Titans/Steelers in question over covid tests

[c_hawkbob]

https://www.si.com/nfl/steelers/news/st ... d-19-tests

Could be postponed or even forfeited after 8 Titans (3 players, 5 staff) test positive. So far no Vikings, who they just played, have tested positive but they're in covid protocol now as well.

[RiverDog]

https://www.si.com/nfl/steelers/news/steelers-titans-unknown-covid-19-tests

Could be postponed or even forfeited after 8 Titans (3 players, 5 staff) test positive. So far no Vikings, who they just played, have tested positive but they're in covid protocol now as well.

Wow, thanks for the heads up. But I didn't see anything about a possible forfeiture. Was it somewhere in the article you linked or are you getting your information from some other source?

The good news is that if none of the Vikings players test positive within the week, that it would be a strong indication that their in game protocols are working.

[c_hawkbob]

Wow, thanks for the heads up. But I didn't see anything about a possible forfeiture. Was it somewhere in the article you linked or are you getting your information from some other source?

The good news is that if none of the Vikings players test positive within the week, that it would be a strong indication that their in game protocols are working.

Got the possible forfeiture from listening to the Dan Patrick Show live, I expect someone like Florio to write up about "an NFL source" saying it before too long.

[NorthHawk]

I hope it's the only incidence of this happening, but I wouldn't be surprised if it happens again.
So, I wonder would both teams get losses in the case of a forfeiture or just the team with the most cases?
With only 1 bye per conference this year, it might be impactful for a team should they have to give up a
game or record a loss without taking to the field.

[RiverDog]

Got the possible forfeiture from listening to the Dan Patrick Show live, I expect someone like Florio to write up about "an NFL source" saying it before too long.

OK, thanks. I'm wondering if they can put the blame squarely on the Titans players and/or staff to the point where a forfeiture would be fair.

[c_hawkbob]

That's exactly what Patrick was saying. "What if the Vikings have to forfeit if they have positive tests now? It's not their fault, all they did to get exposed was play a scheduled game."

[c_hawkbob]

I hope it's the only incidence of this happening, but I wouldn't be surprised if it happens again.
So, I wonder would both teams get losses in the case of a forfeiture or just the team with the most cases?
With only 1 bye per conference this year, it might be impactful for a team should they have to give up a
game or record a loss without taking to the field.

You can't give a team a loss cause the other guys forfeit.

[RiverDog]

That's exactly what Patrick was saying. "What if the Vikings have to forfeit if they have positive tests now? It's not their fault, all they did to get exposed was play a scheduled game."

Even if a team isn't forced to forfeit, they could still be treated unfairly if they were to miss a game due to an opposing team contracting COVID forces a cancelation if it results in regular season records within their division and/or conference with an uneven number of games played. For example, say the Niners finish at 11-5 but we finish at 10-5 due to not being able to play the full schedule because of a COVID cancelation. Do you award the Niners the title due to having the best winning percentage?

The league must have thought through these scenarios.

[c_hawkbob]

Not how a forfeit works, there would still be one winner and one loser.

[RiverDog]

Not how a forfeit works, there would still be one winner and one loser.

I wasn't taking about a forfeit. I was talking about a cancelation.

Besides, if a team was the beneficiary of a forfeit and had the same record as a team that played out the entire season, they would have an advantage over that team by virtue of having played fewer games, especially if that forfeited game came at the end of the season making it an extra bye.

That's one of the things that worried me when they decided to go ahead with the season, that it would be a screwed up year with the champ having to wear the dreaded asterisk.

[c_hawkbob]

Why would they even consider cancellation then? Unless they're going to cancel an entire week.

[RiverDog]

Why would they even consider cancellation then? Unless they're going to cancel an entire week.

They could handle it similarly to how baseball handles rain outs. If it has an impact on the playoffs, they can move the playoffs back a week and allow for make-up games. But of course, even then it would give teams unaffected by cancelations a bye they didn't earn.

Just a thought. I haven't a clue as to how the league plans to handle it.

[jshawaii22]

They have 4 days and maybe 5, if they move the game to Monday to determine if any other players or staff are infected, disinfect the locker room and other areas where players have access and continue to test the rest of the players before they have to make a formal decision. The rules for this year, as agreed to with the NFLPA allows for up to 12 players to be called up from the practice squad to replace infected players. My understanding, and it's still fluid, is that only one starter and two players from the practice squad are the 'positives' -

"Forfeit" is probably not an option. They have a possible move to week 8 as an option, but that would be unfair to Pittsburgh, but it's what it is.

[RiverDog]

They have 4 days and maybe 5, if they move the game to Monday to determine if any other players or staff are infected, disinfect the locker room and other areas where players have access and continue to test the rest of the players before they have to make a formal decision. The rules for this year, as agreed to with the NFLPA allows for up to 12 players to be called up from the practice squad to replace infected players. My understanding, and it's still fluid, is that only one starter and two players from the practice squad are the 'positives' -

"Forfeit" is probably not an option. They have a possible move to week 8 as an option, but that would be unfair to Pittsburgh, but it's what it is.

If this is the only incident, then they can work around it. But we're just 3 weeks into a 17 week regular season and the playoffs, and there's a concern that with the cooler, drier weather and people heading indoors, that there'll be another surge of infections. More infections in the general population equals more risk of someone on an NFL team getting infected. Plus the further we get into the season, the fewer opportunities there are to reschedule games.

So far, I've been pleased at how the games have been presented to us and I'm enjoying the hell out of the football season as it's one of the few normal things I've been able to do since the pandemic broke out. Hopefully we don't have too many more incidents like this one or it can all come crashing down.

[Vegaseahawk]

I haven't a clue as to how the league plans to handle it.

This contingency had to have been addressed, discussed, & planned for by the NFL league officers, as well as the NFLPA. Please tell us there is a viable protocol policy in place, oh great & mighty Roger Goodell & DeMaurice Fitzgerald Smith. A simple solution would be to re-schedule the game to a TNF night on say week 17 when theres not normally a game on the slate. Or if there is, make it a doubleheader like they do on the 1st MNF of the season. If there are more incidences, then the problem exponentiates, (is that even a word?)...

[RiverDog]

A simple solution would be to re-schedule the game to a TNF night on say week 17 when theres not normally a game on the slate. Or if there is, make it a doubleheader like they do on the 1st MNF of the season. If there are more incidences, then the problem exponentiates, (is that even a word?)...

That's not so simple. The Thursday you are referring to is Jan. 7th. It's just 2-3 days before the wild card round on Sat/Sun Jan. 9th/10th, and this season, they're expanding the wild card round to include 14 teams. What they would have to do is move the beginning of the playoffs back a week and eliminate the bye week prior to the Super Bowl, in which case they'd probably opt to have any make-up games on a Saturday or Sunday as the TV ratings would be better.

But as you pointed out, there's not a lot of room for error. If one team still in the hunt for the playoffs misses more than one game, they're screwed. They're going to have to do what they can to get the games in on schedule.

Here's a few more details on last weekend's outbreak:

Some of the players involved in the outbreak have surfaced. The Titans have placed defensive lineman DaQuan Jones, long snapper Beau Brinkley and practice squad tight end Tommy Hudson on the reserve/COVID-19 list, ESPN.com’s Field Yates and NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero report (Twitter links). Three Titans players have tested positive for the virus, though it is not known if these are the three.

The five non-players who tested positive were all football-side staffers, Albert Breer of SI.com notes. This includes outside linebackers coach Shane Bowen, who received word of his positive test Saturday.

Referee Clete Blakeman’s crew, which worked Sunday’s Titans-Vikings game, will not work a Week 4 contest, according to Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The crew will undergo daily testing this week.

https://www.profootballrumors.com/2020/ ... -situation

[RiverDog]

It looks like the league is postponing this Sunday's Titans-Steelers matchup as a 4th Titans player tested postive:

The Pittsburgh-Tennessee game originally scheduled for Sunday will be played either Monday or Tuesday due to positive coronavirus tests among the Titans, the NFL announced Wednesday.

The NFL said a new date and time would be announced as soon as possible and that the postponement would allow additional time for further testing.

https://chicago.suntimes.com/2020/9/30/ ... s-covid-19

So, if they postpone the Titans-Steelers to Tuesday, do they also move the Week 5 games (Steelers vs. Eagles, Titans vs. Bills) back to Monday?

[jshawaii22]

and while Covid-19 is what we talk about... this is what we really should be looking at.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2020/09/30/25-names-appear-on-seahawks-injury-report/?unapproved=7414372&moderation-hash=ba7c04f3292737c093e6bb8c82eada72#comment-7414372

https://www.seahawks.com/news/jamal-adams-pretty-sore-injury-updates-from-seahawks-coach-pete-carroll

Coach PeteSpeak: We'll be lucky to have 22 to put on the field that aren't on crutches.

Our week 6 bye won't come soon enough. Groin injuries are so painful to just walk around with, let alone run, jump, tackle...

[Aseahawkfan]

We are a M.A.S.H unit. It seems preseason training does help prepare for the season.

[c_hawkbob]

So, if they postpone the Titans-Steelers to Tuesday, do they also move the Week 5 games (Steelers vs. Eagles, Titans vs. Bills) back to Monday?

Why. The only reason they are doing this is to determine just how many of the Titans need to be quarantined, they're under no obligation t try to make things easy on them. There is no reason to inconvenience the rest of the league. In fact I'd say there's good reason not to.

[RiverDog]

So, if they postpone the Titans-Steelers to Tuesday, do they also move the Week 5 games (Steelers vs. Eagles, Titans vs. Bills) back to Monday?

Why. The only reason they are doing this is to determine just how many of the Titans need to be quarantined, they're under no obligation t try to make things easy on them. There is no reason to inconvenience the rest of the league. In fact I'd say there's good reason not to.

If Tennessee and Pittsburg play on a Tuesday, that would only give them 5 days before their next scheduled game on Sunday, which would put them at a competitive disadvantage against their Week 5 opponents that have a normal week. For Pittsburgh in particular, which has not had any positive tests, it would seem to be very unfair to ask them to go on such a short week when their Week 5 opponent, the Eagles, get a full 7 day break. Moving their game back to Monday would somewhat mitigate that disadvantage.

[c_hawkbob]

So you keep the effect as localized as possible, effecting as few teams as possible, instead of letting it have a ripple effect impacting more teams. This is only the first instance, you don't want to set a precedent of doing more than necessary, that could get messy a hell when you've got 3 or 4 or a dozen teams facing the issue.

[RiverDog]

So you keep the effect as localized as possible, effecting as few teams as possible, instead of letting it have a ripple effect impacting more teams. This is only the first instance, you don't want to set a precedent of doing more than necessary, that could get messy a hell when you've got 3 or 4 or a dozen teams facing the issue.

I disagree. Moving the two Week 5 games, particularly the Pittsburgh-Philadelphia game, from Sunday to Monday, is a reasonable accommodation for a team that through no fault of their own, had their schedule disrupted by a team that apparently failed to follow the protocols. It would be bad enough if their Week 4 contest got moved to a Monday, but moving it to a Tuesday shortens their next week even more.

The Steelers are one of 7 undefeated and untied teams and are in a competitive division with the Ravens and Browns. If they force the Steelers go into their Week 5 game with just 5 days rest and they lose to their fully rested cross state rival, of whom they only play once every 4 years, and drop to a tie with the Browns and/or Ravens, you can expect a vociferous howl loud enough to drown out the participants in Tuesday night's debate.

As far as setting a precedent, I say we cross that bridge when and if we come to it.

[NorthHawk]

What the NFL or any sports league would be concerned with is if multiple teams had outbreaks (for a lack of a better term)
at the same time or ended up with a dozen or so forfeited games over the year.

[c_hawkbob]

So you keep the effect as localized as possible, effecting as few teams as possible, instead of letting it have a ripple effect impacting more teams. This is only the first instance, you don't want to set a precedent of doing more than necessary, that could get messy a hell when you've got 3 or 4 or a dozen teams facing the issue.

I disagree. Moving the two Week 5 games, particularly the Pittsburgh-Philadelphia game, from Sunday to Monday, is a reasonable accommodation for a team that through no fault of their own, had their schedule disrupted by a team that apparently failed to follow the protocols. It would be bad enough if their Week 4 contest got moved to a Monday, but moving it to a Tuesday shortens their next week even more.

The Steelers are one of 7 undefeated and untied teams and are in a competitive division with the Ravens and Browns. If they force the Steelers go into their Week 5 game with just 5 days rest and they lose to their fully rested cross state rival, of whom they only play once every 4 years, and drop to a tie with the Browns and/or Ravens, you can expect a vociferous howl loud enough to drown out the participants in Tuesday night's debate.

As far as setting a precedent, I say we cross that bridge when and if we come to it.

That's OK, we can disagree.

And, we're at the bridge right now.

[Aseahawkfan]

This is all new. NFL has to figure out the best to handle COVID delayed games and focus primarily on ensuring no outbreaks across the league. That's priority number 1. Priority 2 is how to handle delayed games once you have priority 1 contained. They can extend the season if needed if the game becomes a necessity. If both teams aren't in the playoffs or it won't alter an outcome, then cancellation is fine as well.

[RiverDog]

Cam Newton tested positive for COVID and will miss the Pats game with the Chiefs:

On Saturday morning, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton tested positive for the coronavirus, and will miss Sunday's matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. CBS Sports NFL insider Jason La Canfora confirms Newton will be heading to the COVID-19 reserve list. The Patriots have reportedly been conducting mass testing and re-testing, and there has been no spread so far.

It's important to note that the incubation period for the virus is typically 3-7 days. That means that we unfortunately could see more positive tests in the coming days, such as with what has happened in Nashville with the Titans.

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/patr ... ce-chiefs/

[c_hawkbob]

Cam and at least one of the Chiefs too. Game is to be rescheduled now.

[RiverDog]

Now things are really getting jumbled around. As Cbob stated, the Chiefs/Pats game has been postponed, perhaps to Monday or Tuesday of next week, IF they don't get anymore positives. The Titans now have 18 players/coaches/staff test positive. They have had 5 straight days where at least one person tested positive. Their game vs. the Steelers, originally scheduled for tomorrow, has been postponed to Sunday Oct. 25th. The league lucked out as that was originally a bye week for both teams.

https://sports.yahoo.com/ap-source-tita ... --nfl.html

[RiverDog]

PFT is speculating that the Chiefs-Pats game won't be able to be held on Monday or Tuesday:

However, if Sunday doesn’t work, Monday likely doesn’t work either. Given the incubation period, the Patriots need enough time to see whether anyone Newton has been in contact with generates a positive test result. The outbreak donut hole emerges if a player begins shedding virus during the 24-hour window between the collection of consecutive off-site PCR samples, one day apart.

If the game can’t be played tomorrow, it likely can’t be played on Monday or Tuesday. Unlike Steelers-Titans, the schedule provides no simple shuffling of bye weeks and whatnot that would allow the game to be played between Week Five and Week 17.

And they go on to suggest other scenarios if we have further outbreaks:

Which raises the possibility — before the first NFL Sunday in October — that the playoffs are bumped back by a week or two for the playing of games in what would be a Week 18 or Week 19.

The next step becomes cancelling games altogether, setting the stage for teams making the playoffs or missing the playoffs based on the fact that they didn’t get a chance to win, or to lose, a sixteenth game.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2 ... on-sunday/

One question that I have would relate to canceling games: Is it a viable option for teams that are unaffected by positive tests to cancel games so that the total number of games played is equal between all teams, in other words, shorten the season to 14 or 15 games?

Edit: Patriots-Chiefs has been rescheduled for tomorrow night, minus Cam Newton, 4:05 pm PT on CBS. They've moved the kickoff of the Packers-Falcons back to 5:50 pm PT.

https://nypost.com/2020/10/04/patriots- ... -19-tests/

[NorthHawk]

Some people within the NFL are discussing a 12 game schedule according to PFT.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2 ... me-season/

[RiverDog]

Some people within the NFL are discussing a 12 game schedule according to PFT.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2 ... me-season/

Interesting article. They also discussed that teams might enter a "hard bubble" at some point, and suggested that they might go with a revised playoff format with 16 teams seeded irrespective of their division standings.

[RiverDog]

Another possibility is that the league could manipulate the bye week of teams that do not have any positives in order to allow the cancelation of other games with teams that do.

For example, if the New York Jet's Week 6 opponent, the LA Chargers, has an outbreak days before their game, it would be possible for the league to move the Jets/Seahawks game, now scheduled for Week 14, up to our bye week in Week 6, which would give the Jets an open date to re-schedule their game with the Chargers.

[NorthHawk]

What a mess that could be for teams. What if they end up not getting their bye week?

[RiverDog]

What a mess that could be for teams. What if they end up not getting their bye week?

Yea, it would be a mess. It would have a domino effect, as if they move the Jets game with the Chargers to Week 14, then the Chargers would have to clear their schedule for that date, too, perhaps by moving some other game to a Thursday.

A 12 or 14 game schedule is probably the more realistic approach, but even that would be a real cluster. The further we get into the schedule, the more complicated it gets as you wouldn't be able to cut games in an equitable manner, like reducing interdivisional games from 6 to 3. It would sure play hell with the tiebreaker system for playoff seeding.

[NorthHawk]

I suspect there will be more cases, but I hope it doesn't affect much of the schedule.
That might not be realistic, though.

[RiverDog]

I suspect there will be more cases, but I hope it doesn't affect much of the schedule. That might not be realistic, though.

To tell the truth, the season has played out a lot better than I thought it would, particularly in how they are presenting the games to us. I was afraid it was going to look like some cheap Japanese monster movie, King Kong vs. Godzilla, with the words dubbed in.

I'm actually a little more optimistic about us having a relatively normal season from here on out. I think that the players and the league are learning how to cope with the "new normal". They've seen what has happened to the Titans, seen what has happened with Cam Newton, so perhaps it will reinforce with them that they need to comply with the protocols.

[NorthHawk]

But now we are heading into the indoor time of life seasons and that is great for the virus
but not so good for us. Unless the NFL enforces some type of bubble which would be hard to
do with families and holidays fast approaching.
Keeping my fingers crossed.

[RiverDog]

But now we are heading into the indoor time of life seasons and that is great for the virus but not so good for us. Unless the NFL enforces some type of bubble which would be hard to do with families and holidays fast approaching. Keeping my fingers crossed.

That be true. We could either go through the year with very limited alterations as we've done for the first 25% of the regular season, or we could screw it up so badly that the entire season gets canceled. Along with what the White House is having to deal with, I'm hopeful that the incidents with the Titans and Cam Newton serves as a wake-up call for the remaining NFL players and staff to be more vigilant in their efforts.

[RiverDog]

I just heard over NFL Network that they've postponed the Patriots-Broncos game that was rescheduled for Monday. Apparently the Pats had another positive COVID test. No link yet.

Edit: Here's the link:

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2 ... ned-again/

It’s unclear precisely how the schedule will unfold, but Broncos-Patriots moving to next week appears to be the most likely scenario. That will require the Broncos’ scheduled home game against the Dolphins next week to be postponed as well. The Patriots were scheduled to be on their bye next week.

Apparently it was a coach that tested positive.