Tag: virtual offseason

NFLPA tells players to stay away from team facilities over COVID concerns

The players union is recommending a second straight virtual offseason; the Cowboys have had 25 players work out in-person already.

With the number of Americans who have been fully or partially vaccinated against COVID-19 growing daily, it may seem like things are getting back to normal everywhere. But the NFL’s approximately 2,000 players are bracing for yet another virtual offseason over coronavirus concerns.

On Tuesday, the players’ union recommended to players on all 32 teams that they not attend their clubs’ voluntary workouts, scheduled for most to begin on Monday.

As reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the memo sent by NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith and union president JC Tretter paints a picture of league facilities that are actually worse off than they were at this time last year, when skyrocketing virus numbers effectively shut down a large portion of American businesses across all sectors and forced citizens into quarantined lockdowns.

The letter reads, in part:

“As we have made clear throughout bargaining, the COVID status in the country is as perilous as it was at this point last year; a number of players recently tested positive at team facilities; COVID weekly positive rates are as high, if not higher than, at this point last offseason; and NFL players who contracted COVID last season can become infected again.”

Most ominously, the letter goes on to argue that a second straight virtual offseason program “gives us the best chance to completing a full NFL season in 2021.”

Pelissero reported earlier that the Denver Broncos had become the first team to announce that they would boycott their team’s in-person voluntary workouts. The Seattle Seahawks followed suit, as did the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

But the Cowboys actually lead the league in in-person workouts at the facility thus far this offseason, with 25 players having made an appearance at The Star in Frisco, as per a Pelissero source.

 

Quarterback Dak Prescott famously installed a practice field at his house last offseason; several of his Cowboys teammates made appearances and took part in passing drills at the backyard gridiron with The Star off-limits.

Despite precautions, running back Ezekiel Elliott was diagnosed with COVID-19 last June. Backup quarterback Andy Dalton missed time during the season with COVID complications as he recovered from a concussion. Defensive tackle Walter Palmore tested positive during the season, as did a third player as recently as January 1.

News of the union’s recommendation that players stay away from their team facilities comes on the same day that the league informed clubs that Tier 1 and 2 employees “should be expected to be vaccinated unless they have a bona fide medical or religious ground for not doing so.” No vaccine, no admittance to “football only” restricted areas of team facilities and no working in close proximity with players.

That mandate specifically excludes the players themselves, but it drives home the heightened state of watchfulness that the league is operating under just days before offseason programs are set to begin.

The league has already announced expectations that there would be fans in the stands in 2021, but for the second year in a row, there is suddenly some question- at least among the leaders of the players union- as to whether there will be teams on the field.

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NFLPA pushing for an all-virtual offseason again in 2021

The NFL players association is once again pushing for an all-virtual offseason due to the continuing coronavirus pandemic in 2021.

It’s almost time for NFL clubs to begin their offseason programming, and similar to last year due to the coronavirus pandemic, the offseason could be conducted virtually.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero provided the latest update on the union’s stance.

“NFLPA President JC Tretter told players on a call today the union is pushing for an all-virtual offseason – and would urge players to boycott if teams conduct in-person OTAs this spring, per sources,” Pelissero tweeted. “Said Tretter: ‘We’ve been telling them, it’s voluntary and we’re not gonna go.'”

Under the CBA, the only mandatory workout requirement ahead of summer’s training camp is June minicamp, which Pelissero is reporting the union also wants to keep virtual. Some 300 players stand to lose their workout bonuses if they opt to skip the OTAs.

Nothing is yet set in stone and the NFLPA and the owners will continue their talks.

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Cowboys’ McCarthy reflects on Dak, Jaylon, Nolan, Kellen, COVID, and 6-10 finish

The first-year coach recaps the ups and downs of his first year in Dallas, while offering hints about what he expects for the 2021 campaign.

According to the old adage, hindsight is 20/20. But now, after a year that defies explanation, hindsight finally includes 2020. As fourteen NFL teams advance to the postseason to crown a champion of this unlikeliest of seasons, the Dallas Cowboys are left to clean out their lockers and conduct exit interviews as they close up shop.

Head coach Mike McCarthy says he plans to watch this weekend’s playoff games more as a fan “to see who’s playing well” but will spend next week finishing up his coaching duties around The Star. Then, the 57-year-old plans to travel back to Green Bay to spend time with family (and his snowblower) before early preparations for the Cowboys’ 2021 offseason begin in earnest.

On Friday, the one-year anniversary of his introductory press conference as head coach, McCarthy made his final weekly call-in of the season to Dallas radio station 105.3 The Fan. With no more upcoming opponents to scout, no more injury reports to update, no more gameplans to tease, the conversation was a reflective one that looked back on several areas of the 2020 campaign.

Bill O’Brien says Texans are still ‘a virtual team’

Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien says the team is still operating in a virtual setting at least 50% of the time.

The COVID-19 pandemic can’t go on forever. However, some of the innovations from the interminable lock down may become staples of regular life.

The NFL went to a virtual offseason with video conferencing galore in place of actual on-field practices. Even though humanity stands in the doorway between two “normals,” Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien can only look at the moment. He doesn’t know what the future of offseasons will look like; he can only point out how pro football is bending around a pandemic now.

“We’re a virtual team,” O’Brien told reporters on Aug. 6. “We will have a couple more face-to-face type meetings when we’re on a Phase 2 schedule, but we’ll still be Zooming for probably at least 50% of the day. Look, I think a lot of that probably will carry on into the future. I don’t know that, but it seems like that’s the way that it’s going right now.”

O’Brien is not a fan of video conferencing of any kind, not just Zoom. The 51-year-old coach prefers to stand in front of the entire team

“I think that the personal part of it when you’re in front of the team and in the squad room and all of that, that’s a big part of football,” O’Brien said. “But this is what we have to do to make sure that we keep the virus out of our building and out of our team. This is what we’re doing and we’ll see how it goes into the future.”

O’Brien’s strategy to work through the pandemic is to assemble a veteran team that can take care of business on the football field and stay professional outside the white lines, taking precautions not to bring COVID-19 into team facilities. Part of forming cohesion still has to be done in a virtual setting.

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Pete Carroll and his Seahawks made the best of the virtual offseason

Despite the limitations imposed by the coronavirus pandemic, coach Pete Carroll and his Seahawks made the best of the virtual offseason.

The coronavirus pandemic kept most of the nation on lockdown throughout the spring, but that didn’t stop coach Pete Carroll and his Seattle Seahawks from making the most of their virtual offseason.

“We killed it during the offseason in a way I couldn’t envision it going as well as it did,” Carroll told Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar in an exclusive interview. “It went great, and we accomplished a lot, and we’re smarter than we’ve ever been. The transition we make now will be huge. Who would have thought that we could come out of the offseason and say that this was an extraordinary offseason – learning and teaching and concepts, and then all of the social stuff and personal stuff we dealt with has been so challenging, but necessary.”

Via team and positional meetings on Zoom and other video programming, Carroll and his coaching staff did their best to prepare the players for the upcoming season despite being unable to take to the field. Carroll will get the chance to see if all the hard work has paid off when players report for training camp at the end of the month.

“Hopefully, we’re really going to make a turn here that’s extraordinary,” Carroll continued. “There’s so much happening, even though we’ve been sitting at home! It’s just amazing.”

Rookies and other select players are set to arrive at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center a few days before the rest of the roster reports on July 28.

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Cowboys News: Tyron’s final star season? Best and worst of Dallas’ offseason

The NFL extends its virtual off-season program. Which Cowboys will determine the success of this Cowboys team? Lamb on special teams

Around this time every year,  global pandemic or not, the league gets a little quiet. Players and coaches alike plan on those last vacations before training camp is set to kick start in July. The virtual off-season will continue until at least June 26. Some coaches are cutting it early to give the players a little extra time to themselves to relax with their families or get themselves even more ready for the 2020 campaign.

Also right around this time every year, the media across all platforms start to zero in on making their predictions as to who will be in camp. There are plenty of storylines to go around for the Dallas Cowboys as camp nears. Some less noteworthy players will be the ones that determine if 2020 is a success or not. The coaching staff is completely new except for Kellen Moore sticking around. Find out why offensive line coach Joe Philbin might have been the most important hire of them all. All this and plenty more in todays Cowboys news.

Cowboys’ success in 2020 will be determined beyond star players :: ESPN

Typically most would say the success of this year’s Cowboys team is determined by guys like Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott and Amari Cooper. However it’s the under-the-radar guys such as Tyrone Crawford, Jourdan Lewis, Joe Looney and plenty of others to determine how successful this season is.

Could 2020 be Tyron Smith’s Last With the Dallas Cowboys? :: Inside The Star

In what can be considered one of the hottest takes of the day, due to the Corona Virus pandemic, it seems like the Cowboys may be in a position not to bring is as much revenue as in years past. This may force the Cowboys to make some tough decisions as early as 2021.

Three best acquisitions and three biggest losses for the Dallas Cowboys this offseason ::: Blogging The Boys

Two of the three best acquisitions came from the 2020 NFL Draft. The three worst come from two players signing with the highest bidder and one shocking retirement.

Ranking the 10 Biggest Fluke Seasons in NFL History :: Bleacher Report

Believe it or not, the Super Bowl XXX MVP falls on this list of biggest fluke seasons of all time. After Larry Brown made Steelers quarterback Neil O’Donnell look silly in the big game, he was forgotten about rather quickly.

5 Most Intriguing Dallas Cowboys to Watch in 2020 :: Inside The Star

The 2020 Dallas Cowboys have plenty of storylines heading into the next phase of the off-season, but for guys like Cee Dee Lamb, Blake Jarwin, Aldon Smith and a few other highly notable Cowboys, it’s their stories to pay close attention to.

Mailbag: How Many Spots Will CeeDee Play? :: The Mothership

Cee Dee Lamb was drafted at No. 17 overall not just to be the next stud wide receiver. Lamb would be a dangerous threat on special teams as well as Cowboys fans held their breathe on every return.

Cowboys offensive line coach Joe Philbin is quietly one of the best hires this offseason :: Blogging The Boys

NFL games are won and lost up front and for Mike McCarthy’s newly assembled staff, Joe Philbin will lead the charge and coach this offensive line. Philbin is one of five former head coaches to be on the 2020 Cowboys staff.

NFL extends virtual period through June 26 in place of minicamps :: NFL.com

Much like the headline reads, there will be no progress on getting players into the buildings until at least June 26. Players and coaches around the league knew this, but today it was made official.

NFL notifies teams there will be no in-person minicamps in June

The National Football League has now notified teams there will be no in-person minicamps this month due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The National Football League has now taken an important step in protecting its teams, players and staff. On Thursday morning, the NFL notified all 32 clubs there would be no in-person minicamps in June as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

“The NFL has notified teams the virtual period for offseason work will be extended through June 26, but there will be no in-person minicamps this month, per sources,” NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweeted. “Expected, and now official.”

Pelissero also noted that clubs have the option to extend their virtual offseason program for another two weeks, up to the June 26 deadline, or to discontinue after this week.

It has been reported the NFL and the players’ union (NFLPA) are still working together to provide teams with the necessary protocols to safely reopen facilities ahead of training camps, which are still scheduled to begin at the end of July. Many options remain on the table, including shortening the preseason to just two games.

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Bill O’Brien: Texans will be off June 9 for George Floyd’s funeral

Houston Texans coach Bill O’Brien says the team will not meet on June 9 to encourage players and coaches to attend George Floyd’s funeral in Houston.

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Bill O’Brien has more authority in 2020 as the coach and general manager than he ever has in his previous six seasons with the Houston Texans.

The 50-year-old is using his authority for community outreach and healing as he has given the players and coaches June 9 off to attend George Floyd’s funeral in Houston.

“We will not meet on that day, so, we will encourage the guys that are here in Houston to go to the funeral if we’re able to go to that,” O’Brien said.

According to O’Brien, he told Texans players in 2014 that he had their back, and reiterated his support for them in 2017 during the fervor of national anthem protests.

“If they need time to themselves, they can have time to themselves,” said O’Brien. “If they need resources from us to try to begin to heal, we’ve got to help them, we have a lot of resources here to do that, they will get it.”

O’Brien also emphasized that he wants players to communicate about the issues facing society, and to take advantage of the resources the club has available.

If they just need someone to listen — maybe they don’t want to talk to me about it, but we have plenty of people here that they can talk to about it,” said O’Brien.

Chiefs Wire Podcast: 2020 NFL offseason recap

We’re back with an all-new episode of the Chiefs Wire podcast! This time we’re recapping the 2020 NFL offseason for the Chiefs thus far.

We’re back with an all-new episode of the Chiefs Wire podcast! This time we’re recapping the 2020 NFL offseason for the Chiefs thus far.

During this show, Chiefs Wire Managing Editor Charles Goldman shares his thoughts on the NFL’s unique virtual offseason, including the Chiefs draft picks, and Chris Jones’ contract negotiations  Lastly, Ed Easton Jr. joined Talon Graff in the weekly roundtable to discuss the Chiefs’ early expectations heading into training camp.

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McCarthy still coaching Cowboys from home in Green Bay

The new coach is eager to hit the field, but for now, he’s doing the job in Dallas virtually, from within the shadows of Lambeau Field.

Even in the weirdest NFL offseason in living memory, here’s one of the more surreal notions, one that could never have been imagined even just a few short months ago: The head coach of the Dallas Cowboys is doing the job from his home… in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Mike McCarthy, who spent the entire 2019 season bunkered in with his family and strategizing pretend gameplans with a collection of former assistants, was hired and introduced- in person– at the Star in Frisco in January. But the shuttering of team facilities and stay-at-home guidelines in the wake of COVID-19 meant that the man trying to lead the Cowboys to their next Lombardi Trophy would have to start that journey within the shadows of Lambeau Field.

“I have been with my family the whole time, except for maybe the first 10 days of the pandemic,” McCarthy said Wednesday in a conference call with reporters.

While the longtime coach is eager to get back on a field with real football players, his job thus far has involved overseeing preparations rather than actual practices.

“We’ve really just hunkered down and tried to focus on the things we can control,” he went on. “And as a staff, we’re planning for a full training camp and we’re also planning for a training camp in Oxnard, we’re planning for a training camp in Frisco. We spent an enormous amount of time in the planning phase because it is our first camp together.”

But, as is the case with everyone else working from home, that planning phase has relied heavily on virtual meetings and internet technology. And, as has been the case with most, there have been limitations, making it anything but business as usual.

McCarthy has yet to physically stand in front of the entire Cowboys team, and he joked that he doesn’t even have the setup for “90 boxes” on his at-home computer screen. As a coach in his first year with a new team, McCarthy should have gotten a one-week head start in live meetings and practice sessions with his staff and roster under normal circumstances. That bonus time was lost to the virus, but even now, McCarthy is reluctant to say he’s behind schedule, possibly because every coaching staff around the league is suddenly in the same boat.

“You really don’t have a true comparable, the 56-year-old McCarthy said. “But I think it’s obvious to think if we started April 6 like we normally would as a first-year program, we would be in a different spot than we are here today.”

 

The coaching staff started by meeting first with players in small positional groups, with a focus on terminology and overall philosophy. McCarthy has been touching base on a nightly basis with offensive coordinator Kellen Moore to decide how much to throw at the players in the virtual classroom setting. Full offensive and defensive meetings only got underway this week to start putting those individual pieces together into a cohesive system.

To be sure, this 2020 method is not the traditional way of installing a playbook.

“We just kind of flipped some things and the order of how we would normally do them,” McCarthy offered. “It was more done with a focus on productivity, not just the detail but also get the volume of what we want to get done. Because our volume is obviously higher than a normal year because it’s our first year. That’s why we went with that approach.”

A large volume of new Xs and Os, delivered in a compressed timeframe and during highly unusual days where everything is more difficult than it should be. It’s a big ask. McCarthy credits his roster of guys already in Dallas with making it possible.

“I am excited because this is probably going to be the most experienced team that I’ve coached, so we’ll rely on that,” McCarthy said. “I think if we were going to push to one side or the other, we’d definitely push on the side of the volume because of our veteran experience.”

When faced with uncertainty, people with experience tend to prepare themselves for everything… because they know anything can happen.

“This challenge has clearly made everyone- especially myself- take a step back,” the coach went on. “Don’t react as fast as you may have in normal times. I think you’ve really got to trust your instincts, the awareness and your experience in this particular time as far as how we install and initiate the development and growth of our program.”

While the league is moving toward allowing teams to start in-person practicing again, it’s still a game of wait-and-see. So McCarthy’s coaching-from-home stint goes on at least a little while longer. The rest of the world may be sick and tired of self-isolating after two months and change; McCarthy’s been doing it now for almost a year and half.

“I think we’ve all been taught a whole different level of patience,” McCarthy said. “I’m anxious to get back, frankly. My family is probably anxious for me to get back… It’s time, I know, for me to get back. I spend a lot of time looking into a camera and talking. I am ready to get back and get to work in person.”

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