raiders players have opted out, though none were projected starters. But there are certainly still players, including starters, who view these safety precautions as a matter of life or death.
In mid-July, just ahead of the players reporting for training camp, the NFL Players Association was demanding the NFL put proper safety procedures in place before they did. Not just because they wanted there to be a season, but for the far more important reason that their health and lives and the health and lives of their families are at risk.
“Not only is the NFL putting player safety at risk, but also our loved ones.” said center Rodney Hudson in a July 19th Instagram post, “My wife is immunocompromised and the NFL’s unwillingness to follow the recommendations of the experts will not only jeopardize this season, but also their players and their families’ lives as well. The NFL needs to adjust if we are to play a full season.”
The NFL did adjust, and the Raiders in particular took some serious steps to ensure they had the best shot at keeping their players safe.
We're taking precautions on and off the field. #CrushTheVirus pic.twitter.com/tU9pnnPmpx
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) July 31, 2020
As you can see in the photos, the team has glass partitions in the locker rooms, holds team meetings in which players are sitting outside a window from the coach, most seats in the theatre are left open, and all social distancing protocols are strictly followed. The players even wear armbands that alert them when they are too close to another person.
The quarterbacks aren’t even allowed to be near each other or even hold meetings together.
“We meet separately, everyone is separate,” said offensive coordinator Greg Olson. “We have no meeting room meetings where everyone is in a room together. They stay apart. We’ve joked with Nate Peterman that we may have to put him in a full quarantine sometime once we get going. We’ll see what will happen. That might be the case.”
No team can really afford to lose their quarterback. Injuries happen, of course, and they are often devastating to both the players and the teams. Injuries are also not contagious like a virus. So, there’s even more at stake here.
“I got a pregnant wife,” Derek Carr added. “A lot of these guys have family members that are in high-risk conditions, as do I. There are some family members I won’t be able to see until after the season, you know? And that’s tough. This is a weird situation we’ve never seen before, but we’re trying our best. Every chance I get, I got hand sanitizer, I’m washing my hands, I got my mask on. Whatever they tell us to do, we’re just trying our best at it.
[vertical-gallery id=69794]
[lawrence-newsletter]