Mango

Thank you Si! Did not see that. I could not find it with a quick google either.

I hadn't seen that. Not that I think you are wrong, but I didn't see it with a quick "Tampa Super Bowl weekend" google.

They could make a "shoot from the hip" decision right now that might work. Cancel all out of conference games for the rest of the season. Playoff seeding is only conference record. That gives the league and teams some wiggle room to reschedule if things get off track. Like right now, both Buffalo and Tennessee have NFC games on November 8. Cancel the NFC games, pencil in Tenn @ Buf. Losing home field is part of the Titans punishment. Our team gets to breath for the week and know who they are playing and when. Tennessee gets to get their shirts together. It is almost too easy. Except for the fact that the NFL is still trying to grab at TV money. Which I think in this scenario is minimally effected, because Sunday is still filled with tons of football. Just WNY shows the Browns game instead of Buffalo. The advertising money is still there. It should be a minimal impact on the TV money. Players missing a game check or two stinks, but you could solve that with taking a team like the Titans, fining them pretty heavily, and using that to help make up for lost wages.

I believe part of the scheduling issue was due to Tampa not being willing or able to change SB weekend. At the time, I think people, and Florida especially, thought we would be well back to normal come February and that meant everything else on the calendar would box that weekend in. What the league could do is pause, build in bye weeks. Then treat the SB like a normal playoff game. Top seed gets the home field. Push the existing SB contracts back a year. Or they could just keep beating their head against the wall and keep reshuffling the deck chairs and hope they get everybody to play 16 games and the playoffs go off without getting wonky.

Just spit balling here. I don’t love the week 18, before the playoff, make up games either. Could or would the league start cancelling out of conference games to make up conference games. So in this situation on 11/8 we play Seattle and Tennessee plays the Bears. Drop the NFC opponents and sub in the conference games. Makes playoff seeding easy without having to worry about total games played. If there is dire need for seedlings to play BUF vs. SEA they can play week 18. Or if both teams agree, they take the bye and go to the playoffs.

Curious if that includes Sunday Ticket since that becomes almost like PPV.

That both incredibly useful and oddly specific information to have. Go Bills!

I think that is an old report. Wasn’t there a report earlier in the week that that “could” happen. I hope that’s off the table at this point. The league needs to show some leadership at the moment.

I generally agree. I’m not sure they need to make a final decision on what skipping this game means though. I don’t think the league has to commit to week 18, forfeit, win%, etc. The league does absolutely need to cancel playing it this week and call further decision “pending”

Their ability to play in 3 days is irrelevant. Their ability to put out a roster that does not infect their opponent should be the top concern. From the sounds of it, sounds like it is also McD’s. The Titans could derail the league by playing this week.

Enjoy the bye week guys. Hopefully we are on to KC and we worry about what happens with the Titans later.

Were the practices player only, or were there coaches involved? I don't think it changes anything for the better in terms of when the league drops the hammer, but it could definitely make it worse.

I actually think it should be listed as optional. If it does not have any major playoff implications or draft seeding, I do not think it should be played.

That is fine, and definitely the right move in managing the team. I was more speaking from a league/scheduling perspective. Are the Bills comfortable going into TEN given their last week or two and positive tests? If they are not, postpone the game to week 18 if you can make it work. If not it doesn't get played.

The Bills, and opponents in similar situations, should be intimately involved in how, when, or even if games are played.

Manage vs. enforce. We aren't saying anything different here. Semantics The league thought that they could just get by, turns out they couldn't, and neither could any other sports league so far. They didn't give themselves any wiggle room to reschedule more than a "perfect fit" situation like the Titans v. Steelers or week 18 for each team. We can't even get people to wear a mask to the grocery store. People stood outside of city halls all over the country with signs complaining about not getting haircuts. Parents refuse to leave pop warner football games because they won't put on a mask. GOV officials and campaign managers are refusing to wear masks when they are at debates and press conferences. College kids are throwing Covid parties. Why would we be surprised that guys like Gruden and Vrabel are skirting the rules? Being shocked this is happening at the moment is exactly how we got here.

Meh, the OP here isn't wrong and neither are you. The NFL thought they could skate by and give the teams the ability to manage it themselves. But as we have seen with Gruden and reports of the Titans bringing in an UDFA without waiting the 5 days, that is not happening. If we were going to operate without a bubble, and the league wanted to be "flexible" and "adaptive" they would have scheduled league wide bye weeks every month so that they could reschedule games in the (inevitable) event this current situation happened. Without a few league wide "dead periods" to either make up games or get things straightened out for certain teams, the league actually left themselves no room for flexibility. The league bet that this would be over or nearly over as the season started and progressed. That they would gradually get fans back into stadiums, and the playoffs/superbowl would go off as normal and generate a whole bunch of revenue for them. ...and now here we are.

I wish the league would come out ASAP about a decision on this game. I think we can all agree Sunday seems like chances are slim to none. The NFL needs to come out and say difinitively what is happening. So Goodell either says: -We will try and move the Titans game to Monday. We are moving the Buffalo/KC game to Sunday to allow everybody to prepare and schedule properly. or -We are cancelling the Titans/Bills game entirely for the time being and will attempt to make that game up at the end of the season. Buffalo vs. KC will go on as scheduled on Thursday. You gotta give these players some structure and answers to help keep the league grounded. This has to be a nightmare as a player. McD said it was difficult to focus on the Raiders game because of the Titans testing. Now we are actually playing the Titans, and we don't even know when or if they are playing as they keep testing positive. Then we don't know our game after that. It is wild. The league should hand out a Covid award at the end of the year to the team who managed it the best. If the Bills get through murderers row of covid teams without an incident, we are a shoe in. Raiders- They have basically been trying to get Covid, and it is a miracle they have not. They are the NFL version of college COVID parties Titans- Largest Covid hot spot at the moment. KC- Positive tests. Gilmore breathed on Mahomes last week. They also play the Raiders this week. Jets- ... Pats- Cam and Gilmore.

I totally agree. I have been waiting for this match up since Josh started to link together some games. Edit: I will add, I wish the league would make a decision on the Titans game today so that One Bills Drive can either keep prepping for the Titans or look forward to the Chiefs. I do not envy the players at the moment. Especially the Bills. They have a crazy Covid stretch coming up. Raiders, Titans, Chiefs, Jets are basically the red AIDS bin in your doctors office on their best days, and the Pats.

RIP Chiefs season.

I agree with your first point. It creates mayhem with the pandemic. I don't agree with your second point. Getting the Bills to play the Titans Sunday/Monday/Tuesday is just shoehorning a game for the sake of it. It is prioritizing a single game but risking the entire season. Why risk actually derailing the season. Right now there is a week 18 option to make this game up. If it works out great, if it doesn't then the Titans take the L. If I am the league, I wouldn't call this a forfeit up front. Just a delay with the option of forfeit in the future. What the league needs to do is shut down and get their shirts together for a week or two, and regroup with a shortened schedule and built in league wide bye weeks. Probably includes canceling all out of conference games moving forward.

Well, if the Titans keep this up, they won't be able to reschedule another game, so they will still be missing those game checks.

I would like to move Edmunds outside this week. At least to test it out. Let him play fast in coverage and put Dobson in the middle. He’s been really hesitant this year. We expected him to take a step forward from last year, which ended well, but it’s exacerbated with defensive play across the league taking a major dip.

Agreed. Sorry, didn't mean BB should be ahead of McD, but he deserves to be on the discussion list of candidates. Same with Cam at comeback player of the year. I don't get the Big Ben hype. He is riding a good defense, playing well (enough) but also looks absolutely gassed. I would be shocked if he comes back next year. Cheers!

It is OK. We have been watching the game every week with the same crew outside in our backyard on a 120" projector screen. Well....Somebodies (2 in the group are twins) family wants to do sort of a Sunday Sauce family dinner and wants us all as a group to join and watch the game at their moms house. Well, I have to make a decision this week, is my game watching set up the lucky part? Do I stay at home and go about my routine? Or is the group the lucky part, and I can bring the set up (or not) to the families house. I am not thrilled by this. We are in our mid-30's. I don't have to go to your moms house for dinner. And news flash, neither do you, who are also in your 30's. Grow up, and tell her to do it Saturday, and if she can't do it Saturday, tell her to move it to next Sunday when there is no Bills game. Screw it. I am staying home, fork their spaghetti dinner. GO BILLS!!!! Thanks for helping me work through this one guys.