NFL-related Covid News

[Hapless Bills Fan]

https://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/bs-sp-ravens-covid-steelers-20201123-fs7eyqj6ajdu3gfqrvbcjzuo3e-story.html

 

Given what the NFL did for the Titans and for NE in delaying games, if any significant players are "out" I don't see how the NFL can possibly justify not doing likewise for the Ravens.

 

On the other hand, given that the Steelers have already been screwed out of their bye week by the league due to another team's positives, Batten Down the Hatches for Tomlin's reaction if he thinks his guys are getting the short end again.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/breaking/bs-sp-ravens-covid-steelers-20201123-fs7eyqj6ajdu3gfqrvbcjzuo3e-story.html

 

According to this, at least two of the players affected are Mark Ingram and JK Dobbins

[Saxum]

More COVID rules when Week 12 begins Thursday.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/30375723/masks-now-required-players-sideline-part-new-nfl-covid-19-protocols

 

Quote

Confirmed positive tests among NFL players and staff have increased alongside the rise in community spread across the country. A total of 108 tests have returned positive in the past two testing periods, compared to 146 in the previous 11 periods.

 

• Players who "are not substituting or preparing to enter the field of play and are not wearing their helmets will be required to wear a mask or double-layered gaiter" while on the sideline, according to a memo sent to teams.
• Coaches who call plays will no longer have the option to wear only a face shield. Instead, they must wear a face mask or double-layered gaiter in addition to the face shield.
• Clubs are required to enforce the mask rules, and the memo adds: "Violations by players and/or staff will result in accountability measures being imposed by the club." The league recommends each team designate one or two staff members to ensure compliance on the sideline.
• The maximum number of players who can travel has been reduced to 62.
• Access to club facilities has been reduced. A total of 70 people can be designated as essential football personnel. Another 25 can be named essential support personnel but can have no contact or interaction with essential football personnel. Up to five medical service employees can be designated for access.
• Media access will be limited. A total of 15 team and independent members of the media can cover outdoor practices, but independent reporters "may not enter club facility (including the practice bubble)." Up to five team-affiliated media members can cover indoor practices.
• Players and staff will be allowed to interact "briefly" after games but then must promptly return to their locker room

 

[LB48]

Per Forbes -

The NFL will lose $5.5 billion of stadium revenue (the sum of tickets, concessions, sponsors, parking and team stores) — or 38% of its total revenue — based on figures for the 2019 season. But the impact on the individual teams would vary greatly. For example, the Dallas Cowboys and the New England Patriots would lose over half their total revenue while the Buffalo Bills, the Tennessee Titans and the Cincinnati Bengals would lose less than one-third.

Dallas will probably lose $621 mil in stadium revenue while the Bills are at a $104 mil loss. 

Sometimes it's good to be a small market team without a luxury stadium to support!

 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

https://www.nfl.com/news/ravens-close-facility-after-multiple-positive-covid-19-tests

 

Looks like Ravens Pittsburgh is ON

1 hour ago, Limeaid said:

More COVID rules when Week 12 begins Thursday.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/30375723/masks-now-required-players-sideline-part-new-nfl-covid-19-protocols

 

 

• Players who "are not substituting or preparing to enter the field of play and are not wearing their helmets will be required to wear a mask or double-layered gaiter" while on the sideline, according to a memo sent to teams.
• Coaches who call plays will no longer have the option to wear only a face shield. Instead, they must wear a face mask or double-layered gaiter in addition to the face shield.
• Clubs are required to enforce the mask rules, and the memo adds: "Violations by players and/or staff will result in accountability measures being imposed by the club." The league recommends each team designate one or two staff members to ensure compliance on the sideline.
• The maximum number of players who can travel has been reduced to 62.
• Access to club facilities has been reduced. A total of 70 people can be designated as essential football personnel. Another 25 can be named essential support personnel but can have no contact or interaction with essential football personnel. Up to five medical service employees can be designated for access.
• Media access will be limited. A total of 15 team and independent members of the media can cover outdoor practices, but independent reporters "may not enter club facility (including the practice bubble)." Up to five team-affiliated media members can cover indoor practices.
• Players and staff will be allowed to interact "briefly" after games but then must promptly return to their locker room

 

 

Do you know if "essential football personnel" means players, or coaches, trainers, etc?

[Saxum]

49 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

https://www.nfl.com/news/ravens-close-facility-after-multiple-positive-covid-19-tests

 

Looks like Ravens Pittsburgh is ON

 

Do you know if "essential football personnel" means players, or coaches, trainers, etc?

 

The term "essential football personnel" are those who are involved with health, training and coaching.

 I have seen it in snippets before.

 

They appear to be basing it on this:

 

COVID Rules:  Daily COVID-19 testing has been in place since the start of NFL training camps for people in two groups

• Tier 1 ("players &  essential football personnel whose job function requires direct access to players for more than 10 minutes at time on regular basis")
• Tier 2 ("other essential personnel who may need to be in close proximity to players &  other Tier 1 individuals & who may need to access restricted areas periodically").

Rules are a bit fuzzy on various other designations such as PUP, IR, COVID List, international players, etc.

 

The problem is the NFL expanded practice squad and they are capping numbers.

Some teams reportedly are having some people work off-site and some are working on-site part time (AM/PM) to allow

 

It does not include communications, PR (when different) and sales.

It mostly includes some front office functions but not likely all.

 

Other types:

• Security - some need to be essential w/o contact with players. 
• In old days you would see pictures of players with security personnel
• I know after one game player gave some items to security personnel for help in getting to plane on time.

 

• Kitchen/serving staff
• No idea how they count them
• Pretty sure good portion of stuff is catered and brought on site.

 

• Cleaning - they need quite a big staff for cleaning
• I no longer have contact inside who was doing cleaning at contractor.  Likely these companies change based on need and PR deals
• They have to do the COVID cleaning which needs to be done multiple times a day between uses and at night
• They also have laundry staff but some of this may be contracted out now to limit numbers

 

• AV/Website/comp tech would be another group which has not been declared. 
• They need some on site but some of the gear can be shipped off site and cleaned before returned.
• Numbers will vary based on new technology being installed
• They will have specialized crews for installing temperature scanners, automated cleaning gear

 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

33 minutes ago, Limeaid said:

The term "essential football personnel" are those who are involved with health, training and coaching.

 I have seen it in snippets before.

 

They appear to be basing it on this:

 

COVID Rules:  Daily COVID-19 testing has been in place since the start of NFL training camps for people in two groups

• Tier 1 ("players &  essential football personnel whose job function requires direct access to players for more than 10 minutes at time on regular basis"

 

So the question I really have is when they say limit to 70 essential football personnel, does that include players?

 

Sounds as though it can not. 

 

But then as you say, what is the status of IR'd and PUP players?  Hopefully they are allowed to get treatment and allowed access to the nutrition services, medical, trainers etc.

[Bills fan since 87]

On 11/4/2020 at 5:22 AM, Doc Brown said:

It's strange how I remember the '90 to '93 Bills teams better than any of them since but that Zimmer forced fumble against Newton brought me back to the Kirby Jackson forced fumble against a backup Kubiak led Denver team in the AFC Championship game.  Under two minutes with them driving down the field needing a field goal to tie it. 

 

The Carlton Baily game.  We were up 10-0 late when Denver scored to make it 10-7 and then got an onside kick.  14 year old me was scared to death....and then that forced fumble sent us to our second Superbowl.

[Saxum]

30 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

So the question I really have is when they say limit to 70 essential football personnel, does that include players?

 

Sounds as though it can not. 

 

But then as you say, what is the status of IR'd and PUP players?  Hopefully they are allowed to get treatment and allowed access to the nutrition services, medical, trainers etc.

 

This is an accounting game.   I have done multiple spreadsheets trying to keep track and the math never makes sense.

[wjag]

Glad the Ravens-Steelers game is on.  I don't much like the Ravens and want them OUT OF THE PLAYOFFS.  A loss to Pittsburgh doesn't do that alone, but it makes the climb tougher.  They have games with Jax, CLE, PITT, NYG, DAL and CINCY left.  So them losing this week is paramount.  I can see them running the table of what's left.  Need a couple more teams to step up.  Yeah I'm looking at you DAL and CLE. 

[Process]

 

9 positive tests the two days before a game. This is clearly at minimum a mini outbreak and like we saw with the titans it's possible more people continue to test positive for several days. 

 

The NFL officially DGAF. 

[Chuck Wagon]

Why did the league move 3 games when Cam was the only positive Patriot and now they are essentially saying "Oh well, see you in a day!"?

[wjag]

6 minutes ago, Chuck Wagon said:

Why did the league move 3 games when Cam was the only positive Patriot and now they are essentially saying "Oh well, see you in a day!"?

 

Good question.  Calendar is getting shorter.  Flexibility with byes in the rear view mirror might be forcing things.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

1 hour ago, Process said:

 

9 positive tests the two days before a game. This is clearly at minimum a mini outbreak and like we saw with the titans it's possible more people continue to test positive for several days. 

 

The NFL officially DGAF. 

 

It's not a good look, that's for sure.  They may have an objective rationale.  This is where a bit of transparency would have been helpful.

[JoPoy88]

2 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

It's not a good look, that's for sure.  They may have an objective rationale.  This is where a bit of transparency would have been helpful.

Purposely obfuscating their policies serves a purpose - if the exact details aren’t widely known, the league is free to change them as they see fit without a mass of reporters and fans asking questions or calling them out.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

Just now, JoPoy88 said:

Purposely obfuscating their policies serves a purpose - if the exact details aren’t widely known, the league is free to change them as they see fit without a mass of reporters and fans asking questions or calling them out.

 

I hate to see it, but I acknowledge your point.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

Ravens dealing with 10 tests as of Tuesday, have canceled practice

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/ravens-dealing-with-at-least-10-positive-covid-19-tests-after-new-positives-emerge-per-report/

Game still on:

https://steelerswire.usatoday.com/2020/11/25/steelers-ravens-covid-19-tests-positive-nfl/

"According to NFL reporter Ian Rapoport, there are more positive COVID-19 tests coming for the Baltimore Ravens ahead of their game with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The NFL has said they will push forward with this week’s game regardless of the status of the Ravens. I assume this decision was made with some knowledge that there were more positive tests coming."

 

 

If I were either team, I would not be happy about "Game On" here.  It seems they gave NE far more slack for far less of a situation, and also gave the Titans plenty of time to rest and recover. 

 

"Ravens fans feel like this game is being pushed on them but the reality is they made some mistakes and just like any injury you have to play when things are less-than ideal."

 

What about the Steelers, who have done nothing wrong and are having a game against a team undergoing an active an outbreak pushed on them?

 

 

 

[JoPoy88]

So somewhat saner heads prevailed and Pitt/Bal is moved to Sunday. Can’t see how 3 days can make much of a difference for the Ravens but I suppose we’ll see.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

10 hours ago, JoPoy88 said:

So somewhat saner heads prevailed and Pitt/Bal is moved to Sunday. Can’t see how 3 days can make much of a difference for the Ravens but I suppose we’ll see.

 

I could be wrong but I don't think it's to make a difference for the Ravens. 

 

I think it's because it's pretty clear Poe-birds got them a good 'ol outbreak going down with Scadzooks of exposures withint the facility, and they want to give a few more days for test-trace-isolate to play out.

 

I think they're going to be missing more players by Sunday.

 

Though apparently the Steelers players are way pissed off at NOT playing.

 

PS are said Poe-birds currently down to their 3rd string center?  Edit:  Yep.  Depth chart goes Mekari, Skura, Colon-Castillo. 

They've got a couple guards on their PS as well.

 

https://www.nbcsports.com/washington/ravens/ravens-place-calais-campbell-patrick-mekari-and-matt-skura-reservecovid-list
Ravens have had 7 players test positive over the last three days - Ingram, Dobbins, McSorley, McPhee, Skura, Campbell, Mekari, per source. League wants to use the extra days to continue testing, tracing. So game postponed.

— Dan Graziano (@DanGrazianoESPN) November 25, 2020

 

[WideNine]

Had posted incorrect information about Dallas strength and conditioning coach passing away due to Covid - was non-Covid related. Was reading the article on my phone and misread it. 

 

Was going to delete my OP, but believe Hapless beat me to it - with prejudice so I am guessing he has had to correct a few folks who have been misreporting this.

 

 

Sorry Hap  - on my laptop now and clear as day they were stressing NON-Covid symptoms.