“A Runway For Players”
June 18th, 2020
Count on a refund for your preseason tickets.
That’s not Joe pulling wallet-fattening news out of thin air. Top NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport was a guest on WDAE radio yesterday and while chatting about likely changes to training camp tied to The Sickness, he said “there’s going to be no fans in the stands for preseason anyway.”
Rapoport didn’t elaborate on that specific point, but he sure sounded confident. Based on the overall chatter, Joe assumes Rapoport was referring to fans being kept away from stadiums as states and venues spend more time developing safety protocols and studying the progression or regression of The Sickness.
Rapoport is confident the disruption of the typical NFL offseason will be constant. He spoke of “a runway for players to try to get in shape” when they arrive at training camp. That jibes with a report Joe read out of Seattle late last week about how the league is considering two weeks of conditioning work with zero practices in pads following players reporting to camp in late July.
The goal of the “runway,” Rapoport said, would be “to avoid a historic number of hamstring pulls and groin pulls.”
While social media videos of NFL players working out look great, Rapoport said it’s important to realize many players were without key training equipment for months and are still without critical team oversight when it comes to fitness.
Regardless, Joe will be so happy for fans if they can watch preseason on TV and get refunds on those tickets. It would almost make up for those who paid to attend the 2014 Bucs season finale, as Team Glazer counted their money while Lovie Smith intentionally tried to lose the game.
June 18th, 2020 at 6:25 am
Regardless, Joe will be so happy for fans if they can watch preseason on TV and get refunds on those tickets. It would almost make up for those who paid to attend the 2014 Bucs season finale, as Team Glazer counted their money while Lovie Smith intentionally tried to lose the game.
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Is this the same Joe who frequently advocates playing for the draft if we’re not in playoff contention? Doesn’t mean the team has to run a con job like they did in a final home game. If you’re playing for the draft, then be honest about it. “We’re resting our starters Sunday to evaluate young players.”–Joe
June 18th, 2020 at 7:42 am
Was at that game….sat next to a Buc fan (wearing Buc jersey & hat) he was cheering for NO and rooting for Bucs to fumble etc…..it was absolutely sickening.
It was obvious we were tanking and nobody should have had to pay for attending that game.
June 18th, 2020 at 7:44 am
That sounds fine in principle Joe, but how tone-deaf would it be to say you’re resting your players when the seasons near its end and there are no postseason aspirations? Resting your players for what, the offseason?
June 18th, 2020 at 8:13 am
I just hope this recent spike in cases doesn’t shut down the whole NFL season.
June 18th, 2020 at 8:40 am
The Bucs got ahead of the curve a bit by breaking down the prices for season tickets. For me it’s Prime games $90, Marquee games (GB, NO, KC) $132, Preseason $27 LOL.
Finally reduced after they saw that they will probably have to refund them. Oh well. Let’s hope the virus subsides enough for fans to attend the regular season.
June 18th, 2020 at 8:56 am
Joe, any more word on whether the preseason will be reduced to two games rather than all four?
June 18th, 2020 at 9:20 am
The sheep have to be told that a terrible 2-13 team might not want to win the last game???????? The only thing shocking was that New Orleans did not come to play, as they took it “easy” while they strolled into the playoffs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There was not that much difference between the last game and all the other 15 games, that someone could complain about!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The whole season was incompetence to the worst degree!!!!!!!!!!!! The best part was the sheep that wrongly thought that incompetent loser lovie had some grand plan of sand bagging the whole 2014 season!!!!!!!!!!! LOL!!!!!!!!!!!
go bucs!!!!!!!!!!!
June 18th, 2020 at 9:37 am
Here’s a problem that confirms Rappaports speculation.
The Grand Poobah of “What Me Worry?” is forcing attendees at his next Presidential rally in Tulsa to sign WAIVERS!!! This from a guy who thinks wearing a mask is too much. His mouthpiece pointed out that you have to accept risk everyday like attending a baseball game.
And indeed people do get hurt all the time at baseball games and hockey games although the leagues have responded with fencing that has made it a lot safer.
I’ve signed waivers when buying lift tickets to ski…go sky diving…are we thinking then if the main man demands waivers attending large public events is at least as dangerous as sky diving and snow skiing?
Which brings to attendance at NFL games. The league is very aware of liability and will do all they can to prevent legal problems. Does this mean signing a waiver…perhaps mandatory masks. I do not claim to know. I do claim to believe those who DO claim to know are speculating…time will tell for sure.
June 18th, 2020 at 10:00 am
First, teams should not charge for preseason anyway. These should be “giveaways” and full-on marketing campaigns. No, that doesn’t mean add more to the price of regular season tickets, which in many cases are already too high for a lot of people to pay. I pay a total of $11K for my four-seat package, 20% of which includes pre-season throw-away tickets. So sure, I’ll take the $2100 back and just defer it to next year’s payments.
Second, it is good the NFL is going about this carefully, deliberately, so as to have a season at all. Some of the State governors and local governments who have NFL teams would still like to see the whole world totally shut down; they don’t have a valid case if the NFL does this carefully. That is, most powers had, particularly by the Governors, are based on “emergencies” for safety and health of the publc. With the NFL diffusing chances of making any emergency worse through cogent measures, they will have little option but to let the stadiums/facilities be open. We litigators will be very busy from now until forever with all the COVID-19 lawsuits on several fronts. But that’s a shame–all should work better together to keep this country going–and football is one major way to do that. Keeps folks employed and keeps the masses happy. Some out there probably loathe that thought.
June 18th, 2020 at 10:12 am
@stpetebucs…politicians, government, and private sector are all doing extraordinary things to limit liability in providing a balance of letting activities go on so we can keep our sanity/jobs, and public safety. It’s your right to throw shade at the President, but consider spreading that contempt you have for him to all who try to limit liability–if your intent to be honest and fair. Which I believe it is.
That aside, mandatory masks is a good thing, as well as waivers for those who have season tickets/purchase single game tickets. They already have “prohibited items” for safety/health reasons; makes sense that works two ways in things you MUST have for safety/health reasons. I would also recommend too though, that many tickets holders are part of the most vulnerable population, and they’ve purchased their tickets starting last July. So I’d hope the NFL, ticketmaster, etc will have a “no questions asked” refund mechanism in place. But, folks who are vulnerable should stay home, and those who are not (or don’t care), should respect the fact they can be spewing the virus all over by not wearing a mask.
I’m just glad things are pointing to having football!
June 18th, 2020 at 11:24 am
Well, well, well, several of you are expressing concerns related to the virus and its impact on the 2020 NFL season. Occasionally, I have posted that there will be too many problems with the fans, the players AND support staff to have a meaningful NFL season in 2020. I get that we now have the GOAT ( a true miracle) and that’s all Tampa fans want to talk about.
But, don’t you guys read the papers any more? Doesn’t anybody listen to anything other than Faux News? You guys are in the middle of a pandemic. Not the “second wave”. That comes in the Fall. You’re in the middle of the first wave in Florida. For those thinking they will play without 1,000s in the stands, how would you feel if you’re a 320 pound black lineman? OK to get the virus from your opponent. I don’t think so. Hope for 2021.
June 18th, 2020 at 11:46 am
The country has suffered riots and protests weeks now, and no significant “spike” in cases in those areas of large, gathered crowds, many sans masks and “social distancing.”
Additionally, a “spike” in “cases” closely tracks an increase in testing, not necessarily an increase of sick people..
There is no “second wave”, but trial lawyers are salivating over the prospect of torting the crap out of any deep-pocketed group if a case somehow arises from their activity.
The sky is not falling…
(Wanna bet The Sickness disappears on Nov. 4?)
June 18th, 2020 at 1:07 pm
@Cobraboy, listen to reason, or your media outlet of choice. There is no data supporting spikes in protest one way or the other; the vairables aren’t isolated or even defined. Same with testing versus cases…not exact corellation. Maybe…maybe not.
A “second wave” depends on how well people use common sense; nothing else.
The sky is not falling due to COVID19; I will agree with you there. It very well could be fallng with the increase in political acrimony at all fronts trying to use COVID as a political tool; save with the Floyd and Brooks cases. Dirsty, nasty stuff.
Yes, I’d bet on the sickness NOT disappearing, and win that hands down. I won’t bet on a vaccine by end of year though.
June 18th, 2020 at 1:35 pm
@Roy T. Buford: COVID is currently political. I don’t have proof it began that way, but virtually everything we were told about it early on has proven to be untrue, including the need to shut down and rapidity and ease of transmission.
I’m not a knee-jerk guy. I’m somewhat cynical and look beyond media-chosen stats-I don’t believe anyone until they can prove their point, and most fail. I also made my bones in healthcare in Tampa Bay (specifically, infectious diseases) and count among close friends and family many doctors…who share my thoughts, and from whom I have learned much, especially that my cynicism in this situation is well-founded.
FWIW: I met Dr. Fauci personally in the early 90’s. He was also wrong about another infectious disease I was involved in. He claimed it was an easily-spread viral pandemic, and it was not. The guy has a long history of failure in his analyses and predictions.
I don’t believe in coincidences of these magnitudes, especially in a cultural civil war.
June 18th, 2020 at 2:45 pm
Cobra, thank you for your response that did not include stupid comments. I believe you believe in your comments. However, facts are facts. How do you explain away this found on the web today:
“As novel coronavirus caseloads continue to surge across the South and West, Arizona announced 2,519 new cases on Thursday morning, Florida announced 3,207, and California reported 4,084. All are new highs. Coronavirus hospitalizations in Arizona have doubled since Memorial Day, with public data showing inpatient beds across the state at 85 percent capacity. Most of California’s new cases — 2,115 — are in Los Angeles County. Florida announced 43 new deaths, and its rolling case average hit a new high for the 11th straight day.”
That is on the Wash. Post’s site. Are you saying they are lying about these numbers? Otherwise, it sure looks like spikes to me.
June 18th, 2020 at 5:22 pm
The WaPo lie? Lol
Define “new case…”
June 18th, 2020 at 5:37 pm
I certainly hope you’re right Cobraboy, but I think even with your background, you are drinking the orange man’s koolaid. It all starts at the top with a guy who lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue who refuses to wear a mask, refuses to be photographed in a mask and is holding a packed campaign rally this weekend that will certainly lead to many additional cases in OK and whereever the rest of his flock attend from.
June 18th, 2020 at 6:06 pm
Cobraboy
Testing indeed does reveal all the cases. But without we have no idea who is infecting whom! Yes if we do not test them infected people are not counted statistically….does that mean they do not exist? That since they haven;t been counted they can’t infect the rest of us?
Meanwhlle a real world consequence. What SOME people are not considering is the fact of the pace of the spike or the run on hospital services. That was the most frightening aspect of NYC. Cases that are spread out can be handled normally but when they “spike” they overwhelm the system.
Montgomery Alabama now is out of hospital space. They are close to shipping patients out to neighboring cities. My wife and I stay in Prattsville(Montgomery) every year heading north to Michigan. We won’t be stopping anywhere near Montgomery next month…might as well avoid the Covid hot spot.
June 18th, 2020 at 6:18 pm
Washington Post lies? Who started that? The Dear Leader. Who has been suckered in and “doesn’t believe his lying eyes? You.
With your hospital experience , are you volunteering for help if they need it for testing, counseling, etc.?
June 18th, 2020 at 6:46 pm
@stpetebicsfans: tests show as much as 50% false positives. Additionally, we now know that the probability of asymptomatic transmission is just a click above 0%. Hospital admissions are up, but not because of CV19. They are up because of pent-up demand for services unavailable the last 3 months. Where do I get my stats? A nephew who id Chief of Surgery at a major panhandle hospital. Positive tests are NOT “new cases.” The more there are tests, the more positive tests will show up. I also read a recent study that found that 80% of the world’s population may have a natural immunity due to a specific protein found in blood.
@Alvin Scissors Harper: I follow no man, and ask no man to follow me. You mix weak, partisan sauce. Yes, my background gives me the experience combined with critical thinking skills to be able to read clinical studies and know baloney when I see it. The same is for many members of my family and friends in the heart of the medical world.
@bucsfansinoregon: Yes, the WaPo does, indeed, lie. Look no further than their Mueller reporting while they KNEW there was no “there” there. And answer me this: is this virus so intelligent it will transmit in a Trump rally but not in the millions of protestors and rioters in the streets across the US? (BTW: I lived in Lake Oswego for a couple of years, and played for the Portland Storm in ’75, most likely before your time. My locker was next to Ben Davidson.)
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I bemoan the lack of critical thinking skills no longer passed onto our youts…
June 18th, 2020 at 11:06 pm
Cobraboy
I bemoan the lack of critical thinking skills no longer passed onto our youts…
Close but not quite right
I raised two boys to think for themselves and to look at things from an ‘outside’ angle to see all sides of an argument.
One of them still uses those skills and is now an engineer. The other has allowed ‘group think’ to replace his critical thinking skills and wants to be a ‘professional’ student. I blame college professors who have never had a real job and spend as much time exhorting the value of ‘activism’ as they do on the subject matter they are supposed to be teaching.
June 19th, 2020 at 8:34 am
@gp: 50% is better than most current parents can claim. Well done!
June 19th, 2020 at 9:34 am
Not good enough!
Still hoping that common sense will prevail and intelligence will beat back ‘group think’.