Why doesn’t the NFL adjust the schedule to reduce team travel?

[JetsFan20]

Do they really need the AFC East playing the AFC West and NFC West this year?

 

Seems like the league should step in-easy fix. 

[4_kidd_4]

O.K.

[SoCal Deek]

There are business and sales people who fly all over this country every week of the year. Is flying an extra hour or two every other weekend really that challenging for a group of young, fit athletes? 

[RiotAct]

3 minutes ago, JetsFan20 said:

Do they really need the AFC East playing the AFC West and NFC West this year?

 

Seems like the league should step in-easy fix. 

just the way it worked out this year.  It’s a once-every-twelve-years occurrence.

[JetsFan20]

1 minute ago, SoCal Deek said:

There are business and sales people who fly all over this country every week of the year. Is flying an extra hour or two every other weekend really that challenging for a group of young, fit athletes? 

I agree with you under normal circumstances, but there is a pandemic. I think the league should try to minimize travel time/aircraft exposure as much as possible. 

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

Just now, SoCal Deek said:

There are business and sales people who fly all over this country every week of the year. Is flying an extra hour or two every other weekend really that challenging for a group of young, fit athletes? 

 

On a chartered flight... with just them on it.  Where they get picked up by a bus, with just them on it.... taking them to a hotel.  

 

If anything i think players will have to be more focused on football as a lot of the distractions aren't going to be there.  Only thing i'd be really worried about this season is weed.  I don't think buffalo has a big weed problem, but with no clubs and weed not being tested in season?  I think it could be an issue for teams.

[SoCal Deek]

1 minute ago, JetsFan20 said:

I agree with you under normal circumstances, but there is a pandemic. I think the league should try to minimize travel time/aircraft exposure as much as possible. 

What? You somehow believe that being on an airplane for an extra hour is more dangerous than a flight to Miami? If this really about the pandemic, then the NFL should shut down the Jets and Giants. 

[Mark80]

1 minute ago, dneveu said:

 

On a chartered flight... with just them on it.  Where they get picked up by a bus, with just them on it.... taking them to a hotel.  

 

If anything i think players will have to be more focused on football as a lot of the distractions aren't going to be there.  Only thing i'd be really worried about this season is weed.  I don't think buffalo has a big weed problem, but with no clubs and weed not being tested in season?  I think it could be an issue for teams.

 

I mean, players have been doing this for years already.  Not sure what drastic change you think is going to happen.

[TheFunPolice]

teams travel in a bubble... I doubt chartered planes, chartered buses, and secure meeting rooms in hotels pose much, if any, risk to the players. 

 

The big change is that nobody will be allowed to leave the hotel when on the road, IMO. They will probably not want players interacting with the public in different cities all around the country. 

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

2 minutes ago, Mark80 said:

 

I mean, players have been doing this for years already.  Not sure what drastic change you think is going to happen.

 

Well now they moved the testing window to a 2 week period, and there are no suspensions.  If you pass during that 2 week period you have 50 weeks of no testing for weed.  I think it can become an issue when bored players can't do anything else and just smoke all the time.  Hell, it may have already become an issue for guys during social distancing.  Just don't want your guys being fat and lazy - it's professional sports.  

[iinii]

32 minutes ago, JetsFan20 said:

Do they really need the AFC East playing the AFC West and NFC West this year?

 

Seems like the league should step in-easy fix. 

That is where your argument falls apart. They don’t NEED to play at all. The NFL is not an essential business. It is a giant cash cow that is purely entertainment. 

[nucci]

42 minutes ago, SoCal Deek said:

There are business and sales people who fly all over this country every week of the year. Is flying an extra hour or two every other weekend really that challenging for a group of young, fit athletes? 

especially on chartered planes where they have no responsibility except getting there on time and resting? I never understood the complaining about athletes traveling

[DrDawkinstein]

27 minutes ago, dneveu said:

 

Well now they moved the testing window to a 2 week period, and there are no suspensions.  If you pass during that 2 week period you have 50 weeks of no testing for weed.  I think it can become an issue when bored players can't do anything else and just smoke all the time.  Hell, it may have already become an issue for guys during social distancing.  Just don't want your guys being fat and lazy - it's professional sports.  

 

Plenty of guys have been fat and lazy without weed. Plenty of guys have smoked weed without being fat and lazy. And everyone was already smoking weed to begin with. Nothing will really change there.

 

The bigger issue is guys being locked out of training facilities and stuck at home, whether they smoke weed or not.

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

Just now, DrDawkinstein said:

 

Plenty of guys have been fat and lazy without weed. Plenty of guys have smoked weed without being fat and lazy. And everyone was already smoking weed to begin with. Nothing will really change there.

 

The bigger issue is guys being locked out of training facilities and stuck at home, whether they smoke weed or not.

 

Thats true - you end up a lot fatter if you can't work out.  And its easy to cheat on your diet when the nutritionist doesn't ever see you.  

[BillsInWilmingtonNC]

I had this same thought this morning... Not so much due to the pandemic, but just in general.  We have some long trips coming this season.  Seems like it would make more sense to spread these trips out, even if it meant playing 1 or 2 teams from each division.

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

1 hour ago, JetsFan20 said:

Do they really need the AFC East playing the AFC West and NFC West this year?

 

Seems like the league should step in-easy fix. 

 

Can you explain what the increase in danger is by flying to Arizona vs NE? or Pitt?

 

And don't say going to San Fran is more dangerous due to more cases as while that's true, if the Bills aren't playing there, then some other team instead is going there.

 

I'd be more worried about flying to NYC and NE than say Denver

[Warren Zevon]

1 hour ago, dneveu said:

I don't think buffalo has a big weed problem

 

Not sure anywhere has a big weed "problem" unless you're talking about lawn care

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

Just now, Warren Zevon said:

 

Not sure anywhere has a big weed "problem" unless you're talking about lawn care

 

I think in professional sports it can be a problem.  In general life - ehhh yes and no.  

[Warren Zevon]

Just now, dneveu said:

 

I think in professional sports it can be a problem.  In general life - ehhh yes and no.  

 

Oh for sure - but if a player wants to get baked they can do it no matter what city they are in.

 

Back to the topic though - as echoed above I'd be more weary at the moment of traveling by plane to major cities like NYC from Buffalo than traveling somewhere further like Seattle. 

[Marv's Neighbor]

The airlines still do not have firm flight schedules) for the period over the normal NFL season.  Most of the teams charter with the airlines.  I wonder what the options will be, as far as charter availability will be concerned?

[billsfan89]

1 hour ago, Mark80 said:

 

I mean, players have been doing this for years already.  Not sure what drastic change you think is going to happen.

 

Aaron Hernandez beat the NFL's weed testing, I doubt many players habits are going to change. 

[Ramza86]

private planes. as long as the team is tested, not an issue

[JetsFan20]

What about the media members that don’t travel with teams? 
 

 

[DrDawkinstein]

2 hours ago, billsfan89 said:

 

Aaron Hernandez beat the NFL's weed testing, I doubt many players habits are going to change. 

 

Weed testing was more a stupidity test than a drug test. You had to be real dumb to get caught by the league. It was like a known 2 week window to stop during, and you'd avoid getting put into "the program".

 

1 hour ago, JetsFan20 said:

What about the media members that don’t travel with teams? 
 

 

 

None of this matters.

 

Once you have ANY travel, it's all the same. Doesnt matter if it is cross country or only to the next state over.

 

And if a Jets fan on a Bills board thought of it, I promise you the folks at the NFL already thought of it months ago.

 

 

Edited May 7, 2020 by DrDawkinstein

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

3 hours ago, JetsFan20 said:

Do they really need the AFC East playing the AFC West and NFC West this year?

 

Seems like the league should step in-easy fix. 

it is a louse draw. 

[billsfan89]

7 minutes ago, DrDawkinstein said:

 

Weed testing was more a stupidity test than a drug test. You had to be real dumb to get caught by the league. It was like a known 2 week window to stop during, and you'd void getting put into "the program".

 

 

 

The NFL's testing on weed was basically that you got a pee test for weed the first week of training camp. If you tested clean you didn't get tested until the next season. A heavy daily smoker like Hernandez just had to stop smoking 6 weeks before camp to pass the test then they would be allowed to smoke the rest of the year. It was basically an addiction test.

[Matt_In_NH]

Send them all to an island where the only way to get on the island is to test positive 3 times, same with fans.  not allowed off the island until the season is over.  Have games all day on weekends, televised so the rest of us have somethign to do.

[Mango]

2 hours ago, dneveu said:

 

Well now they moved the testing window to a 2 week period, and there are no suspensions.  If you pass during that 2 week period you have 50 weeks of no testing for weed.  I think it can become an issue when bored players can't do anything else and just smoke all the time.  Hell, it may have already become an issue for guys during social distancing.  Just don't want your guys being fat and lazy - it's professional sports.  

 

Huh, this is a wild take.....I partake in the herb on occasion, worked from home pre-pandemic (so no change for me), and don't get tested for pot. It has literally never been an issue.  

 

Also from the pro-athlete perspective, I lived at the Olympic Training Center for a few years. Pot is only a banned substance in competition, so again, there are just a few weeks per year where you need to test clean. It was literally never an issue for anybody, and yes a very large portion of Olympians smoke, vape, eat edibles, etc. regularly during the year. 

 

This is the way it works for a huge portion of the population, professional athlete or not. I have experience in both. For example, Phelps was suspended from competition for 3 months by USA Swimming not FINA for "Code of Conduct Policy". Not for breaking any FINA, WADA, or USADA rules. Just don't have it end up on social media, ,and there is no rules broken or detriment to training. If it were some alternate on the US squash team there probably would not have even been a suspension. Then again, no 20 year old college kid would have taken that video and had it gone viral either. 

[Paup 1995MVP]

48 minutes ago, JetsFan20 said:

What about the media members that don’t travel with teams? 
 

 

Why so many questions?  Use some common sense.  Don't worry so much.  Why do you care about the media?  They don't care about you.  Tony Romo and Jim Nantz will drive to whatever game they are assigned if they have to.  And so will Gus Johnson and Chris Spielman and Joe Buck and Troy Aikman.  (Would love to be in a car with all 6)   I am sure Roger Goodell and his arsenal of lieutenants will make sure everything goes off without a hitch.  Worry about your family being safe, making a living and getting laid.  That's what I think about whether there is a Corona Virus or not.  Life is only as hard as you make brother.  And what's with your user name?  Are you Adam Gase in disguise?  Or the ghost of Walt Michaels.  Remember him?   

[Mr. WEO]

What is the OP's issue?  Planes are still flying.  Put on your masks and gloves and get on the half empty plane. 

[DrDawkinstein]

49 minutes ago, billsfan89 said:

 

The NFL's testing on weed was basically that you got a pee test for weed the first week of training camp. If you tested clean you didn't get tested until the next season. A heavy daily smoker like Hernandez just had to stop smoking 6 weeks before camp to pass the test then they would be allowed to smoke the rest of the year. It was basically an addiction test.

 

Not even 6 weeks. I'm a daily consumer, been so for almost 20 years, and stopping for 2 weeks got me a completely clean pee test last year.

 

And weed isnt physically addicting, it's just habitual. You can stop cold turkey without any issues. They knew when they would be tested. Hence why I call it a stupidity test.

[Punching Bag]

3 hours ago, SoCal Deek said:

What? You somehow believe that being on an airplane for an extra hour is more dangerous than a flight to Miami? If this really about the pandemic, then the NFL should shut down the Jets and Giants. 

 

Just easier to have NJ teams play somewhere else.

[ALLEN1QB]

Let's start a petition and buffalo play every game at home this year

[billsfan89]

2 minutes ago, DrDawkinstein said:

 

Not even 6 weeks. I'm a daily consumer, been so for almost 20 years, and stopping for 2 weeks got me a completely clean pee test last year.

 

And weed isnt physically addicting, it's just habitual. You can stop cold turkey without any issues. They knew when they would be tested. Hence why I call it a stupidity test.

 

Weed is a mental addiction for some people its physical addiction is very low in most people if existent at all and you should be able to quit cold turkey without any physical problems or minor ones like irritability and haziness. I think the pee test is up to 6 weeks if you are a heavy daily user but yes you could beat it with just 2-3 week clean. If I were an NFL player I would do 6 weeks just to be safe as I have had friends who have failed pee test after not smoking for 30 days. Literally you stop smoking for 6 weeks and you can be good the other 46 weeks of the year. 

[DrDawkinstein]

Just now, billsfan89 said:

 

Weed is a mental addiction for some people its physical addiction is very low in most people if existent at all and you should be able to quit cold turkey without any physical problems or minor ones like irritability and haziness. I think the pee test is up to 6 weeks if you are a heavy daily user but yes you could beat it with just 2-3 week clean. If I were an NFL player I would do 6 weeks just to be safe as I have had friends who have failed pee test after not smoking for 30 days. Literally you stop smoking for 6 weeks and you can be good the other 46 weeks of the year. 

 

Yeah, we're agreeing. 2 weeks, 6 weeks, whatever. It's easy to stop, and there's no excuse for getting caught other than being dumb.

[iinii]

3 minutes ago, DrDawkinstein said:

 

Yeah, we're agreeing. 2 weeks, 6 weeks, whatever. It's easy to stop, and there's no excuse for getting caught other than being dumb.

What’s dumb is treating it different than alcohol. 

[DrDawkinstein]

1 minute ago, iinii said:

What’s dumb is treating it different than alcohol. 

 

Good news is, no more testing.

 

IMO, alcohol should be even more restricted than weed since it is both addicting and deadly (where weed is neither). But that's a whole different thread.

[Nextmanup]

I still have no idea how the league is going to function as currently envisioned.

 

I don't even know how training camps are going to work.

 

I would think COVID 19 will spread through teams/the league rather quickly.

 

I still say this season is not going to go down the way the NFL says it is, right now.

 

Things will change.

 

 

[billsfan89]

1 hour ago, iinii said:

What’s dumb is treating it different than alcohol. 

 

Fully agreed, but in the circumstances NFL players found themselves in prior to them fully eliminating the testing now wasn't that hard to beat the test. You got test at one given point in the year and all you have to do is abstain for 6 weeks of the year to be free to smoke the rest of the year. Not exactly a hard thing to do. But I do think that it is better to just eliminate the test and ask players to be responsible like they are with alcohol. 

[iinii]

16 minutes ago, billsfan89 said:

 

Fully agreed, but in the circumstances NFL players found themselves in prior to them fully eliminating the testing now wasn't that hard to beat the test. You got test at one given point in the year and all you have to do is abstain for 6 weeks of the year to be free to smoke the rest of the year. Not exactly a hard thing to do. But I do think that it is better to just eliminate the test and ask players to be responsible like they are with alcohol. 

I understood your point and agreed with it. A lot of posters would be amazed at the amount of weed that is smoked in the NFL. You are right you just have to take a little time off during the summer and not be an idiot during the season.