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In the latter scenario, it would be strange and possibly unfair if a team or two ended up in a scenario where they only played 13 or 14 games or a scenario where maybe, due to Covid, they can't play their finalmgame and that leads to them having the winning percentage to qualify for the playoffs and essentially get a one week bye before playing.
You are right and, because of that, I kept going back to why even play (other than the obvious money factor). I want to see football but it seems this is destined for an asterisk, certain to leave a lot of people feeling bummed out, slighted, etc.
To touch upon what I have posted before, we are so used to teams playing the same number of games that no one stops to think that that was not always the case. Going back to the start of organized football in 1920 (the league was known the first 2 years as the APFA before switching to the NFL), teams never played the same number of games. In the same season, some played 3 or 4, others 5, some played 7, others 12. At the end of the season, all that mattered was a team's winning percentage. The other huge difference back in the day was that ties did not count in determining a team's record. Nowadays, a tie counts as half a win and half a loss. Back, then ties were ignored.
Fans of whomever wins will relish and celebrate a SB victory and savor it like any other season . . . and they should. Do the strike shortened seasons not count? The league took 16 playoff teams in 1982 (no byes that year) when they only had 28 teams. Do the Washington Football Team fans look back and say it wasn't a real championship (although most people would agree that their kicker winning league MVP was a travesty).
What will be interesting is the league notified teams AFTER the Titans botched things up what the penalties might be for breaking protocols (potential forfeits, lost draft picks, etc.). That may be a case of moving the goal posts and changing the rules after the fact. Of course, the league usually does whatever it feels like, sometimes without much logic to their decisions.
100 years ago, they shot basketball in a peach basket. It's a very different game now.
You're talking about things from a loooong time ago. The sport and its fans are very different now. Maybe it won't move the needle at all but I suspect it will have some fallout we aren't talking about right now.
Masks weren't worn at practice is the accusation and they're reviewing video. Word around the league is essentially confusion because everyone is wearing masks in meetings locker room weight room, but while running and playing? Really? Another issue is the NFL and NFLPA sent a zillion messages about covid and players didn't read every one and aren't sure which rule supercedes another so they figured masks are safest and skipped reading.
Titans co owner is Kenneth Adams IV is a great lawyer and an even better man. He's represented the league many times.
I heard the Vikings had one false positive test come back from this.
Giving the Titans a loss means giving the Bills a win. I'm not sure how you can award the Bills a win for not playing a game but make the Steelers play three road games in a row to play a makeup game.
For the record -- since you would figure the league has to make some kind of decision this morning -- I would prefer for the Bills not to be handed a forfeit win. I also don't like the "week 18" solution either. I'd be happy with any of the following:
I don't think there is anyway the NFL places a loss on the Titans record. I'd expect fines, the loss of draft picks, possibly an NFL Monitor placed at their facility to watch over there adherence to the Covid protocols, and then we'll move on to the next crisis.
I’m fine with the Bills playing the Titans during their bye week and moving Titans/Steelers to a Week 18 game.
Or how about this (stolen from WGR):
Sure if you're going to retroactively fine fine the living hell out of Tampa Bay and Tom Brady for his shenanigans. Truth of the matter, Brady was still being called a leader and warrior even last week for breaking protocols in Florida. Other QBs see that tried to do the same.
At the rate the Titans are going, I don’t think the Titans would be able to play Monday or Tuesday anyway.
Just playing devil's advocate, but does it?
Said this yesterday. 96% of the teams haven’t had a case. They have had several. Make them forfeit and move on. Why are other teams who are doing things right being held hostage?
I think the best case scenario at this point (no new positives from here on out) still results in Tennessee not having access to their facilities until Sunday at the earliest, so a Sunday or Monday game results in Tennessee playing the Bills on literally no practice. Which serves them right of course, but still.
Right, but there is a precedent in that I don't believe the Patriots had access to their facilities after Cam tested positive and they still went ahead and played the Chiefs?
Except if the Bills get cancelled this week, they get to play the Chiefs on Thursday night, which would give the Bills a massive advantage in a game that will determine playoff seeding. Especially against a Chiefs game that essentially will have played 3 games in 11 days.
Yeah and players topped out at about 180-200 lbs...that swelled to about 220-230 in the 50s and then about 250 steady up thru the 80s until they outlawed steroids and the weight went off the charts on all Linemen on both sides, QBs turned into Linebackers...we can keep going and going with the major differences in these eras not to mention the evolution of the forward pass etc...Good stuff though
They are already talking about moving the TN game to Monday or Tuesday and also moving KC/BUF to Saturday.
Extra days for a regular season game isn’t even close to the same as extra days at the end of the season to rest before a playoff game.
This dance could go on and on. If the Bills get 11 days off and the Chiefs have to play 3 times in 10 days (with the last game at Buffalo), that could tilt the scales to give the Bills a bye and not the Chiefs. So your "extra rest before a playoff game" argument works both ways.
It was 14 or 15 offensive players meeting on an outside field at a local college and running drills/plays.
One is a theoretical that the Chiefs still have control over, the other is a definite with the Bills having no ability to change. Can’t weigh them the same.
Which is, once again, the only way this season works. No one seems too concerned that every Walmart in America is open but somehow football players playing during Covid is a crime against humanity.
Which part is theoretical? The Chiefs losing out on a bye? The first part is looking more and more likely . . . that the Bills will get 11 days off while the Chiefs will play 3 games in 10 days including the last game at Buffalo. So sure, it may not be ideal for the Bills to have to play a game in the proposed Week 18 (which still might not even make a difference in the grand scheme of things as that is a long way away). But I am pretty sure the Bills not playing this week equally is not ideal for the Chiefs in their ability to win in Buffalo.
Honestly, I think the answer is just to play the game on Sunday. Yes, that would mean the Titans are playing on no practice and missing a bunch of players. It's not "fair", but neither was the Patriots having to play without Cam (and potentially Gilmore, etc). That's the reality of the Covid NFL.
Yes. I'm not trying to downplay Covid or anyone's fears. I'm just saying the reality is that if they want to finish the season this is the only way to accomplish that. If players and coaches think it's too risky and call it quits, I'll respect their decisions - like you said I'm not going to catch it watching on TV.
And yet you seem to be arguing for the solution that is more difficult to implement rather than the easier solution.
