Will the 2020 season prove to be a compliance meritocracy, or a crap-shoot?

[AvengerRam]

For the first 2-3 weeks of the season, the NFL seemed to have kept COVID-19 at bay.

Now, its starting to impact things. Players shelved, games postponed, and outcomes (arguably impacted).

The question is, will the last team standing be the one that keeps its personnel in compliance with safety guidelines (there are reports, for example, that Titans players broke protocol, leading to an outbreak), or is it all just one big crap-shoot?

If there is a degree of control that teams have over this problem, I feel pretty good about our Rams' chances (knock on wood). I think that, under Sean McVay, we have a pretty cohesive unit, and a lot of high character guys and veteran leaders.

It may even be a blessing in disguise that one of the team's most prominent leaders - Andrew Whitworth - has experienced COVID (he and his family contracted it this Summer). He can, from first hand experience, use his influence to get the message across that this think is real and there can be no exceptions to the rules of prevention.

Hang on folks... its going to be a bumpy ride.

 

[FrantikRam]

For me, COVID is no different than anything else the NFL has had to deal with.

Why was Ramsey an issue in Jacksonville, but not here? Coaching.

Why do the Niners have a billion injured players every year, when other teams don't? (Strength and conditioning) coaching.

Why will some players follow the protocols and others won't? Coaching.

Why do some players play above or to their potential while others don't? Coaching.

It all comes back to leadership. COVID was always going to come into play, but that goes for any business. It's just another thing that the teams have to manage. People talking about putting an asterisk on this season are driving me insane: do the Eagles care that if both teams were healthy the Niners probably beat them by 30? Nope, they got the win.

I'm not trying to belittle the seriousness of the virus, but businesses have to adapt and move on and if the players of the Titans really were that stupid, they deserve whatever punishment is coming their way.

 

[Flint]

Crapshoot, all it takes is 1 or 2 people who contact the wrong people and there you go and if anyone feels invulnerable it’s professional athletes. If a bunch of intelligent politicians got together and inadvertently caused an event it’s not that surprising that an athlete would do something dumb.

 

[Ramhusker]

For me, COVID is no different than anything else the NFL has had to deal with.

Why was Ramsey an issue in Jacksonville, but not here? Coaching.

Why do the Niners have a billion injured players every year, when other teams don't? (Strength and conditioning) coaching.

Why will some players follow the protocols and others won't? Coaching.

Why do some players play above or to their potential while others don't? Coaching.

It all comes back to leadership. COVID was always going to come into play, but that goes for any business. It's just another thing that the teams have to manage. People talking about putting an asterisk on this season are driving me insane: do the Eagles care that if both teams were healthy the Niners probably beat them by 30? Nope, they got the win.

I'm not trying to belittle the seriousness of the virus, but businesses have to adapt and move on and if the players of the Titans really were that stupid, they deserve whatever punishment is coming their way.

Agree for the most part but no amount of good coaching can overcome a player that just doesn’t get it ( Aka Lawrence Philips). And it only takes one guy to screw the pooch with this deal. You definitely need to run a military style tight ship right now. Everybody has to be on board.