The NFL Needs to start looking at bubble options, fast.

Phrazbit

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MLB didn't use a bubble and their system is already failing.

I get why the MLB didn't create a bubble. The only areas with enough facilities available to house them are in Florida and Arizona, which are way too hot to play in during the middle of the summer, and that is before those states became covid capitals.

The MLB is already seeing their structure fail, one team has lost half their roster... after only a couple games. Potentially the league could write a team or 2 off and keep going but that is in a 60 game season, and it will still create serious headaches.

I think the NHL and NBA will succeed in their restarts. If an NBA player gets sick it will be because some disney employee coughed on their food or the player went out on the town.

The MLB however is subject to the rules of local communities and subject to frequent travel and whatever hotel will house them.

The NFL is planning the same approach but with far more personnel and a much less forgiving schedule. And, unlike the MLB, there are several areas across the country that could yield multiple playing surfaces up to the NFL standards.

On a more morbid note, if ANY pro sports league has athletes that would fall in the "high risk" group, it is football. A league swimming with guys weighing in at 300+ pounds and a propensity for dying young.

They NEED to figure out a bubble situation. That it is hardly being discussed is mind blowing.
 

Cheesebeef

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I have been stunned by the NFL’s safety measures approach to this season... or lack thereof.

they should absolutely bubble it up. There’s four NFL ready stadiums in LA for an NFC bubble, playing on Thurs/Sat/Sun/Mon and they could prob do the AFC in Dallas where I think I read that Jerry has some kind of compound with four football fields on it.

I mean...With no bubble, between hundreds of players, coaches, training staff facing off against the same every week AND traveling AND actually having fans, it’s just like hosting super spreader events 16 times a week for months on end. One of those people is going to die and entire squads are going to get sick.

just seems like they’ve got their heads collectively buried in the sand and only see $$$$.
 

jf-08

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Just mandate the players and team personnel wear masks and social distance. What's the problem?
 

MadCardDisease

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Chris_Sanders

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I really think they blew it when they kept the original schedule. No team should be travelling more than 2 hours right now. No West Coast to East Coast flights at all, which require you to stay overnight. We have way too many back and forth trips to the east coast.

There are 32 NFL teams. Have 8 regional teams play twice with 4 divisions.

Something like:

Pacific Southwest

49ers
Seattle
Las Vegas
Chargers
Rams
Arizona
Denver
Dallas

Or just do 8 4 team regions and have them play each other 4 times.
 

Chris_Sanders

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4 team divisions

Seattle, 49ers, Chargers, Rams

Arizona, Denver, Las Vegas, Houston

Vikings, Packers, Lions, Bears

Chefs, Titans, Dallas, Saints

Miami, Tampa, Atlanta, Jacksonville

Washington, Baltimore, Philly, Carolina

Colts, Bengals, Browns, Steelers

Buffalo, New England, Jets, Giants


First two divisions have the longest potential travel so they only play afternoon and night games so there are zero hotel stays.
 

MadCardDisease

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I really think they blew it when they kept the original schedule. No team should be travelling more than 2 hours right now. No West Coast to East Coast flights at all, which require you to stay overnight. We have way too many back and forth trips to the east coast.

There are 32 NFL teams. Have 8 regional teams play twice with 4 divisions.

Something like:

Pacific Southwest

49ers
Seattle
Las Vegas
Chargers
Rams
Arizona
Denver
Dallas

Or just do 8 4 team regions and have them play each other 4 times.

Is there really a difference between a 2 hour flight and a 4 hour flight with regards to infection?

They say that you only need about 15 minutes of close contact to get infected.

I'm guessing that the team flight will have everyone spaced out with masks on to help as well.
 

Chris_Sanders

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Is there really a difference between a 2 hour flight and a 4 hour flight with regards to infection?

They say that you only need about 15 minutes of close contact to get infected.

I'm guessing that the team flight will have everyone spaced out with masks on to help as well.

It's about the hotel stay not the flight. Now you have more contact through food and hotel.
 

Chopper0080

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I really think they blew it when they kept the original schedule. No team should be travelling more than 2 hours right now. No West Coast to East Coast flights at all, which require you to stay overnight. We have way too many back and forth trips to the east coast.

There are 32 NFL teams. Have 8 regional teams play twice with 4 divisions.

Something like:

Pacific Southwest

49ers
Seattle
Las Vegas
Chargers
Rams
Arizona
Denver
Dallas

Or just do 8 4 team regions and have them play each other 4 times.
I like this concept and just having four host cities to house that 8 team bubble.
 

MadCardDisease

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It's about the hotel stay not the flight. Now you have more contact through food and hotel.

Protocols are in place for team travel:

https://www.playsmartplaysafe.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/nfl-nflpa-covid-education_7.16.20.pdf
  • Team travel is restricted to Tier 1 and Tier 2 individuals only
  • Masks must be worn while traveling
  • Physical distancing protocols will be followed wherever possible including:
    • Separate hotel rooms
    • Buses limited to no more than 50% capacity
    • At least one open seat between airplane passengers
  • No use of public or private transportation on the road to or in other cities
  • Not permitted to leave the hotel to eat or otherwise use restaurants that are open to the public (room service or contactless delivery is permitted)
  • No room visits by anyone other than members of the traveling party
  • No use of shared hotel facilities (e.g. pool, fitness center) unless it is limited to use by the traveling party and has been disinfected
 

MadCardDisease

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All players and staff are required to wear a Kinexon Proximity Recording device that will help with contract tracing should positive tests occur. These will be worn as a wrist band even when players are on field during practice.
You must be registered for see images attach

https://kinexon.com/safezone
 

Buckybird

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It’s impossible to have a bubble/enough bubbles that has room for 32 teams & probably 100 personnel for each for 5 months. It’s just not reasonable imo!!! Stop with the madness, this ain’t the NBA or NHL
 

Buckybird

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I saw that last night, it was very thought out, down to the individual numbered Gatorade bottles
Check out this NFL video that shows the Rams COVID response and it should be similar to other teams responses. It's a very cool behind the scenes look at what the NFL is doing to protect players and staff.

I'm a little more confident in the NFL COVID response after watching this:

https://www.playsmartplaysafe.com/n...k-l-rams-health-protocols-2020-training-camp/
 

MadCardDisease

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It’s impossible to have a bubble/enough bubbles that has room for 32 teams & probably 100 personnel for each for 5 months. It’s just not reasonable imo!!! Stop with the madness, this ain’t the NBA or NHL


Totally Agree! It is not feasible to have entire NFL teams all crammed into a bubble or multiple bubbles for an entire season.

The NBA and NHL can do it because it is only for the postseason for the most part. Also those teams will only be in the bubble for a couple of months at most and have much smaller rosters than a NFL team.
 

Russ Smith

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I just think there are too many people. You'd almost have to rent an island or something nutty to do it.

Ballparking with players, coaches and personnel you're at least 2500 people.

Micro bubbles shrinks that down some. You can't do the 6 divisions that's just not fair enough so my guess is you would need like 2 AFC and 2 NFC bubbles play games in each bubble then playoff games between bubble winners and then SB between the NFC and AFC winner.

I don't expect an NFL season to be completed, I hope they can, I just don't see it. There's too many issues, players who don't think it's safe to play, players who won't follow the rules etc. We already have an issue IMO in that I think it's fairly apparent the Patriots players have decided without Tom Brady they're not going to be nearly as good this year so several of them are not going to take the risk.

I hope to be wrong I just think the sheer number of people makes it so much harder.
 
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