Rams Game

[EmeraldBullet]

At this point have to wonder if the game will even be played

[RiverDog]

At this point have to wonder if the game will even be played

They've changed the rules so that nearly all those players will be at least have a chance to play. Instead of a minimum 48 hour wait, the minimum has been reduced to 24 hours, so long as they are vaccinated, which most are, asymptomatic, which most are, and that they take two successive negative tests. The game will still be played.

[Hawktawk]

Let’s see how the NFLPA feels before we can be sure . I hope they can play but it’s getting so weird . If the Hawks trade blows with them does our team blow up with the stuff . Depressing .

[RiverDog]

It's hard to tell how serious these injuries are, but on paper, our receiving corps looks to be pretty banged up:

DK Metcalf, Dee Eskridge and Freddie Swain missed practice again Thursday, for the second consecutive day.

Metcalf has a new back injury. That is in addition to his foot issue Seattle’s coaches and training staff have managed through practice weeks all season. He has missed at least one and sometimes two practices in a week yet started every game. He has 56 receptions for 753 yards and eight touchdowns.

Eskridge has a foot injury, new since he played in the Seahawks’ win at Houston last weekend. He had a key block outside right to set Rashaad Penny free on his first of two long touchdown runs.

Swain has an injured ankle. He also had an added designation Thursday of “not injury related, personal.”

Read more at: https://www.tri-cityherald.com/sports/a ... rylink=cpy

[Rambo2014]

Lets Ball

[Hawktawk]

Hire some guys off the street

[I-5]

DK Metcalf, Dee Eskridge and Freddie Swain missed practice again Thursday, for the second consecutive day.

Metcalf has a new back injury. That is in addition to his foot issue Seattle’s coaches and training staff have managed through practice weeks all season. He has missed at least one and sometimes two practices in a week yet started every game. He has 56 receptions for 753 yards and eight touchdowns.

Eskridge has a foot injury, new since he played in the Seahawks’ win at Houston last weekend. He had a key block outside right to set Rashaad Penny free on his first of two long touchdown runs.

Swain has an injured ankle. He also had an added designation Thursday of “not injury related, personal.”

At this point in the season, I think all teams have these nagging injury issues. I do think Pete is different than most HC’s and more willing to let players get rest instead of practicing while they’re nursing injuries, and I agree with him. The one marvel at is Bobby. You never hear anything about him staying off the field - the guy is a tank.

[RiverDog]

At this point in the season, I think all teams have these nagging injury issues. I do think Pete is different than most HC’s and more willing to let players get rest instead of practicing while they’re nursing injuries, and I agree with him. The one marvel at is Bobby. You never hear anything about him staying off the field - the guy is a tank.

Agreed, which is why I qualified my remarks by saying that it was hard to tell just how serious they are and that "on paper" we look a little banged up.

Bobby is occasionally held out of practice, but it's usually with a designation of 'resting a veteran' or something like that. But you're right, he's been amazingly injury free during his career.

[jshawaii22]

NFL/NFLPA are in discussions to postpone/move games that are seriously affected. Ravens, Browns, Redskins, Rams are all on the list. This is according to Adam Sheffler around 11am today. I would also think the gambling industry would also want this as it's almost impossible to set lines on games that have teams in elevated protocols.

Update: Browns / Raiders moving to Monday from Saturday. The rest of the domino games will soon follow. Can't imagine our game not moving, too, but you never know.

Update 2: https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2021/12/17/seahawks-rams-washington-eagles-games-could-move-to-tuesday/

Update 3: Get ready for Tuesday Night Football, Seahawks fans. Nice week to be home... Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday Football baby.

[curmudgeon]

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2021/12/17/nfl-moves-seahawks-rams-game-to-tuesday/

[c_hawkbob]

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2021/12/17/nfl-moves-seahawks-rams-game-to-tuesday/

Works for me, I've got a better chance of actually watching it televised instead of having to stream it on my laptop.

[RiverDog]

Get ready for Tuesday Night Football, Seahawks fans. Nice week to be home... Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday Football baby.

Fantastic if you're at home, but I was almost going to go to the Rams game if not for our early season face plant. The thought was to spend a few days in LA, catch Chiefs-Chargers on Thursday then Seahawks-Rams on Saturday. It would have played hell with my plans had I bought game tickets then had to stay another two nights/change flights in LA to see the game all during the holiday season.

[NorthHawk]

So what happens if the Seahawks get a rash of Covid incidents and end up with 20 players
out? Would we end up playing anyway or would they move the game again?

[RiverDog]

So what happens if the Seahawks get a rash of Covid incidents and end up with 20 players
out? Would we end up playing anyway or would they move the game again?

I suppose they could move everything back a week and do away with the bye week before the Super Bowl.

There's going to be a whole lot of ticket holders that are going to be supremely pissed off over this. Last season, there wasn't any fans in the stands anyway so it wasn't that big if a deal.

[Uppercut]

So what happens if the Seahawks get a rash of Covid incidents and end up with 20 players
out? Would we end up playing anyway or would they move the game again?

Of course the Hawks would have to forfeit

[TriCitySam]

The reschedule to Tuesday...a big break for the Rams. In late July the NFL warned that teams who did not stay with COVID protocols could face a forfeit rather than a reschedule. Personally, I don't think they should have gotten the break.

[RiverDog]

The reschedule to Tuesday...a big break for the Rams. In late July the NFL warned that teams who did not stay with COVID protocols could face a forfeit rather than a reschedule. Personally, I don't think they should have gotten the break.

The current rules/protocols were crafted under a different set of circumstances than exists today. The main object was to help communities control the spread of the virus, so they established strict policies on masking and vaccinations based on the best science available at the time. It was a proven fact that those policies were effective in controlling transmission.

The arrival of the omicron variant changed all of that. It is more transmissible and vaccines are less effective, so it doesn't make sense to punish teams because they've failed to control it. The league is 95% vaccinated yet they're still having massive breakouts. It's unclear how effective masking and social distancing is at controlling omicron, but it's likely that like vaccines, those protocols are less effective, too.

This week, it was the Rams, WFT, and Browns that were hit hardest. Next week, it could be three different teams. It's going to be a struggle to get through the season without having a major disruption. Don't be surprised to see more rescheduling and changes in protocols.

[EmeraldBullet]

This sucks. I had a rare sunday off to watch the game and will probably be out working past 9 pm on tuesday. If the rams had to forfeit I wouldnt get to see the game but at least our team would have a win and an extra bye week. Now what happens tuesday if the rams are completely healthy and the seahawks have 29 players with covid? We forfeit?

I understand the decision is for the nfl to make more money, but this really screws us.

[jshawaii22]

It's going to be a struggle to get through the season without having a major disruption.

I think moving 4 games this week would be called a 'major disruption', but it is what it is and I'm sure the affected teams are at least somewhat happy.

Oahu jumped from an average last month of 30-60 positives a day to 850 today and this is an island, where for the most part your life with the pandemic is very controlled.

[RiverDog]

It's going to be a struggle to get through the season without having a major disruption.

I think moving 4 games this week would be called a 'major disruption', but it is what it is and I'm sure the affected teams are at least somewhat happy.

My definition of a major disruption would be cancelation of games or a shortening of the season.

Oahu jumped from an average last month of 30-60 positives a day to 850 today and this is an island, where for the most part your life with the pandemic is very controlled.

Yeah, it's here, alright. That was my point about the league's decision to give teams like the Rams a break. We haven't seen the last of these 'disruptions.'

[TriCitySam]

I don't buy the let's not punish the Rams malarkey at all. Let's not punish them so let's punish the team who did a better job of controlling their environment.

[EmeraldBullet]

I don't buy the let's not punish the Rams malarkey at all. Let's not punish them so let's punish the team who did a better job of controlling their environment.

I think if it were the other way around the nfl would do the same thing, its all about making more money by playing the games and having starters play rather thna having forfeits and playing practice squad games

[jshawaii22]

This is no longer about vaccinated vs unvaccinated. The bulk of the positives are vaccinated players / coaches as well as the general population throughout the country because vaccinated make up almost 70% of the country. The difference is how sick you get. The 'more' you are vaccinated the less you are generally affected. The hospitals are overrun again with unvaccinated. The teams can't stop it. Neither can you. The only answer is to get vaccinated and ride it out.

[trents]

This is no longer about vaccinated vs unvaccinated. The bulk of the positives are vaccinated players / coaches as well as the general population throughout the country because vaccinated make up almost 70% of the country. The difference is how sick you get. The 'more' you are vaccinated the less you are generally affected. The hospitals are overrun again with unvaccinated. The teams can't stop it. Neither can you. The only answer is to get vaccinated and ride it out.

Agreed. Do what you can do to protect against it by getting vaccinated but get back to normal living instead of bubble living. Professional athletes are young and fit. Let them play and let the chips fall where they may. The omicron variant is proving to be more like the common cold than a serious threat to life as was the case with the original COVID strain. Let people go back to work and kids back to school. We have some effective therapies now for those who need to be treated.

[RiverDog]

I don't buy the let's not punish the Rams malarkey at all. Let's not punish them so let's punish the team who did a better job of controlling their environment.

If you could prove that the Rams did a poor job of controlling their environment, such as the Packers did when they allowed unvaccinated Aaron Rodgers to travel with the team and appear in news conferences unmasked, then I might agree. But other than the positive tests, there is no proof that the Rams did a better job of protecting their players than the Hawks did theirs. After all, it wasn't just the Rams that got stung. The Browns and WFT also had breakouts of 20+ players and staff, so it wasn't a problem isolated to just one team, and the NBA, with 97% of their players vaccinated, and the NCAA has had to postpone or cancel games. If you take McVay for his word, he said that his team followed all the protocols and did everything that they were supposed to do.

Like I said earlier, this virus is different than the ones before it. It is much more transmissible and more resistant to vaccines, at least as far as protecting against infections.

[RiverDog]

I don't buy the let's not punish the Rams malarkey at all. Let's not punish them so let's punish the team who did a better job of controlling their environment.

I think if it were the other way around the nfl would do the same thing, its all about making more money by playing the games and having starters play rather thna having forfeits and playing practice squad games

I agree with Em on this subject. For the past 12 hours or so, I've been treated to scores of conspiracy theories and claims of favoritism from fans of Seahawk nation, that the league wants a large market team in the Super Bowl, how Roger Goodell has always hated the Seahawks, blah, blah, blah.

But the reality is that the league is trying to protect their sponsors and the value of their advertising slots. They don't want to turn these contests into something like the replacement teams during the players strike back in the 80's. This move actually works to the advantage of some advertisers, as an extra two games get moved into prime time and could result in more viewership than would have been the case had the games gone on as scheduled. Besides forfeitures, the only other option available to the league is to cancel all games and move the entire season back a week, which would be hugely complicated by stadium availability and other factors.

This likely isn't the only change that the league's going to have to make if they are going to keep the entire season from falling apart, so we might as well get used to it.

And I'll bet that you don't hear a lot of complaints from the players, either. The other option is forfeiture, in which case NONE of the players on either team would get a game check.

[NorthHawk]

PFt thinks forfeits won't happen. They would go to a % win rate for seeding or making the playoffs.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2 ... -unlikely/

[RiverDog]

PFt thinks forfeits won't happen. They would go to a % win rate for seeding or making the playoffs.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2 ... -unlikely/

Yup. Here's the key paragraph in that story:

The NFL used the vague threat of forfeits as a way to cajole players into getting vaccinated, explaining that any canceled games arising from outbreaks among unvaccinated players for a given team would result in that team taking a loss. With 96-percent of all players vaccinated, and with the NFL suggesting that the vast majority of the positives come from off-site exposure, it becomes difficult if not impossible to tie the exposure back to the unvaccinated players in a given team.

[tarlhawk]

Perhaps the NFL interest in completing this season is the projected revenues from this season help dictate the anticipated salary cap hikes for next year.

[RiverDog]

I don't buy the let's not punish the Rams malarkey at all. Let's not punish them so let's punish the team who did a better job of controlling their environment.

We just put 6 more players on the Covid list today:

The Seahawks placed six players on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Sunday, including starting cornerback D.J. Reed and starting right tackle Brandon Shell.

Also on the COVID list are running back Travis Homer, defensive end Kerry Hyder Jr., and a pair of practice squad players, guard Pier-Olivier Lestage and cornerback Mike Jackson.

They join in the reserve/COVID-19 list receiver Tyler Lockett and running back Alex Collins, who both went on it on Thursday.

https://www.seahawks.com/news/seahawks- ... id-19-list

So much for our controlling our environment. As I keep saying, this new variant changes the game.

[Hawktawk]

I’m sure if we hit 15 or 20 they will move the game again right ?

[Uppercut]

I’m sure if we hit 15 or 20 they will move the game again right ?

Maybe a doubleheader next weekemd. Rams in AM in LA and bears in the evening

[obiken]

River and I thought Covid was over now this!!

[RiverDog]

River and I thought Covid was over now this!!

A lot of us thought Covid was over. We're all guilty of wishful thinking.

[obiken]

A lot of us thought Covid was over. We're all guilty of wishful thinking.

To OUR defense River, we didn't think we would have to hold up the Class for the Rabbit hole people led by the Dungeon Master!!

[Aseahawkfan]

I wonder if it is the Omicron variant spreading in the NFL or a new surge of Delta.

[obiken]

I wonder if it is the Omicron variant spreading in the NFL or a new surge of Delta.

I would say the Latter ASHF, the Omicron is too new to be spreading like this.

[RiverDog]

I wonder if it is the Omicron variant spreading in the NFL or a new surge of Delta.

It's being attributed to omicron:

“I don’t think we could have foreseen the magnitude of that increase and how rapidly Omicron would really take over and essentially change the entire game plan,” the NFL’s medical director, Allen Sills, told me Saturday night. “There was some anticipation, but it’s a bit like preparing for a hurricane. You take all the preparations you think you can and then you wait, and then you see how it actually is … Out of the first batch that we’ve been able to test, almost all of the positives were Omicron.”

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2 ... eter-king/

[c_hawkbob]

I wonder if it is the Omicron variant spreading in the NFL or a new surge of Delta.

It's being attributed to omicron:

“I don’t think we could have foreseen the magnitude of that increase and how rapidly Omicron would really take over and essentially change the entire game plan,” the NFL’s medical director, Allen Sills, told me Saturday night. “There was some anticipation, but it’s a bit like preparing for a hurricane. You take all the preparations you think you can and then you wait, and then you see how it actually is … Out of the first batch that we’ve been able to test, almost all of the positives were Omicron.”

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2 ... eter-king/

Which makes sense as Omicron is more likely to breakthrough a vaccinated and even boosted subject group but luckily also more likely to be asymptomatic among that same group.

[RiverDog]

Which makes sense as Omicron is more likely to breakthrough a vaccinated and even boosted subject group but luckily also more likely to be asymptomatic among that same group.

Serious question: Have you seen any data on how many of the recent positives have been occurring in subjects that have received the initial shots AND the booster? The NFL is not yet requiring boosters and I doubt that they're even aware of those individuals that might have gotten one.

I can't find anything in my searches that indicates the efficacy of booster shots vs. Omicron from field evidence, only that laboratory experiments show that boosters substantially increase anti body response. If you're aware of a study with that information, I'd sincerely appreciate it if you shared it with us. My feeling is that the variant is so new that they haven't had enough time to collect such information.