The 2020 Season (+ Opt outs)

[Kevin]

Actually, some good news is emerging, although the MSM seems reluctant to share it.

Yeah, positive test results are up. But testing is up exponentially. We’re now testing hundreds of thousands per day now. Obviously, when testing increases a hundredfold, more positives will be discovered. Duh!

But here’s the thing. Covid death rates have been trending down steadily for months now. And isn’t that the relevant issue?

My point? There could be an NFL season once the public wraps their head around the fact that this virus is not dangerous for the non-vulnerable. The solution is for the vulnerable to self quarantine and let the rest of us get back to normal.

Testing is up exponentially if you go back to March when there was very little testing. Since May 1 testing has increased about 35% but at the same time, the rate of infection has increased. The CDC shows the rate of infection nationally increased from 6.5% in early June to 7.6% in mid to late June. States that opened bars and beaches for the summer are driving the increase in infections.

 

[bubbaramfan]

So 2nd pre-season game will be Rams/Chargers. Who will be the home team?

 

[Psycho_X]

So 2nd pre-season game will be Rams/Chargers. Who will be the home team?

lol

View: https://twitter.com/latimesfarmer/status/1278474377734979584?s=21

 

[oldnotdead]

The solution is for the vulnerable to self quarantine and let the rest of us get back to normal.

Your solution would make it impossible for any of the "vulnerable" to ever get back to a "normal" life. You ignore that the previously assumed not vulnerable population has in fact become vulnerable. Infection rates among young people are rising alarmingly. So even if just 1% die isn't that 1% too many? How many deaths are acceptable so others can simply ignore them and go about their lives? The only real solution is a true vaccine. Is it too great of hardship to simply do what we can to mitigate all deaths among the entire population until that vaccine arrives?

Football is a game, it is not worth a single life. My friend Ron paid the price for people who didn't want to live with restrictions. So I guess I see it differently. I don't see it as 99% don't die, I see it as 130,000 deaths and rising.

IMO what will come of this is what I've felt would ultimately happen all along. I think DirectTV will lose it's Sunday ticket and games will become pay per view. Unfortunately, I think it will be too expensive for the low-income population and if so, they will lose their standing among fans. PSLs are an abomination making people pay twice to attend. But the people that thought that up don't care. That same greed will drive the cost of any pay per view beyond the cost of the average Joe. Don't believe me? Attendance since the arrival of the PSL has steadily decreased. That is the reason the blackouts were suspended. They needed to raise viewership to justify TV revenue increases.

The Chargers are going to miss their contribution to pay the construction costs by almost 60% this year. They also will have $30M or so in NFL relocation fees due this year. According to estimates, the Chargers were netting $65M/yr average in San Diego. Those estimates put their net last season at about $48M. Technically the franchise is already insolvent. This will affect Kroenke as he then inherits the Charger deficit. This is why any pay per view will not be cheap for Rams games.

Just follow the rule of thumb with the NFL. "What would a greedy old man do?"

 

[SteezyEndo]

The 2020 season....

 

[snackdaddy]

feel like 90, but unfortunately look closer to 60, drat
train

At seventy its hard to pee

At eighty its hard to take a crap

At 90 your able to do both by 9:00 AM. But you don't wake up till 10:00.

 

[SteezyEndo]

At seventy its hard to pee

At eighty its hard to take a crap

At 90 your able to do both by 9:00 AM. But you don't wake up till 10:00.

This is the reality I do not want to experience quite yet. My mentality is keep striving. There are remedies galore out there that may help you.

 

[CGI_Ram]

lol

View: https://twitter.com/latimesfarmer/status/1278474377734979584?s=21

Kroenke be like...

 

[bluecoconuts]

lol

View: https://twitter.com/latimesfarmer/status/1278474377734979584?s=21

Officially it can be whatever the hell they want, the fans better be ours, if they’re allowed it.

Any “away” game against the Chargers that isn’t packed like an additional home game for the Rams, no excuses. Tickets will probably be cheaper.

 

[Rams43]

Your solution would make it impossible for any of the "vulnerable" to ever get back to a "normal" life. You ignore that the previously assumed not vulnerable population has in fact become vulnerable. Infection rates among young people are rising alarmingly. So even if just 1% die isn't that 1% too many? How many deaths are acceptable so others can simply ignore them and go about their lives? The only real solution is a true vaccine. Is it too great of hardship to simply do what we can to mitigate all deaths among the entire population until that vaccine arrives?

Football is a game, it is not worth a single life. My friend Ron paid the price for people who didn't want to live with restrictions. So I guess I see it differently. I don't see it as 99% don't die, I see it as 130,000 deaths and rising.

IMO what will come of this is what I've felt would ultimately happen all along. I think DirectTV will lose it's Sunday ticket and games will become pay per view. Unfortunately, I think it will be too expensive for the low-income population and if so, they will lose their standing among fans. PSLs are an abomination making people pay twice to attend. But the people that thought that up don't care. That same greed will drive the cost of any pay per view beyond the cost of the average Joe. Don't believe me? Attendance since the arrival of the PSL has steadily decreased. That is the reason the blackouts were suspended. They needed to raise viewership to justify TV revenue increases.

The Chargers are going to miss their contribution to pay the construction costs by almost 60% this year. They also will have $30M or so in NFL relocation fees due this year. According to estimates, the Chargers were netting $65M/yr average in San Diego. Those estimates put their net last season at about $48M. Technically the franchise is already insolvent. This will affect Kroenke as he then inherits the Charger deficit. This is why any pay per view will not be cheap for Rams games.

Just follow the rule of thumb with the NFL. "What would a greedy old man do?"

Where to start?

Guess I’ll take them in order.

1. The ‘vulnerable’ are gonna be vulnerable regardless of what the non vulnerable do or don’t do. IOW, keeping the rest of us quarantined forever doesn’t do a damned bit of good for the vulnerable. One of my daughters-in-law suffers from severe asthma, so she is definitely vulnerable and is self quarantining indefinitely. But the rest of the family still gathers for birthdays and Fathers day, etc. The world still keeps on turning.

2. How many deaths are ‘acceptable’? Seriously? How many businesses destroyed, how many unemployed (once counted at 45million plus), suicides due to depression, patients not getting needed testing and treatments due to irrational fear of a doctor visit, etc are ‘acceptable’ to you in an impossible pursuit of zero virus deaths?

3. Very sorry about your friend Ron. But I have a personal anecdotal experience to share, as well. Out of approx 100 of my combined friends and extended family there have been zero that have been tested positive, much less hospitalized or died from this virus. However. There have been around 10 or so that have been financially damaged, a few tremendously so. Gonna take them years to get caught up and some will just lose their jobs and businesses forever.

4. Yeah, positives for the virus are up, but so is testing (now 300,000 to 500,000 per day). So we shouldn’t be surprised when more people are found positive. Hell, half of them didn’t even know they had the virus. Meanwhile, virus deaths have been trending down steadily since mid-April. My point? We are overreacting to this virus situation Big Time. The tail has been wagging the dog, IMO.

5. I couldn’t care less about the fate of the Chargers or DirectTV, frankly. Let them both fend for themselves. Sorry.

 

[PhillyRam]

Testing is up exponentially if you go back to March when there was very little testing. Since May 1 testing has increased about 35% but at the same time, the rate of infection has increased. The CDC shows the rate of infection nationally increased from 6.5% in early June to 7.6% in mid to late June. States that opened bars and beaches for the summer are driving the increase in infections.

I would think 3 wks of large gatherings in the streets, starting May 30th, may have had an impact in what we are now seeing. Not getting political, but that has to be a factor.

 

[Kevin]

I would think 3 wks of large gatherings in the streets, starting May 30th, may have had an impact in what we are now seeing. Not getting political, but that has to be a factor.

Yes, that too. And campaign rallies in closed buildings.

 

[snackdaddy]

This is the reality I do not want to experience quite yet. My mentality is keep striving. There are remedies galore out there that may help you.

 

[CGI_Ram]

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Packers CEO Mark Murphy: Practice-squad expansion likely

A report late last month indicated the NFL was considering increasing practice-squad sizes from 12 to 16 players. Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy confirmed these discussions are ongoing.

During a Q&A column on the Packers' website, Murphy said talks regarding P-squad expansion are absolutely taking place with the NFLPA. Murphy expects practice squads to be expanded for this season, as the NFL attempts to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.

Murphy also confirmed the NFL-NFLPA talks have included changing the eligibility requirements for the practice squad. The new CBA not only expanded P-squads from 10 to 12 players, but it also opened the door for more experienced players to stay on those squads. After the new CBA’s ratification, two players on teams’ 12-man practice squads can be veterans with any number of accrued seasons. That marked a change from the 2011 CBA. Murphy indicated discussions have taken place regarding making more veterans eligible for P-squads.

This would make sense for 2020, with rookies facing uphill battles due to the virtual offseason and the two-game (maximum) preseason slate. Enabling more vets to stay on taxi squads would stand to help teams as they navigate the coronavirus. Nothing official has emerged on a possible COVID-19 injured list, but with expanded practice squads in play, it seems like that such a roster designation would be on the table.

 

[CGI_Ram]

View: https://twitter.com/kare11/status/1281090707361607680?s=21

 

[CGI_Ram]

NFL, NFLPA discussing plan for potential player opt-outs in 2020

Among the lingering questions ahead of an unprecedented season in 2020, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reports that the NFL and NFLPA are discussing a plan for potential players who want to opt out of this upcoming season amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

www.nfl.com

NFL, NFLPA discussing plan for potential player opt-outs in 2020

With veterans expected to report to training camps in 20 days, the NFL and NFL Players Association have a host of issues to continue to sort out before players return.

Among the questions lingering in the air amid the COVID-19 pandemic is the potential for players opting out of participating in 2020.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported Wednesday on NFL NOW that the league and union anticipate player opt-outs would be available, but would need to be communicated by a certain date.

"My understanding is both the union and the league intend to have an opt-out for players who have either a pre-existing condition, family (members) with pre-existing conditions, just general concerns over COVID-19, would not want to play this season," Pelissero said. "General managers were told on a call earlier this week there would be a specific date by which players would need to opt-out. That date is still to be determined."

We've seen players in the MLB and NBA opt to sit out as their respective sports return to play. It's unclear how many NFL players would consider sitting an entire season. Several veterans, including the McCourty twins in New England and Stefon Diggs in Buffalo, recently have voiced concerns about playing amid the pandemic.

With any potential opt-outs comes the question of how that would affect a player's contract.

Pelissero reported that possible tolling of contracts of players who opt out is still to be determined and is something that would need to be agreed to prior to the start of training camp.

 

[CGI_Ram]

With multiple big issues pending, NFL and NFLPA to negotiate again Monday

The clock keeps ticking toward the start of training camp, if it's indeed going to start on July 28.

profootballtalk.nbcsports.com

With multiple big issues pending, NFL and NFLPA to negotiate again Monday

The clock keeps ticking toward the start of training camp, if it’s indeed going to start on July 28. Aiding that process would be an agreement between the NFL and the NFL Players Association on all remaining issues. There are several.

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the significant sticking points are listed below.

1. Testing: The NFLPA wants daily testing. The NFL continues to resist that approach. The source says that daily testing is a “big, big issue.”

2. Acclimation period: The NFLPA wants to gradually phase players in physically, given that there was no offseason program and limited opportunities for players to work out as they normally would. In 2011, when there was no offseason program due to the lockout, injuries spiked by 25 percent.

3. Preseason: The players want none, the NFL wants two. The players believe any preseason games present an enhanced physical risk by limiting the ability to gradually get players in shape. Preseason games also entail added risk of an outbreak that could derail the season, with limited financial gain given that no fans will be present for the game.

4. Emergency protocols: The two sides need to work out procedures that would be utilized in the event of an outbreak.

5. Opt outs: The rules regarding when and how a player would choose to not play this season remain unresolved.

6. Economics: The league has raised the idea of givebacks or escrow payments in order to defray expected financial losses. The players have not been receptive to any such reductions or limitations, given that if anything they have enhanced risk in 2020.

The league and the union are schedule to convene another bargaining session on Monday, with the goal of getting a final resolution by Wednesday or Thursday. Otherwise, the launch of training camp as scheduled will be in jeopardy.

 

[CGI_Ram]

We sort of lock in on the players.... What if the HC had to go into quarantine? Or a key play caller?

So many contingencies to plan for.

 

[iamme33]

. The ‘vulnerable’ are gonna be vulnerable regardless of what the non vulnerable do or don’t do. IOW, keeping the rest of us quarantined forever doesn’t do a damned bit of good for the vulnerable. One of my daughters-in-law suffers from severe asthma, so she is definitely vulnerable and is self quarantining indefinitely. But the rest of the family still gathers for birthdays and Fathers day, etc. The world still keeps on turning.

i don't know much about this virus but italy had about as bad an outbreak as any country. they locked the hole country down and kept it down until it was under control. now they have control of it. if we were to do the same we could probably have a football season and the vulnerable would not have to self quarantine indefinitely.

 

[oldnotdead]

IMO herd immunity is a myth. This virus is mutating too quickly. It's beginning to show up as blot clots in other organs such as the kidneys not just the lungs. A blood clot in the brain is a stroke, in the heart, it is a myocardial infarction (heart attack). You need something that attacks the virus directly precluding its ability to attack other organs. That means a vaccine is really the only option. So the choice is to contain with protective measures until a vaccine is available or to simply give up and say who cares how many die as long as I'm not one of them until a vaccine is available.

I simply don't get it. On the battlefield, I saw guys with horribly mutilated bodies fight desperately to live. But now I'm witnessing hundreds of thousands who apparently feel they won't be one of them and simply stop caring. This virus is as deadly as a bullet and the over 130,000 already dead is mute testimony to it. Soldiers wear protective gear in combat. People here think a simple mask weighing maybe an ounce or two is too much?

The way this virus is mutating it doesn't have to kill you because it can leave you permanently damaged for the rest of your life. Yeah you should be scared because the danger is real. Have you seen someone with brain damage due to a stroke? Or living with needing dialysis every few days? I have and it's no joke.

How real is the danger? The guy across the street recently deployed to Afganistan and he asked my nephew to watch out for his wife and two kids because he's more afraid for their safety more than his own. My nephew said he would run all their errands including shopping so his wife and kids can stay home. That's how real the danger is.