2021 NFL Season

[Herdfan]

Welp, that was apparently the last straw.

As if the team’s poor record weren’t enough. He was probably gonna get fired at season’s end, but now I’m thinking he might not make it even that far.

You called it. I figured he would make it to the end.

 

[Herdfan]

That was what they said at the beginning of the season.

Was watching PTI last night and they addressed this. The NBA and NHL have options. They can play back-to-back games, they can extend the season since The Finals or Stanley Cup take place at home arenas.

The NFL can't do that. Players can barely make a Thursday game after a Sunday game. Plus the NFL has the mentality of "next man up" as players are always getting hurt and the next one has to step up. COVID is really no different to a team than injuries.

That said, the NFL does have a week between the Conference Championships and the SB, so they could do something. But I doubt they will.

 

[Herdfan]

Sad.

Late NFL WR Jackson found to have Stage 2 CTE

Former NFL WR Vincent Jackson, who was found dead in a Florida hotel room earlier this year at the age of 38, was found to have Stage 2 chronic traumatic encephalopathy.

www.espn.com

I think the players have gotten too big, too fast and too strong to be able to play the game safely. Yeah, we would get our bell rung on occasion, but these players hit so hard on every play. I think I would rather take a 95 mph fastball to the ribs than be hit by an NFL linebacker.

 

[Thomas Veil]

...The NFL can't do that. Players can barely make a Thursday game after a Sunday game. Plus the NFL has the mentality of "next man up" as players are always getting hurt and the next one has to step up. COVID is really no different to a team than injuries.

That said, the NFL does have a week between the Conference Championships and the SB, so they could do something. But I doubt they will.

They do have that week. And last year they managed to postpone quite a few games. It's even become a joke in our house--we miss Monday Night Football, Tuesday Night Football, Wednesday Night Football.....

I realize not everything's the same this year. Last year we had no vaccines. But this year, thanks to Omicron, the damn disease is spreading as rapidly as it did last year.

My own team, the Browns, are playing Saturday and both quarterbacks are on the Covid list. They're down to Nick Mullens, who I believe is coming off the practice squad. Literally a third of the squad is not going to be able to play, and God knows who else will be out by Saturday.

 

[SuperMatt]

Rex Ryan, Toe Expert

 

[Herdfan]

My own team, the Browns, are playing Saturday and both quarterbacks are on the Covid list. They're down to Nick Mullens, who I believe is coming off the practice squad. Literally a third of the squad is not going to be able to play, and God knows who else will be out by Saturday.

Yeah, they would have had a good chance with Keenum as he is probably a Top 5 backup. May even be better than some starters. And Mullens has started some games so it's not like they are trotting out some rookie. But it kind of reminds of when Denver had their WR taking snaps last year.

And thoughts and prayers for Chargers TE Donald Parham who was taken off the field on a stretcher. Looked like a routine play. He must have hit his head a lot harder than it looked.

 

[Thomas Veil]

God, that looked awful. Especially the way his hands were twitching.

They’re still saying he’s in stable condition, and I know they've done imaging on him, but I guess it's too soon for them to say anything. Thoughts and prayers indeed.

 

[Herdfan]

That was what they said at the beginning of the season.

Of course that was before Omicron became so damned infectious. Articles I'm reading say they may revisit the issue of postponement. The alternative is either a game with a hollowed-out team, or forfeiture, things which I'm sure teams will cry bloody murder about.

You called it again.

Raiders-Browns shifts to Mon.; 2 games on Tue.

The Raiders-Browns game scheduled for Saturday is moving to Monday, while the Seahawks-Rams and Washington-Eagles games have been moved to Tuesday after being scheduled for Sunday.

www.espn.com

So your Browns are playing on Monday against what looks like is going to be a pissed off Raiders team. Seems Raider's owner Marc Davis wasn't pleased about this move.

Plus two more games on Tuesday.

 

[Alli]

Someone explain to me why teams aren’t being forced to forfeit games they can’t play when enough of their players have Covid that they can’t play? Why all the rearranging?

 

[SuperMatt]

Someone explain to me why teams aren’t being forced to forfeit games they can’t play when enough of their players have Covid that they can’t play? Why all the rearranging?

Good question - I believe the Tennessee Titans should have been required to forfeit a couple games last season. Their refusal to follow protocol led to games being rescheduled, and they benefitted from extra rest while other teams had to double up. It contributed to their making the playoffs.

The NFL owners are a bunch of Trumpers though; they aren’t going to truly punish anybody for not getting vaxxed.

 

[Thomas Veil]

Someone explain to me why teams aren’t being forced to forfeit games they can’t play when enough of their players have Covid that they can’t play? Why all the rearranging?

This may or may not be true, but I heard some sports talk guys on the radio saying that if the team forfeits a game, the players don't get paid for that game, which would save (the Raiders') Davis some money if true.

Then again, consider it from the NFL's perspective. If the games are forfeited, well...no advertisements run during a game that isn't played, right? So there's a loss of revenue there. Not to mention the team itself would have to refund the fans for any tickets bought for that game.

On the other hand, if they play the game but don't move it, and one team fields a severely depleted team, it would be like charging fans full price to see what amounts to a preseason game...and fans hate that already!

Also, how do you calculate where someone should rank in the division when some teams have forfeited games? By percentage? Instead of using W/L records and tiebreakers, since you haven't all played the same number of games, you'd be looking at something like "this team has a .677 record and that one has a .650 record". Or do you simply count the forfeited games as a big goose egg, a loss? If you wanna piss off team owners, coaches and fans, just try it.

Good question - I believe the Tennessee Titans should have been required to forfeit a couple games last season. Their refusal to follow protocol led to games being rescheduled, and they benefitted from extra rest while other teams had to double up. It contributed to their making the playoffs.

The NFL owners are a bunch of Trumpers though; they aren’t going to truly punish anybody for not getting vaxxed.

I don't know how many players aren't vaxxed. I'm sure some aren't, like good old Aaron. But I know almost all of the Browns are. Some may not have gotten their boosters yet, and the problem is that this Omicron plague has taken everybody by surprise with how fast it's spreading. I don't know how many teams (or the NFL) have protocols in place that say you must have your two shots and your booster.

Then there's the fact that the booster takes a little time to come up to full strength. And even then quite a few people with all three shots still tested positive. Many don't have symptoms or have mild ones, but as long as they test positive they are considered contagious. I know some of the Browns feel just fine but aren't being allowed on the field until they get their requisite two negative tests within 24 hours.

This disease is a royal pain in the ass.

I do note the Browns' rescheduled game starts Monday at 5. Sounds a little random until you consider that makes it a nice double-header with Monday Night Football. The NFL sure knows how to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

 

[SuperMatt]

This may or may not be true, but I heard some sports talk guys on the radio saying that if the team forfeits a game, the players don't get paid for that game, which would save (the Raiders') Davis some money if true.

Then again, consider it from the NFL's perspective. If the games are forfeited, well...no advertisements run during a game that isn't played, right? So there's a loss of revenue there. Not to mention the team itself would have to refund the fans for any tickets bought for that game.

On the other hand, if they play the game but don't move it, and one team fields a severely depleted team, it would be like charging fans full price to see what amounts to a preseason game...and fans hate that already!

Also, how do you calculate where someone should rank in the division when some teams have forfeited games? By percentage? Instead of using W/L records and tiebreakers, since you haven't all played the same number of games, you'd be looking at something like "this team has a .677 record and that one has a .650 record". Or do you simply count the forfeited games as a big goose egg, a loss? If you wanna piss off team owners, coaches and fans, just try it.


I don't know how many players aren't vaxxed. I'm sure some aren't, like good old Aaron. But I know almost all of the Browns are. Some may not have gotten their boosters yet, and the problem is that this Omicron plague has taken everybody by surprise with how fast it's spreading. I don't know how many teams (or the NFL) have protocols in place that say you must have your two shots and your booster.

Then there's the fact that the booster takes a little time to come up to full strength. And even then quite a few people with all three shots still tested positive. Many don't have symptoms or have mild ones, but as long as they test positive they are considered contagious. I know some of the Browns feel just fine but aren't being allowed on the field until they get their requisite two negative tests within 24 hours.

This disease is a royal pain in the ass.

I do note the Browns' rescheduled game starts Monday at 5. Sounds a little random until you consider that makes it a nice double-header with Monday Night Football. The NFL sure knows how to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

I do think the 2021-22 season problems are breakthrough infections mostly. Vaccination rates are near 100% for the NFL. But in many NFL cities, those rates are much lower, so the disease can get into the bodies of the infected players from the surrounding community. Good news for the players is that the disease is highly unlikely to give them debilitating symptoms since they are vaccinated.

Last season though... that was some BS, with players refusing to mask up and follow other protocols, Titans being the worst example, and then basically getting rewarded for it.

 

[Thomas Veil]

Some expert perspective:

So in a time of widely available vaccines and booster shots, would it be safe for sports leagues to allow vaccinated, asymptomatic players who test positive for the coronavirus to play in games?

That day may come, public health experts say, with improved testing capability allowing players to safely return to play sooner, but it is not here yet.

“This is exactly what the virus would like us to do,” Stanford professor of global health and infectious diseases Yvonne Maldonado said. “Let’s get a whole bunch of people together who are about as close together physically as you can get and release an asymptomatic individual with lots of virus in their nose and mouth. If you want to infect a whole bunch of people, that’s the best way to do it.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/12/16/nfl-covid-rules-positive-tests/

 

[SuperMatt]

Bruce Arians:

2020: We will never hire Antonio Brown
Earlier 2021: He screws up once and he is gone

After the fake vaccine card incident, AB is suspended 3 games... but now that some other Tampa receivers got hurt… all that doesn’t matter. And Arians says he doesn’t give a about what anybody thinks. Well, he doesn’t care about personal integrity, that’s for sure. Gotta love it when some coach or player makes a garbage decision like this and then acts indignant, as if it’s everybody else who has the problem… I hope the Bucs lose all the rest of their games.

Antonio Brown is back, and Bruce Arians doesn't 'give a s***' what you think about it

Arians failed to live up to his vow to cut Brown if he "screws up." His explanation why on Monday was a blunt assessment of the business of football.

sports.yahoo.com

 

[Herdfan]

I hope the Bucs lose all the rest of their games.

As do I, but for a different reason. Brady, for being the GOAT, is a whiny baby. When things don't go well for him, he whines and cries and blames everyone else.

You never saw Jeter or Gretzky or Jordan do that.

In regards to AB, in a league where winning is everything you can't be surprised.

 

[Alli]

As do I, but for a different reason. Brady, for being the GOAT, is a whiny baby. When things don't go well for him, he whines and cries and blames everyone else.

This! I can’t stand him.

It was great to see him sacked so many times Sunday night.

 

[rdrr]

As do I, but for a different reason. Brady, for being the GOAT, is a whiny baby. When things don't go well for him, he whines and cries and blames everyone else.

You never saw Jeter or Gretzky or Jordan do that.

In regards to AB, in a league where winning is everything you can't be surprised.

You can't compare a NFL QB with other players in different sports (especially Baseball ). Most of the QBs in the NFL whine or look for a flag if the defense even breaths on them. Thats part of today's NFL.

No everyone is tired of TB (the greatest quarterback who ever played the position ), because he has won so much and all they have to cheer on is Matt Ryan or Jared Goff. Don't believe me? I guarantee you everyone in Tampa FL hated seeing Tom win his 6th with the Patriots, and now loves him especially when he won his 7th .

 

[Thomas Veil]

LOL @ Rams-Seahawks game. It’s like I’m watching “The Replacements”. Flag gets thrown, referee comes out to announce the penalty…

“Run—“ and he stops when he realizes he’s facing the wrong way with his back to the TV cameras, executes a quick spin and continues, “Running into the kicker, receiving team…”

 

[Herdfan]

LOL @ Rams-Seahawks game.

I missed this game. I just assumed since it was a west coast game, it would start at 7 there so I would have games all evening. Nope. And for some reason it wasn't on Sunday Ticket, so I couldn't watch it. At least the WFT/Eagles game was competitive through the 3rd.

 

[SuperMatt]

Big game for Buffalo today. If they beat the Patriots, they can control their fate and have a chance to win the division. If not, it’s questionable if they will make the playoffs.