SirAndrew

Moulds Allen Lynch Singletary Owens

I think some of us are consistent though. I’m in the stop complaining or stay home (not just play football) camp, but I’ve been tired of Aaron Rodgers attention seeking nonsense for years. This dude is just full of tabloid drama, I’ve never seen anything like it from an NFL QB. I also get the feeling he enjoys every second of it.

I respect your opinion, and completely understand most of it. I just don’t understand how some people finding players making statements about “having families” coming across as a bit prima donna is a selfish statement. They would be taking a risk, you are correct, but it’s a risk they can choose not to take. This isn’t conscription, no one is being forced to go to battle. I’m fine with a guy choosing to sit out, so I don’t see my opinion as being selfish. A selfish opinion would be criticizing someone for not playing. I just don’t get the social media posts reminding us they have families. They aren’t the only people with an employer asking them to work. It seems like some guys want to sit out, and get a full paycheck. That’s generally not how it works, but everyone has the choice to stay home. There has been a trend long before Covid where players positioned themselves as being victims of some evil system. Personally, it’s never been something I’ve agreed with.

Or he can just go to work, see his kid, and take that chance like most do. You know, like the person that bags the elite athletes groceries at the store, or the nurse that takes care of them when they get carted off the field. I have no problem with anyone sitting out the season, that’s their choice. I would never criticize a guy for doing that. It’s just the public grandstanding that gets a bit old with these guys. I’m not sure where they are expecting to find sympathy. You are absolutely correct, he has three options: sit out, hire a nanny, or just go home to his family after games. It’s quite simple, and it seems like some players are hoping to persuade the league to call off the season, but still get full pay. I think that’s ultimately what some of these public statements are hoping to accomplish.

Yeah, I don’t want to sound like I’m writing off the Titans. Tannehill deserves credit for last season. They just seem like the type of team that needs a lot to go right to maintain their success. Henry needs to remain elite, and Tannehill needs to keep showing this new and improved version of himself. I don’t fully trust the Tannehill of old won’t return and/or Henry won’t continue to play at such an elite level.

I agree, it’s just the idea of a heavy investment in a long term contract on a team led by Ryan Tannehill that would frighten me. Tannehill played well in his role as a game manager who made plays when they needed him. His numbers didn’t need to be great with a player like Henry carrying the team. Tannehill’s most important attribute was his ability to not make mistakes. I’m not convinced that he can repeat that success again, without the mistake prone Tannehill of the past reappearing. If Tannehill continues leaning on Henry, but starts making mistakes, that team declines in a hurry. I absolutely agree with you, they had to extend Henry, but I don’t count on the Titans being a contender in the future.

I can’t criticize the move, but I’m in the never pay a RB big money camp myself. I’m sure the Titans have more faith in themselves as a franchise than I do. I don’t see them repeating their success from last season anytime soon, and they might want to start spending in other areas if they do falter. He certainly doesn’t shy away from contact, and those type of players longevity always scares me. I think he can repeat last years success, but he’s the type of back I could see declining quickly. If they get at least two more elite seasons, I’d call it a win for the team.

Yep, I think we all understand the business aspect, but that doesn’t make the reality any better. We’re going to see lots of business/companies go under, and Covid will get blamed for it. Covid already has destroyed many businesses (particularly small business), but many of the larger ones who fall apart were already struggling prior to Covid. Covid is basically the nail in the coffin for many American businesses/corporations who would have been able to survive a few more years without it. New Era seemed to have issues before Covid ever became a thing.

I could play devils advocate, and say anyone genuinely worried about brain damage wouldn’t watch/support the league.

You seem very well informed on testing, so I thought you might be able to answer this. I’m curious as to why saliva testing hasn’t become more common ? I’ve witnessed poor technique, and lack of patient cooperation to be a HUGE problem with the nasopharyngeal sample. It confuses me as to why we aren’t trying harder to find something that’s a little more fool proof. I’ve seen countless people have tests that read negative, positive, negative, positive. They have told me the test was more uncomfortable when they got the positive result, and I’ve witnessed questionable swab technique many times. We have tons of medical personal who don’t usually do this kind of thing, attempting to swab people. It seems like another method might be more optimal.

Loved the signs back in the 90’s as a kid. We could back it up as Rich Stadium wasn’t very welcoming to visitors. Talking trash about Brady might have been fun for over a decade, but it never resonated with me when he kicked our butts regularly.

Yeah, that was always the biggest hurdle. If it worked out well, I didn’t understand what all the fuss about not playing was about. However, getting quick test results is much easier said than done right now. There are plenty of essential workers whose test results affect the safety of others, and they’re having trouble getting results back in a timely manner. That makes the idea of NFL teams getting them seem less likely, and it’s possibly a bad look for them even if they could. That was my first thought as well, our very own Donte Whitner seemed to practice social distancing on defense years ago as well. The dude was either not in on the play, or used his back to make a tackle while avoiding face to face contact.

Apparently I’m too accustomed to the traditional names of NFL teams, because everything looks and sounds very CFL, XFL, Arena League like to me. This is probably less of a criticism, and more a commentary on my dislike of change.

I have seen much of the same in NY. We’ve done some things right, but that doesn’t mean we are some utopia where everyone is wearing a mask, and maintaining social distances at all times. Yes, we’re doing better than states where masks weren’t even suggested, but behaving according to protocol is far from universal, even in NY. Masks are “required” in NY, but there’s only so much that can be done. So, you’re going to fight with a random customer over not wearing a mask for $12.00/hr, I don’t think so. I know someone who got spit on calling out a person for not wearing a mask. Conditions are far from ideal, as this pandemic as made people crazier than usual. I’d prefer to be on an NFL field than in a grocery store. Thanks for the great point, my experiences have been much the same in the field. In fact I’d go out on a limb, and say I’d feel safer playing an NFL game than working in health care, or being a patient. There’s just a lot going on that blows my mind, and the safety of NFL players ranks low on my list of major concerns. I’m sure they won’t be reusing contaminated equipment for a week, putting both themselves and others at risk.

I agree, if the testing thing works out, I could name a hundred other careers where I’d feel more at risk. Even in NY, the shining example of how to deal with the virus, only long term care workers are tested. Most other health care workers aren’t tested on a regular basis. The truth is, some HCW’s don’t even have the proper PPE yet, reusing masks for days, no N95’s, etc. I also think of all the construction workers and roofers I see packed together everyday, somewhat wearing their masks. NFL players rank somewhere mid level of the workers I’m most concerned about.

I truly respect your opinions, and you come across as being very educated and informed. I apologize if I came across as thinking I know anything about this. I’m not a scientist, educator, or epidemiologist. I’m simply sharing personal anecdotes of what I’m seeing in the communities I work. I don’t have an appropriate link to the data I want, because it’s not out there on the web. Sure, I can find the numbers of positives for each county, but nothing shows when they occurred, such as using a line/bar graph with the months. Our local paper has the totals everyday. The numbers from back in early June have probably increased by about 1/4 in the last month, showing that our graph would be level, and not the downhill slope you really want. Health care workers in some of these rural areas are seeing more positives in the last month, than they saw in the first three months of this pandemic. It’s not raging out of control like it was in NYC, and our hospitalizations have gone down. Many of these positives are attributed to pre-op testing, and health care workers. I’m actually seeing this, and not just assuming this. When I see that, I can’t help but think this widespread in the community. I live in NY, but I don’t feel all warm and fuzzy about going out, even with a mask. We’ve seen a direct correlation between this increase and the opening of indoor dining and bars as well. I’m not denying NY state’s success, and the numbers aren’t a complete lie. NYC was a disaster that slowed greatly. The shutdown did its job of not overwhelming hospitals. We are not at risk for that up here at the time, so that’s a job well done. I’m just making the point that it’s reduced to a slow burn. If we don’t have a vaccine within the next few years, there’s going to be a ton of people who get this virus, even in NYS. It didn’t go anywhere, we just slowed it down. Eventually, all these states that are a disaster will slow the spread, but it’s still going to spread everywhere slowly until we have a vaccine. You understand that, so I’m not attempting to sound condescending, I just mean the sole purpose of this is to avoid overwhelming the system. The majority of the population will get this virus at some point if we can’t create a vaccine ASAP (I hope we can soon). As far as your suggestion that people other than HCW, pre-op testing, and sick people are being tested regularly, I’m curious to know who else you think is regularly tested ?

I understand your point, but even the smallest comments these days pose larger philosophical questions. Obviously, a human life is worth more than any paycheck. Many workers run the risk of infecting themselves, or a loved one everyday, and it can be overwhelming. If I knew with certainty something awful happens as a result of my working, I’d quit my job, and live on the street. However, do we always go to the worst case scenario when making a decision ? If you did that with everything, you wouldn’t do much of anything. I’ve been misunderstood on this board as not taking this virus seriously, but that’s not the case whatsoever. I just don’t see how anyone can get consumed solely into worst case logic when making a decision. If a player opts out, I respect that as they are financially able to do so. Comparing them the average Joe is apples and oranges, but I just mean that death shouldn’t always be everyone’s first thought. I don’t feel invisible at all, and have no desire to find out how I react to this virus, but it all feels inevitable at this point, and I try to not be all doom and gloom about what might happen in the future.

It is, I just don’t want to see players turn this into some kind of deal about being victimized by the owners.

Yeah, but he doesn’t have to visit his mother. That’s his choice, and it’s also his choice not to play if he does want to visit his mother. No one is being forced to do anything.

This is probably better on the PPP forum, so it will be last response as well. I’ve seen a lot of what is going on up close and personal, and the stories you hear in the media are only the tip of the iceberg. NY state peaked, and reduced the tragedy in NYC by shutting down. Shutting down is the only way to slow the virus. It’s a huge misnomer to the think the virus has been eradicated in NY state like many people seem to believe. Many upstate counties have seen over 25 % of their total cases occur in the last two weeks. I’m seeing what leads me to believe large spread community transmission is happening up here. If we spike and see more cases of people who become ill, maybe another shutdown happens, who knows ? Shutdowns are the only answer, but society can’t function with them for long periods of time. That was my only point. NY slowed the virus, but it’s far from gone. I just wanted to share what I’m seeing, and I don’t think we can take much comfort in any numbers, unless there is a vaccine that works. I’m seeing cases in Upstate everyday, which makes me feel like I’m living in an alternate reality to what everyone thinks about NY. NY state and NYC are two different entities. NY state isn’t done with this virus, and who knows what happens with the city once they reopen. Yes, our numbers are much better, that’s the truth, but people are talking like NY completely eliminated the virus. It’s out there enough to come back. NY state peaked, and is on the downslope now. Health care workers, pre op appointments, and sick people are the only ones being tested. Local counties near me with small populations are picking up decent numbers of positive asymptomatic people everyday. It tells me community transmission is still big around here. That’s all I was sharing as my belief as to why I feel like it’s everywhere, and tough to run from without a vaccine.

Exactly, just stay home if you want, but the attempts to drum up public support for their cause seem ridiculous. In MLB, Mike Trout expressed concerns about his pregnant wife, yet he’s at practice with his team. If he doesn’t feel safe, just leave practice, go home, stay safe, and skip this year. There’s no need for the public contemplation of what you should do imo. I’m might just be taking it wrong, but it feels like some guys are playing the sympathy card. If you want me to feel sympathetic, tell me about a cops pregnant wife or something, not a millionaire who could just stay home. If they could get fast, accurate test results, there’s no reason not to play. However, I’m not sure how big of a hurdle that is at this point. The league hasn’t really said much about how that plan is going.

Well said, I get tired of this idea that NFL owners are some evil entity that uses forced labor to profit. The owners are out to make a buck, that’s how the world works. We are in the middle of a pandemic, yet millions of people have been called back to work. It’s not just NFL owners who need to stay profitable. If a guy doesn’t want to play, that’s fine, but I was just surprised with the amount of sympathy over their “plight” when some of them decided to voice concerns publicly.

I never said most of what you assume . I wear a mask, I take precautions, I believe it’s real and dangerous, and I understand that we don’t want the health care system to be overwhelmed. You seem overly sensitive. At no point did I say I don’t care about society. I’m making the point that shutdowns were to prevent the system from being overwhelmed. There were never any guarantees we would prevent the majority of the population from being exposed to the virus. That’s the point I was making, and didn’t mean for it to sound poorly. We have no clue when an EFFECTIVE vaccine will be available. I hope the virus doesn’t take too many lives, but there might be nothing stopping the majority of us from being exposed, unless we stay permanently shut down. It can be dangerous, so I don’t lack an understanding of that. I’m making the point that people will be exposed until we find a vaccine. I’ve been exposed, and I am “ Harry the hypertensive”, but I have mouths to feed, so I can’t sit in fear everyday. I take precautions, because I’m not the ignorant anti mask/anti precautions person you assume me to be. The virus is so out of control right now, I simply question the logic of people who think they will escape ever being exposed, it was just a thought. I don’t believe it can be “contained” or eradicated without a vaccine, because it is too widespread in the states. With all due respect, I’d love to hear how you think it can be contained at this point ? I genuinely would like to hear some ideas. Other than a complete shutdown of the country, I don’t see containment happening. I’m cool with any athlete who chooses to sit out. I’d use the money to self quarantine as well. I simply questioned how many athletes who sit out the season would actual do that, or be out at clubs etc. That’s just my bias towards 20 something pro athletes, but it was simply my only question.

How much testing does India do ? And how accurate do they keep tabs on Covid 19 death stats ? I’m not saying we’re doing a great job, but there is always more to everything than what meets the eye.

I get this, but I’m saying that many people don’t understand that, and it becomes dangerous when the public loses trust. Most scientific research isn’t consumed by the masses. This is the first issue in a long time where people are actually paying any attention to what science says. It would be better to use an abundance of caution, because we don’t know anything. It’s kind of like the question of whether children can spread the virus. Various organizations have said they can, some claim they can’t, and the CDC now says “we don’t have evidence that children are driving my the cycle of transmission” They never said children can’t spread the virus, they are just saying they don’t have evidence. If they discover the opposite, many people will feel as if they are being lied to (even though that’s not true) The truth is we don’t know much , and the only way to keep safe is taking precautions. We are stuck in a world of the twenty four hour news cycle. Every thought and idea comes out, and people don’t know how to properly consume it. That’s my point, sometimes people need less information in order to make them better understand an issue. I don’t think the information overload is making things better. I’m concerned too, I just think this virus is so common there is no stopping it. I don’t think there is much we can do at this point to stop most people from being exposed to it. It’s everywhere, and I think people are trying to make themselves feel better thinking we can stop it now. I believe in wearing masks and taking precautions, but I don’t think we can contain it, unless we want to be shutdown another year, then many of these same people are complaining about not having a job.