Handling Odd NFL Season
June 4th, 2020
Advantage Bucs?
This NFL season could be the most radical we have ever seen.
Thanks to The Sickness, there has been no offseason short of Zoom video conferences. And there is still a real possibility every team will play all games in empty stadiums for the very same reason the spring offseason was canceled.
In a mailbag feature, Albert Breer of SI.com tackled a question asking which teams would be able to navigate this unique offseason best.
Breer used the 2011 lockout as a gauge and the two teams that played in the Super Bowl, the Giants and Belicheats, had entrenched quarterbacks. Of course, one of those entrenched quarterbacks is now the new Bucs quarterback, Tom Brady (though he is hardly entrenched with the Bucs).
Breer also noted most teams with veteran coaches during that 2011 season did OK. The Bucs have 67-year-old Bucco Bruce Arians back for his second season.
As far as empty stadiums, Breer thinks the teams that will be hurt most are those that regularly play before raucous if not rabid sold out home crowds (Chiefs, Seahawks, Saints). Being unable to feed off the crowd for motivation and energy would be a big negative, Breer guessed (though since winning Super Bowl IV, the Chiefs have had a horrible home playoff record).
The Bucs check that stadium box as a win. Few teams have drawn fewer butts in the seats (unless tickets were gobbled up by visiting teams’ fans) than the Bucs in the post-Chucky era. The Bucs were regularly in the bottom-five in home attendance during the Lost Decade. It’s why Donovan Smith said this gem a month ago.
Hell, even the Bucs in recent years had to go to a silent snap count because of the visiting fans’ crowd noise.
So, and Joe’s not trying to be a wiseacre here, the Bucs should be well-versed playing in relative silence.
Veteran head coach, a veteran though new quarterback and a team jaded by a small fanbase at home. The Bucs should be alright.
June 4th, 2020 at 6:38 am
I don’t foresee empty stadiums……..I see half filled stadiums for sure.
My predictions before the Sickness is that businesses make participants sign non-responsibility waivers have come true and I think that will be the way of the world right now until a forthright solution is found.
Remember people: “The solution cannot be worse than the cure”
June 4th, 2020 at 7:06 am
I didn’t see any “social distancing” while people were rioting and looting or peacefully protesting so in my opinion they need to leave the game alone and let those of us that choose to go. If you want to stay home fine with me.
June 4th, 2020 at 7:25 am
If we can pack 80k people into the streets in various cities we can pack that many in various stadiums. It’s time to end this charade and get back to normal.
June 4th, 2020 at 7:42 am
21 million people in the state of Florida. 1300 cases yesterday. I’m not math major but I’m sure that’s 0%. 60 people die (big deal people die everyday get over it.) what are the odds of getting struck by lightning? I’m not sure but I’m guessing it’s close. Remember we’re are now the requisite time period out from Memorial Day weekend when cases would allegedly spike and kill us all, or something. And yet, hilariously, there seems to be a larger percentage of weak feeble losers that would prefer to not go to a football game. Even presented with numbers that suggest the odds are razor thin that anything will happen, a ton of mind f’d ninnies will clutch their pearls, take their heart disease medicine and lock themselves in the closet. Stupid Dems. Going out and protesting tho – that’s ok!
June 4th, 2020 at 7:44 am
Clod hopper – well NOW you’re just being too rational!
June 4th, 2020 at 7:44 am
If the streets can be filled with protesters, then the the stadiums can be filled with fans. If someone does not want the risk, sit home.
June 4th, 2020 at 7:49 am
Clodhopper –
It’s not a charade- it’s a coup d’etat
June 4th, 2020 at 7:55 am
Here is a problem……..Since Governors have control of the rules…..what if Tampa, Tenn, ATL, Dallas & Houston Governors give permission for full stadiums and NY, NJ, Minn, Calif governors don’t.
Will the NFL dictate that all have to have empty stadiums?…….Likely
June 4th, 2020 at 8:02 am
In concert with various governmental and or state decisions, this is definitely going to be a league decision.
June 4th, 2020 at 8:11 am
Tampabay – good question. Logically, I would think some revenue from the gate is better than no revenue. I would bet that most players and coaches league wide would welcome going in to stadiums with fans. It honestly defies logic to me that the league will institute a league wide policy prohibiting fan attendance because of a handful of teams in trash states in the spirit of “competitive balance.” It seems LESS fair to me that the vast majority of teams have to sacrifice for a few markets.
June 4th, 2020 at 8:20 am
@ TBF
Governors cannot dictate what private businesses do……….that’d be trampolining on their constitutional rights/bill of rights and whatever the laws dictates in regards to how they run their businesses.
The Governors can restrict though as we’ve all seen nationwide and people can stand against it as we’ve seen across the country too.
Because the NFL is one of the most powerful businesses in this country, I don’t see any governor trying to tell them “I will allow you to do this….but do it this way”.
If Anything, the governors will create some sort of guidelines……but remember guidelines are not law………so the NFL can operate anyway they see fit following those state guidelines.
June 4th, 2020 at 8:25 am
@ ClodHopper
While I 100% agree with you…
The Governments and Media are pushing a narrative and since this narrative has been pushed since March……..they’re not gonna so easily turn their backs on it.
Unfortunately………….we gotta ride this wave but it doesn’t mean for people to not remain educated. People must seek the truth for themselves.
June 4th, 2020 at 8:51 am
TheBucsAnthem Says:
June 4th, 2020 at 8:20 am
@ TBF
Governors cannot dictate what private businesses do……….that’d be trampolining on their constitutional rights/bill of rights and whatever the laws dictates in regards to how they run their businesses.
As a matter of fact, they are doing it right now to private businesses…..in my state Bars & Gyms are shut down and no gathering is permitted over 25 persons outside & 10 persons inside….
The Republican convention is likely being moved to a state that will permit a large gathering…..
You mark my words…..the NFL may permit 25 or 50% capacity but it will be subject to State & Local guidelines.
June 4th, 2020 at 8:53 am
Now joebucsfan has gotten in to the act of censorship. Sir or ma’am. Comments here are moderated. Always have been. Yours were posted. Joe is responsible for every word published on these pages. That’s not a difficult concept to understand. Many things are censored, such as misrepresentations of JoeBucsFan commentary, many personal attacks and abusive language, among other things. This is Joe’s house, not the city streets where free speech should be protected.–Joe
June 4th, 2020 at 8:55 am
Will the cannons still be fired without fans?
June 4th, 2020 at 9:06 am
It’s going to be what it’s going to be. No amount of foot-stomping, sticking your head in the sand, or yelling from the mountaintop is going to change it.
Either adapt or get the heck out of the way. Things ARE changing. So…
I would be elated to have football again, in ANY form. Will I be rushing to go to RayJay? For a couple of hundred $$$ and a “chance” at “The Sickness”?
NO. But, that’s MY choice. And, it’s really more about the cost than the “sickness”. I can watch it on TV, save $150 drink Crown from a handle and use the bathroom without waiting whenever I darn well please!
By all means, if you want to go, please do. I ain’t mad at ya!
June 4th, 2020 at 9:12 am
Freedoms given up to bureaucrats for perceived safety/security are, historically, very difficult to retrieve. Bureaucrats are mostly non-elected officials who rarely let a good crises go to waste without sucking up more control. This is a human element that infects *every* form of governance, bar none.
Willing accomplices… The media as a whole.
Those who pay the price…. Everyone, regardless of ideology. (including the media, eventually)
June 4th, 2020 at 9:37 am
Of course they can. There are tons of rules and regulations that have to be met. Try opening up a grocery store or liquor store or a restaurant without a license.
June 4th, 2020 at 9:44 am
@ Bucsfanman
It’s all going to be about personal choice going forward until the Hysteria over the “Sickness” dies down.
……and even after everything seems like it’s getting back to “normal”……it may never be the same again.
Even before the “Sickness” people that went to games on Sunday would easily spend over $100 just to watch a game if you include drinks and food.
The thought process is: “Why would I spend $100 to go to the game when I can sit in my comfortable air conditioned home with my 4K High Definition TV with a better view of the game for free!?!?!?!?!?!?!”
Really, if fans do go now……it’s obviously for the experience and not so much about the money. So the issue of packing stands in stadiums have been an on-going issue for the NFL owners for quite sometime now.
There are obviously exceptions to this if you look at Green Bay fans……they’re really dedicated and the stands are packed no matter what the weather…..I have always loved watching fans in Green Bay because they’re so dedicated.
Everybody knows that Floridians are nothing more than Northerners transplants for all across the USA and it is hard to keep that fan base in the stands cause their loyalties lies elsewhere. I really wish fans were different in the state of Florida but that’s just how it’s always been here.
June 4th, 2020 at 9:55 am
“Joe Says:
June 4th, 2020 at 9:37 am
Governors cannot dictate what private businesses do…
Of course they can. There are tons of rules and regulations that have to be met. Try opening up a grocery store or liquor store or a restaurant without a license.”
—————————————————————————————–
Joe,
Well of course there’s rules to everything in Life……..but I’m more so speaking in terms of daily operations…..more procedural…. I did say they can “Restrict”
There’s a difference between a state saying “These are the guidelines” versus a business and how they manage it’s daily operations.
I know I may sound like I’m “splitting hairs” when I say this but there is a difference.
June 4th, 2020 at 9:59 am
@ Leighroy
oh course they’ll FIRE THEM CANNONS!!!!!!!!!!
That’s a Ray J tradition……….it wouldn’t be Ray J without firing them cannons!!!!!!!!!! 🙂
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
June 4th, 2020 at 10:07 am
If this weren’t an election year none of this would be going on. We’ve had pandemics before and the public was not even, or very little, made aware of it. More people die each year from the flu than have from this pandemic. But the media has a political agenda, as do the democratic party so we all have to put up with this crap. No truer words were spoken than if the media was shut down for 1 month, the entire world would be a much better place.
June 4th, 2020 at 10:26 am
@ Formerly Tampa 2
While I 100% agree with you………you also have to look at it from the other side as well…..the people who are actually facing death everyday (doctors, nurses, paramedics, police) and from the loved ones that was lost.
You cannot treat Covid like the Flu…….cause they are different viruses.
June 4th, 2020 at 10:59 am
@bucsAnthem.
Not trying to compare. Just stating facts. As bad as it is, Covid has been weaponized and exploited for politics during this election year. I do feel for those that have been effected by Covid. And I feel for those that are put in harms way every day.
June 4th, 2020 at 11:03 am
Anthem- It is a great experience and I usually go to 1 or 2 games a year. I’ll save up and spend the extra $$$ on good seats as opposed to going to more games.
I really wish people would stop comparing this to the flu. The flu has been around for 100 years or so and we have vaccines and therapies to treat it. And NO, the flu doesn’t kill 100,000 Americans every year. Please do research before espousing someone else’s opinion on the matter.
Remember, media is there to sell soap. EVERY outlet has an agenda, not some, ALL!
June 4th, 2020 at 12:36 pm
Formerly Tampa 2. The worst flu seasons in the U.S. are estimated to kill 50k. The Sickness has killed 110k in a few months, with a lockdown. Believe what you want though.
June 4th, 2020 at 2:24 pm
With smart leadership we could have had 40,000 fewer deaths according to SCIENCE not right wing broadcasters.
What’s 40,000 people more or less eh? And as somebody has pointed out
#Boomerremover and as the Republican official in Texas who is in his 70’s pointed out we on SS should be willing to “sacrifice”. LMAO
Yeah 107,000 plus DEAD…close to two million cases and UNLIKE “normal flu” 20% of the survivors of Covid end up with some significant health issues for the remainder of their lives. According the present data Covid sufferers are THREE times more likely to die than those from normal flu.
But it’s all been a hoax to deny a President his reelection. Yeah that’s the ticket!
June 4th, 2020 at 5:40 pm
SCIENCE said masks work. Then they won’t work. Then they will work again.
SCIENCE said it came from a wet market. Then a lab. Then the market again.
SCIENCE said it can’t be transmitted from human to human. Now it can.
SCIENCE said we’d get 250k deaths. Then only 60k deaths. Now it’s more again.
SCIENCE said we can catch it from surfaces. Then we can’t. Now we can can again.
SCIENCE said protesting will spread it. Now SCIENCE is silent on protesters
The good thing about science changing its mind a hundred times is you can always use SCIENCE as a scapegoat to push your own narrative.
June 4th, 2020 at 6:17 pm
Clodhopper
Science once said that the world is flat…now it says something totally different.
Which do you believe btw. Frequently I wonder!
Science changes as we LEARN…of course in a cohort of close minded individuals who already believe they KNOW and don’t need no stinkin edumacation..nothing need change…nothing is true..it’s all just fake news and alternative facts.
So would I rather respect a scientists honest efforts at finding a cure or vaccine and how to protect myself…or some right wing crackpot on a blog. Again I think I’ll choose SCIENCE!
June 4th, 2020 at 7:07 pm
That’s exactly my point. Science keeps changing. So the attitude of believe science without thinking is preposterous. When you have that attitude (which you clearly do) you’re no different than the Christians that prosecuted the people that said the earth wasn’t flat. I’ll listen to science and then think about what they just said.
Know what else happens when science keeps changing? You can blame our leaders for making mistakes when science is telling them two different things simultaneously. So while you’re blaming 45 for all the sickness problems, just remember the WHO said it couldn’t be transmitted from human to human. They also said the travel ban on China was bad. And as you continually point out, the sickness came here mostly from Europe buying us WEEKS of time.
June 4th, 2020 at 9:08 pm
Alanbucsfan Says:
“It’s not a charade- it’s a coup d’etat.”
.
.
This, all day.
Already, tens of thousands of small businesses have been bankrupted. The banksters will be snatching up lots of nice real estate and equipment assets. This is a high-tech medical tyranny power grab.
Wake up, my people!
June 4th, 2020 at 9:15 pm
TheBucsAnthem Says:
“Because the NFL is one of the most powerful businesses in this country, I don’t see any governor trying to tell them “I will allow you to do this….but do it this way”.”
.
.
What if all of the major sports leagues are run by globalists who are more than willing to go along with the narrative to help usher in their world government? Who are the owners and commissioners? Where do their allegiances lie?
June 4th, 2020 at 9:30 pm
Bucsfanman Says:
“Remember, media is there to sell soap. EVERY outlet has an agenda, not some, ALL!”
.
.
Hey, Brother. You reminded me of a very significant point. The number one sponsor of the Project Mockingbird media is what else–the pharmaceutical industry. It used to be illegal for them to advertise directly to the public. Still is in some countries.
June 5th, 2020 at 5:32 am
Barack- I know we’ve had some exchanges but, this is one of the reasons I always view the source. What is THEIR agenda? Who are their sponsors? Who advertises there? etc.
Don’t get me wrong, we’re all entitled to our own opinions. It’s just that the truth isn’t always clear and sometimes you have to read between the lines, even listen to more than one source.
The divide is on purpose. If people would sit back and just listen for a moment, they would realize that they have more in common with each other than they think. See, that is what “they” are afraid of, UNITY.
And, to your point, the pharmaceutical industry is the scariest of all. Think of this, what is the incentive in creating medicines that actually work? If you’re in business to make money, well, where’s my incentive?! Scary!
June 5th, 2020 at 5:37 am
Clod- I don’t disagree entirely. However, true leadership has been lacking here. This isn’t even debatable because it has nothing to do with the changing waves of science.
I expect my leaders to stand in the face of fire and take responsibility, regardless of the outcome. These moments were opportunities for our country’s leadership to shine. I would argue that we have yet to see true leadership. Of course, this is just my opinion.
June 5th, 2020 at 8:03 am
Bucsfanman Says:
June 5th, 2020 at 5:37 am
Clod- I don’t disagree entirely. However, true leadership has been lacking here. This isn’t even debatable because it has nothing to do with the changing waves of science.
I expect my leaders to stand in the face of fire and take responsibility, regardless of the outcome. These moments were opportunities for our country’s leadership to shine. I would argue that we have yet to see true leadership. Of course, this is just my opinion
Just curious, what are, or were, the opportunities our leadership refused to take advantage of? And which leadership are you referring to?
June 5th, 2020 at 8:49 am
I didn’t say “refused”, they were flat out missed or ignored altogether.
Are you pleased with how these situations have been or are being handled?
And, if you need me to spell it out for you, we don’t need to have this conversation.
June 5th, 2020 at 1:38 pm
Bucsfanman Says:
“… sometimes you have to read between the lines, even listen to more than one source.
“The divide is on purpose. If people would sit back and just listen for a moment, they would realize that they have more in common with each other than they think. See, that is what “they” are afraid of, UNITY.
“And, to your point, the pharmaceutical industry is the scariest of all. Think of this, what is the incentive in creating medicines that actually work? If you’re in business to make money, well, where’s my incentive?! Scary!”
.
.
^^^All of this!^^^
June 6th, 2020 at 11:24 am
Lol science never said you didn’t need a mask. Authorities did because there was a shortage of PPE, and anyone who was paying even the slightest bit of attention could see that was the case.
Science also never sit it cane from a lab, that was just the usual conspiritards who also think JFK jr. is still alive lol.
It’s crazy how disingenuous some of you are.
June 6th, 2020 at 9:46 pm
unbelievable Says:
“Lol science never said you didn’t need a mask.”
.
They Most certainly did. Fauci stood at the White House podium and told the world that laymen should not wear masks because non-medicos don’t know how to do so properly, and may actually get sick because they try to wear masks improperly.
“Science also never said it came from a lab, that was just the usual conspiritards who also think JFK jr. is still alive lol.”
.
Wrong again. The scientist who wrote the US statute which made weaponizing germs illegal (University of Illinois international law professor Francis Boyle) was one of the first to expose this. In fact, the reason this coronavirus strain was sold to the Chinese in 2015 and 3.5 million dollars granted to the Wuhan lab by the Obama state department was to skirt that law.