Jump to content

Week 5: Bills at Titans on Tuesday Night Football


YoloinOhio

Recommended Posts

6 minutes ago, Dont Stop Billeiving said:

A big X-factor for this game I haven't seen mentioned here yet:

 

With Adoree Jackson ruled out, Kristian Fulton has been Tennessee's starting slot CB. However, he is on the COVID list. If he is also out, the Titans will have to start their 2020 7th round draft pick Chris Jackson. Advantage Bills.

 

So Fulton tested positive 10/1 (meaning test taken 30 Sept).

 

15 minutes ago, die hard bills fan said:

This is such a mess.  Don't know how anyone can be sure a player is ready to return based on symptoms.  I hope no one lies just because he wants to  play.☹️

 

Now actually LYING about symptoms would be wrong.  However, it has occurred to me that the shorter, simpler return for asymptomatic players does incentivise players to fail to mention some symptoms they may have.  An unintentional lapse in memory I'm sure, or perhaps attributing the symptoms to something else.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, par73 said:

I hate to cite a Patriot for this, but Jason McCourty questions whether the NFL or NFLPA  are concerned with player safety. He thinks they are more interested in setting covid protocols that allow games to be played, without enough concern for player health. I have to believe many players feel this way at this point. Story on Espn.com


Kind of an obnoxious thing to say, tbh.  Unlike college football, this is a “business”.  Most businesses that are open to the public have measures in place to balance worker safety and keep the business open.  If anyone didn’t want to play, they could opt out.   
 

Is he suggesting cancelling games and players paychecks?  I’m going to go ahead and assume he still wants everyone to be paid in full, no matter if games are played or not. 

  • Like (+1) 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, par73 said:

I hate to cite a Patriot for this, but Jason McCourty questions whether the NFL or NFLPA  are concerned with player safety. He thinks they are more interested in setting covid protocols that allow games to be played, without enough concern for player health. I have to believe many players feel this way at this point. Story on Espn.com

They didn't have to play... They had the option to opt out 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

No, we don't. 

 

Depends on too many things we don't know:  Did he have symptoms?  If so, when did they stop? How severe were they?

 

It's possible he could be back.

Also even if he can return how smart is it to throw a bunch of players in who haven't played in weeks and have zero practice? I'd imagine most of the will still sit even if they could play because they aren't game ready, can't risk it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 minutes ago, Rochesterian Bills Fan said:

Also even if he can return how smart is it to throw a bunch of players in who haven't played in weeks and have zero practice? I'd imagine most of the will still sit even if they could play because they aren't game ready, can't risk it.

 

Doesn't that kind of apply to the entire Titans team at this point?  Well, officially anyway.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The simple fact of the matter is the bills are much better than the titans ... the offense is much better and the defense is much better... titans rank 10th in offense yards per game 12 in points defense is ranked 28 in yards and 15th in points.    Buffalo is 4th in yards and 5th in points. Defense is 20th in yards 17th in points 

 

titans have beat Jacksonville, Broncos, Vikings by a total of six points the titans have played nobody ranked higher than 18th on offense Or 16th on defense. 
 

the bills SHOULD win this game without much fuss... don’t turn the ball over and we win easy. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

This is where IMHO it would help the situation a lot if the NFL and its experts "stood and delivered" on justifying the thinking behind their protocols and timelines.

 

I doubt McCourty is the only player with these questions.  In fact I believe there are probably a number of players on every team in the league who have watched the Titans outbreak play out and have questions.  It's significant because on other teams, there has been either no spread, or spread only to a known close contact (Newton and Gilmore dinner).

 

I think it's more likely than not that the NFL would prefer to scapegoat the Titans as a scofflaw, rule-breaking team vs. acknowledging that the timelines in their original protocols for bringing in new players etc. were insufficient to ensure safety.   Maybe the Titans were lax.  Maybe they weren't more lax than a lot of other teams have actually been in their interpretation of the protocols.  Maybe there were communication breakdowns, or lack of clarity in the communication.

 

But communication, communication, and communication would help the NFL and NFLPA with players around the league.  Lay it out there what the reasoning is behind the various protocols and let players pressure-test them.  Communicate ASAP what was actually found in talking to the Titans players and coaches, where the infection points are believed to have been, etc.

This is where a focus on possible punishment IMHO can be counter-productive by inhibiting constructive learnings

Are we talking Your feelings on Covid and the NFL’s response here .. I thought that was prohibited.

  • Thank you (+1) 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, MiltonWaddams said:

However, under that option, there may be a chance where the Bills need that win to qualify for the playoffs. If there was the option of having an additional week off before they play, or missing this game and moving it to that point, I’m not sure that the team wouldn’t just take the option of playing this week. Let’s hope that the final week this year sees all of the starters resting and everybody getting healthy before the playoffs.

The major problem with that is the #1 seed then would have to wait three weeks to play so the rust factor comes into play. 

 

My thought if this gets out of control was the NFL should give everyone a bye on week 17 to make up any missed games and push week 17 to week 18.  That way the #1 seed will only have two weeks off between the regular season and the divisional playoff game.

3 hours ago, Rochesterian Bills Fan said:

Also even if he can return how smart is it to throw a bunch of players in who haven't played in weeks and have zero practice? I'd imagine most of the will still sit even if they could play because they aren't game ready, can't risk it.

Sure about that?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Doc Brown said:

Sure about that?

Sure about? Activating a bunch of players day of and putting them in the game without any practice is a bad idea when they are so far removed their last practice/game. The Titans are pushing to get as many people cleared as possible to practice Monday but not sure who they will get back

Edited by Rochesterian Bills Fan
Link to comment
Share on other sites

36 minutes ago, Rochesterian Bills Fan said:

Sure about? Activating a bunch of players day of and putting them in the game without any practice is a bad idea when they are so far removed their last practice/game. The Titans are pushing to get as many people cleared as possible to practice Monday but not sure who they will get back

Sure they didn't practice the last week or so?  Possibly not at team facilities.  Vrabel's an ex Patriot.  Never forget.

Edited by Doc Brown
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Apologies if this has been asked/mentioned earlier in the thread, I had a look and couldn't see it...

 

Whilst the Titans Covid listed personnel havent been able to participate in team activities, have they been able to participate in virtual sessions with coaching staff to discuss gameplan/tactics etc. for the Bills game? 

 

Thanks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Why do you feel you would or should be aware?  They do have the same right to health information privacy as any other human, unless they choose to share.

 

Vrabel has stated they have symptomatic players, and it's hard to imagine the players they just got off being on the list so long without symptoms:

-Isaiah Wilson went on the list Sept 6, just got off today.  That's more than a month.

-Greg Mabin went on Sept 24 and just came off today, that's 16 days which is 6 days longer than required for an asymptomatic player

-Vrabel said "There's been a wide range of levels of symptoms. They'll be back, and whenever they pass the protocol we'll get them back to work and help the team"

-DL DaQuan Jones and long snapper Beau Brinkley went on the list 29 September from a 28 September swab, so if they were asymptomatic, they should have been eligible to come off no later than Thursday or Friday by my count (10 days).

 

"Wide range of symptoms" plus a guy who's been on there >1 month and other guys who have been on longer than an asymptomatic person would have to be, implies that yes, players have actually gotten sick. 

 

 

I don't know if there's a deadline, but you can read about the process here:

 

image.thumb.png.23f9cd93ce0ee394c57f59c89412adbf.png

 

An asymptomatic player who tests negative could theoretically come off the list after 5 days and 2 consecutive negative tests 24 hrs apart, after he undergoes cardiac screening.

Or it might take as long as 10 days plus cardiac screening if he's still testing positive.

 

For a symptomatic player, it looks as though there's a judgement call about symptom severity (hope they have differential diagnostic criteria somewhere), but they need 10 days AND 72 hrs without symptoms.  Then (if mild) they need cardiac screening and a 3 day progressive exercise program.

 

I think the bottom line is it can't be a game day decision - it will be known if a guy has his 10 days and his 72 hrs and getting his cardiac screening or in the progressive program.

 

No, NFL players don’t have the same right to health information privacy as the rest of us.  If that were true, there could never be an NFL injury report, so clearly there has been some HIPAA waiver somewhere along the line.  If teams can release information about a player’s progress in recovering from an injury, then why can’t they say if a player is sick from covid?  And a player showing some symptoms does not mean he is seriously ill.  
 

I don’t want to go too far down this road, because the Board’s covid discussion rules are very unclear to me, but I was responding to a post about a player’s statement that the league’s covid policy is not really about player safety.  My point in response is that there seems to be no evidence that any players have become seriously ill from the virus ( as opposed to just showing symptoms). You certainly pointed out some facts that suggest it’s possible, but I still expect there would be reports in the media if that were the case, notwithstanding Vrabel’s comment about a “wide range of symptoms”, which could mean anything.

Edited by mannc
  • Thank you (+1) 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

45 minutes ago, NI Bills Fan said:

Apologies if this has been asked/mentioned earlier in the thread, I had a look and couldn't see it...

 

Whilst the Titans Covid listed personnel havent been able to participate in team activities, have they been able to participate in virtual sessions with coaching staff to discuss gameplan/tactics etc. for the Bills game? 

 

Thanks.

Not sure if they have, but I know they are allowed to because it was reported that Cam Newton was keeping up with virtual sessions.

  • Thank you (+1) 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

I mean, not that I disagree with any of this, but is there something in particular you read or saw on social media that brings this out?


I was referring to Kevin Byard’s “we’re taking note of what people are saying about us” thing, along with a few other comments...

 

I just can’t believe the hubris of that team right now. Does anyone believe that the rest of the league isn’t sitting there thinking “these guys almost cost me a week’s pay—possibly more—and they don’t seem to care at all”?

  • Like (+1) 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...