“Unwatchable” Option
July 3rd, 2020
Hard words
Who wants Ronald Jones to get drilled by Devin White in training camp? What about Antoine Winfield, Jr. taking a great angle to pop Chris Godwin in the gut just before a pass arrives?
Anyone eager to see Jason Pierre-Paul line up against Tristan Wirfs in live rep after live rep, with a few manly double-teams from Rob Gronkowski?
It would be fun, but it sure would jack up the odds of injury in practice.
If the NFL players union gets its way, preseason games will all be cancelled this year — on the heels of the NFL already banishing scrimmages against other teams for 2020, aka joint practices.
Wipe out the preseason and scrimmages, and you’re left with absolutely needing live-hitting practices to have a full team ready for opening day. That was were the norm 15 or 20 years ago, but it’s something the NFL has worked hard with the union to eliminate.
Iconic Giants running back Tiki Barber is very down on wiping out preseason, so he explained on CBS Sports Radio.
“We talked many times of the ugly nature of early-season NFL. If they don’t have any preseason games, it’s going to be unwatchable,” Barber said. “I mean it’s going to be mistake after mistake after mistake. I know [the NFLPA wants] to do it for [virus] safety reasons, but it just doesn’t make any sense to go to zero. Two [games] I could accept.”
Joe is nauseous at the thought of no preseason or scrimmages when it comes to the key Bucs rookies – Wirfs, Winfield and Ke’Shawn Vaughn.
Imagine your first professional gameday experience being against the Saints in New Orleans in a highly-hyped game.
As Joe suggested on the Ira Kaufman Podcast, how about 1 preseason game this year but play six “quarters,” so teams can empty their benches and give everyone on the roster one good look while further containing the virus risk associated with a second preseason game.
July 3rd, 2020 at 8:40 pm
I think the six quarter idea is a great one.
July 3rd, 2020 at 9:01 pm
It’ll be okay. Hopeful that the NFL has a season, I don’t care how sloppy the play is. If there’s not a season, it’ll still be okay.
July 3rd, 2020 at 9:08 pm
Joe in michigan says
“I don’t care how sloppy the play is”
Then lucky for you, ole stale biscuit is as sloppy of a coach in the NFL!!!!!!!!!!!!! The “real” fans cannot wait until the clown shoe that is ole stale biscuit is FIRED!!!!!!!!!!!! The old fool has not had a winning season since 5 NFL seasons!!!!!!!!!!!
go bucs!!!!!!!!!!
July 3rd, 2020 at 9:24 pm
El Buco: Who would you rather have as head coach? Mike Smith?
July 3rd, 2020 at 9:44 pm
We watched the XFL, not for the quality of the football, because it was fresh, live football. We can excuse sucky defensive play for a few NFL games. Just give us something to watch, please.
On the offensive side I would say that the Bucs actually have an advantage. Brady and Gronk for the first two games, then add in Godwin, Evans, and the rest of the gang.
The Bucs could go undefeated, cool.
Have a great 4th folks.
July 3rd, 2020 at 9:51 pm
@joe in michigan
Fun fact!!!!!!!!!! Coach Smitty and ole stale biscuit have the same amount of playoff wins as head coaches!!!!!!!!!!!!!
go bucs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
July 3rd, 2020 at 10:04 pm
I like it. What do you think Ndog?!?…………..
July 3rd, 2020 at 10:06 pm
We need a couple this year especially.
July 3rd, 2020 at 10:29 pm
6 quarters? 1 game? ludicrous. Everyone who has ever played the game has had a bad day. So you are saying if the rookies have a bad day in only one game their career ends right there? ridiculous. Live in the now. GO BUCS!!
July 4th, 2020 at 12:24 am
They should just extend the squads so the rookies can stick around, and so that they will have extra players in case of illness
Extend the salary cap and give the extras a bit less than the minimum
July 4th, 2020 at 1:12 am
They wouldn’t be willing, but delay the season and decide at a certain time if they need open up some type of season. The sickness no one has a clue about except it breaks records cases every day. NFL putting people in danger including players and coaches for money
July 4th, 2020 at 11:17 am
2 games god people have become softer than charmin.This is a joke! They need practice games!
July 4th, 2020 at 4:56 pm
Six quarters sounds like a great compromise and no more exposure than four quarters other than on the field injuries and given that everybody would be playing large rosters probably not much more exposure there either.
July 4th, 2020 at 7:18 pm
Man I can’t believe how gullible some people are. My niece had the corona virus and she said it was just like having the flu. People die every year from diffent virus ‘s or insect stings . But because Democrats cryed wolf and want to politisize the whole thing to make the President look bad. Well its just wrong to play on peoples fears like that. Play the full pre season schedule or next you’ll be putting yourself in quarentine over the common cold.
July 4th, 2020 at 11:00 pm
Richard, before you go out and write your book on the statistics of COVID, why not interview a few families of the more than half a million people who have died of COVID.
Those people have died within the last four months. Flu kills 80-100,000 a year.
My Nephew was a physical therapist in great shape until he caught it. It caused hundreds of thousands of micro blood clots in his lungs, a common occurrence.
The only other recent virus capable of affecting the blood of a victim is Dengue Fever. Dengue Fever has something close to an 80% mortality rate.
July 5th, 2020 at 1:13 pm
It’s so easy for Barber to say he could accept “two games,” when he’s not the one at risk when playing them.