Buffalo Bills could be among least covid-19 vaccinated teams

[snamsnoops]

2 hours ago, YoloinOhio said:

Lets see who wins the  vax championship after all teams are at 53 next week. 

 

exactly...

[pennstate10]

This is what I dont get.

Football is considered the ultimate team game.  Where players are all for one and one for all.

You hear players say "I'd run through a brick wall for my teammates".

 

And today we have a Bills team that is a championship competitor for the first time this century.

 

Yet a few key players are too stubborn to get vaccinated.

 

I dont know these guys personally, but I'm pretty sure its shear stubborness.  Supported by rampant misinformation.

 

For  these guys who have kids, are their kids vaccinated against diptheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, Hib, etc?  I'm betting yes.

[Andy1]

3 hours ago, Buffalo716 said:

If the bills follow the same protocols that they did last year they should be fine

 

Vaccinated players have gotten covid so everybody's at some risk  

 

The bills isolated themselves fine last year.. if they did the same exact thing everything should be good.. should

While I would like to think this to be true for the unvaccinated players, it ignores the fact that Delta variant is more contagious than the version of COVID we were dealing with last year. On the plus side, most players are vaccinated now and none were last year. Doing everything the same as last year should be the starting point for the unvaccinated if the team wants to stay intact through the season. 

[BillsFan4]

3 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Butler, Lotulelei, Beasley, and Davis are not vaccinated (or not fully vaccinated yet) because they are following the NFL's protocol for unvaccinated players who have close contact with a positive case.

 

I am making a high probability assumption about Poyer because of his wife's outspoken views and also because of a DM exchange I had with him on Instagram (all very polite and civilized disagreement, very nice guy).

 

I am making an inference about Allen and Boettger because usually when someone is asked whether they're jabbed, if they say "I'm going to keep that private", they mean "No"; if they are, they just say so.

I think Allen might be vaccinated.

 

The reason I think that is due to the 1st press conference of training camp that Allen + Beasley did.

 

Beasley was wearing a mask and a red wristband.

Allen had no mask and a blue wristband.

 

NFL covid protocol rules said unvaccinated have to wear masks and for teams to use different colored wristbands to designate vaccinated + unvaccinated players. Since we know for sure Beasley is unvaccinated, and was wearing a red wristband, my assumption seeing Allen in a blue one is that (hopefully) he’s vaccinated. 🤞

[Hapless Bills Fan]

2 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said:

I think Allen might be vaccinated.

 

The reason I think that is due to the 1st press conference of training camp that Allen + Beasley did.

 

Beasley was wearing a mask and a red wristband.

Allen had no mask and a blue wristband.

 

NFL covid protocol rules said unvaccinated have to wear masks and for teams to use different colored wristbands to designate vaccinated + unvaccinated players. Since we know for sure Beasley is unvaccinated, and was wearing a red wristband, my assumption seeing Allen in a blue one is that (hopefully) he’s vaccinated. 🤞

 

Oh, GOOD catch!  I hope you're right.

[Dr. K]

4 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Of the thread where it and some other posts wound up yes

Now that it's got its own place, No

 

Yes, at least I did the same math that @Big Turk did: 

-4 teams in the NFL are under 89%

-Beane sez the Bills are just over 80% or maybe a little less after the cuts

-Therefore the Bills are one of the 4 teams in the NFL that are under 89%

 

It has to be very frustrating for Beane.  I thought he kind of looked defeated, in that press conference.

 

 

Apparently one of the 4 lowest in the league at ~79-80% and going to get lower when we're cut down to 53

It's not just the % it's apparently who that % is: Butler, Lotulelei, Poyer, Boettger, Beasley, Davis, probably Allen - a lot of core starters.

 

This is what depresses me the most. And it's all so unnecessary. 

 

And yes, Beane looked and sounded defeated in the press conference. I don't blame him. 

[Patrick Duffy]

3 minutes ago, BillsFan4 said:

I think Allen might be vaccinated.

 

The reason I think that is due to the 1st press conference of training camp that Allen + Beasley did.

 

Beasley was wearing a mask and a red wristband.

Allen had no mask and a blue wristband.

 

NFL covid protocol rules said unvaccinated have to wear masks and for teams to use different colored wristbands to designate vaccinated + unvaccinated players. Since we know for sure Beasley is unvaccinated, and was wearing a red wristband, my assumption seeing Allen in a blue one is that (hopefully) he’s vaccinated. 🤞

Didn't notice that. Good eye. 

[Max Fischer]

3 hours ago, Buffalo716 said:

Nobody on our team was vaccinated last season and we got by following the protocols fine

 

Unvaccinated players didn't mess up our season last year

If it's not in the contract they probably can't do that

There Arent near the procautions of last season. Because, you know, we have a vaccine. 

[TheBrownBear]

6 minutes ago, Dr. K said:

This is what depresses me the most. And it's all so unnecessary. 

 

And yes, Beane looked and sounded defeated in the press conference. I don't blame him. 

I've seen multiple references to the Beane press conference where he discusses our current vaccination status.  Can someone please link to the press conference?  Thanks so much!

[Max Fischer]

3 hours ago, Victory Formation said:

The choice Dion made hurt himself, not someone else.

 

Don't forget he had hurt the team up to that point. What if he was lost for the season?  

[BuffaloRebound]

I’m kind of shocked the owners aren’t pushing harder for mandatory vaccinations. A lot of employers around the country are heading in that direction if they haven’t already done so and 99.99% of them don’t pay their employees anywhere near what NFL owners pay their employees.  And that doesn’t even take into account the much higher risk of unvaccinated players not being available to play.  Crazy that owners aren’t making this a bigger issue.  

[Turk71]

18 minutes ago, Andy1 said:

While I would like to think this to be true for the unvaccinated players, it ignores the fact that Delta variant is more contagious than the version of COVID we were dealing with last year. On the plus side, most players are vaccinated now and none were last year. Doing everything the same as last year should be the starting point for the unvaccinated if the team wants to stay intact through the season. 

I was just reading that Bruce Arians has his own protocols when the team is on the road, for both vaxxed and unvaxxed. They are much tighter than any league rules and the team is bought in. He tells them it takes sacrifices to win championships. They are focused on a mission and are committed. 

  

[Patrick Duffy]

1 hour ago, Steptide said:

I'd be for this IF the NFL agreed that all testing and close contact rules were dropped. Meaning, if every NFL player is vaxxed, then all the covid rules dissappear permanently. Bet more players would agree to that 

Aren't they in place more for the unvaccinated ones anyway? I mean if every single player was vaccinated what covid rules would there be? I guess they would still test sometimes. 

[TFBillsfan]

I do hope we see some movement quickly with some of the players who have been waiting or holding out. It really could cost the team a win if they were unavailable to play or worst yet had to miss multiple games. The one enigma to me is Star. He opted to sit out last year but then doesn’t get vaccinated. Having a hard time understanding that rationale.

[pennstate10]

1 hour ago, Turk71 said:

I was just reading that Bruce Arians has his own protocols when the team is on the road, for both vaxxed and unvaxxed. They are much tighter than any league rules and the team is bought in. He tells them it takes sacrifices to win championships. They are focused on a mission and are committed. 

  

I saw that.

Gotta say its disappointing that the Bills dont have the same buy in and focus.

[Thurman#1]

6 hours ago, Buffalo716 said:

80+% is a low percentage? 

 

40% would be low

 

 

In the lowest four teams of the league is absolutely low. 

 

If I were vaccinated on that team I would be angry.

Edited August 26, 2021 by Thurman#1

[Hapless Bills Fan]

2 minutes ago, pennstate10 said:

I saw that.

Gotta say its disappointing that the Bills dont have the same buy in and focus.

 

To be fair, the Bucs just had a huge "wake up call" in the form of their kicker testing positive for Covid-19 and going on Covid-19 reserve after joint practice with the Titans (his former team) where he socialized with a bunch of friends on the Titans.

 

It is possible that the loss of Cole/Davis/Butler/Lotulelei will serve as a similar wakeup call to the Bills and provoke change.

 

 

2 minutes ago, Thurman#1 said:

 

 

In the lowest four teams of the league is absolutely low. 

 

And again, the key number here is 85% for freedom once camp starts. The Bills will be among only four teams that have far more restrictions at training camp because they didn't hit the 85% threshold.

 

If I were vaccinated on that team I would be angry.

 

Agree "lowest 4 teams in the league" is low.

 

The 85% number has been debunked; please see Yolo's post above.  But that doesn't mean the Bills won't still have more restrictions that impact player availability, just in the form of unvaccinated players who currently face more stringent quarantines if exposed or isolations if infected.

[Thurman#1]

12 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

To be fair, the Bucs just had a huge "wake up call" in the form of their kicker testing positive for Covid-19 and going on Covid-19 reserve after joint practice with the Titans (his former team) where he socialized with a bunch of friends on the Titans.

 

It is possible that the loss of Cole/Davis/Butler/Lotulelei will serve as a similar wakeup call to the Bills and provoke change.

 

 

 

Agree "lowest 4 teams in the league" is low.

 

The 85% number has been debunked; please see Yolo's post above.  But that doesn't mean the Bills won't still have more restrictions that impact player availability, just in the form of unvaccinated players who currently face more stringent quarantines if exposed or isolations if infected.

 

 

Erased it. Don't want to spread misinformation.

 

Thank you.

 

And yes, I'm hoping they see the five days at home as a wakeup call.

Edited August 26, 2021 by Thurman#1

[eSJayDee]

I've waded through 5 pages before I saw someone alluding to "taking one for the team".  Players sacrifice/risk their long-term health for the short term benefit for the team.  (Ronnie Lott says "Hi").  Beasley played w/ a broken leg last yr!  Further, from what I understand, most of these players take copious amounts of pain killers, anti-inflammatories, etc yet they're reluctant to have a vaccine that like literally BILLIONS are now getting?  Seems to me, you're not being a good teammate if you're endangering your teams chance of success by not getting vaccinated.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

 

2 hours ago, eSJayDee said:

I've waded through 5 pages before I saw someone alluding to "taking one for the team".  Players sacrifice/risk their long-term health for the short term benefit for the team.  (Ronnie Lott says "Hi").  Beasley played w/ a broken leg last yr!  Further, from what I understand, most of these players take copious amounts of pain killers, anti-inflammatories, etc yet they're reluctant to have a vaccine that like literally BILLIONS are now getting?  Seems to me, you're not being a good teammate if you're endangering your teams chance of success by not getting vaccinated.

 

I"m sure a number of players did "take one for the team" or "take one for their career" (especially younger guys on the fringe) and get vaxxed

But whether or not we like it or Beane likes it, the NFLPA and NFL negotiated the covid vaccine is a choice.

 

It may not be logical to you or to me that a player would want to use all the stuff they use, including sometimes unproven therapies and unregulated supplements whose concentrations and ingredients may not be as claimed, then reject a vaccine that has gone through extensive pre-clinical testing, full clinical trials, has tight manufacturing controls and release testing, and now more than 200 million doses served in the US alone, but it Is what it Is.  I think from their perspective, they are being good teammates by doing what they believe best for their bodies.

 

I do wish some of them made different choices.  But It Is what It Is.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

7 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

I don't understand your math.

Roster is currently at 80 players.

If we are just under 80% now as Beane said in his presser, 20% of 80 is 16 players.

 

Now, who are those 16 players?  If they are guys who will likely be on the 53-man roster, the % vaccinated will be (53-16)/53 = 69.8%.

 

As @transplantbillsfan said above "If those players are mostly players we're going to cut in final cutdowns it doesn't much matter.  But if those players are all guys on the 53, that ....... could have a serious impact."

 

To get to the 90% level, we would need to have only 5 players unvaccinated, so 11 more players would have to decide to be vaccinated.

 

Thad Brown gets the same math:

 

 

[HalftimeAdjustment]

28 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Thad Brown gets the same math:

 

 

 

Some of the 16 could be in the vaccination process though.

[machine gun kelly]

They have a right to do what they fell is best for them and their family, but if you’re not one of the 25 expected starters (including the three specialists), that is not a smart decision for you’re employment.  The avg. football career is still 3.5 years.  If I’m 23, and I know I’m a backup while I fight to improve my spot, I wouldn’t jeopardize it.  Beane may not say it out loud, nor any other GM in the league, but they are thinking it.  If two guys at LB per se as an example are similar in terms of abilities.p, and one is vacc., who do you think quietly is going to get the job?  That’s not my editorial of what should happen.  I’m just commenting what is probably going g to happen.

 

I think Arians is making sound decisions.  He also making a statement to his team.  Hap, thanks for you’re earlier comments as I wasn’t sure whether you guys were going to shut this down.  You guys have a tough job moderating this stuff.

 

Lastly, I thought Sal on WGR made some sound comments in that if all that has happened, and now people sent home, and you still are not vacc., they probably never will.  Star was the person who surprised me given opting out, and his medical history.  His call.

[oldmanfan]

I believe we have no shot at the Lombardi because of this.  Sad.

[GunnerBill]

8 hours ago, Dr. K said:

This is what depresses me the most. And it's all so unnecessary. 

 

And yes, Beane looked and sounded defeated in the press conference. I don't blame him. 

 

He really did. I commented on in the shoutbox yesterday. Never seen Beane like that. He still stuck to what the Bills' script has been about everyone making their own choice etc but he looked like a guy who knows all the hard work of 5 years to get to this point where the Superbowl feels like it is right there in reach might be undone because some folks are gonna put themselves before the team on the vaccine issue. I am not commenting on the rights and/or wrongs of that but that is what is happening.

Edited August 26, 2021 by GunnerBill

[billsfan89]

1 hour ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Thad Brown gets the same math:

 

 

 

But then you add Kurt Angle to the mix... 

 

 

Edited August 26, 2021 by billsfan89

[78thealltimegreat]

13 hours ago, Big Turk said:

Apparently the Bills are one of the 4 teams under 89% vaccinated... competitive disadvantage.

 

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/only-four-nfl-teams-below-163258591.html

Tell that to the Ravens since Lamar Jackson hasn’t been been vaxxed either 

[TBBills]

15 hours ago, Big Turk said:

Apparently the Bills are one of the 4 teams under 89% vaccinated... competitive disadvantage.

 

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/only-four-nfl-teams-below-163258591.html

Competitive disadvantage? Hahahahahhaha

[Jpsredemption]

All season long we will be dealing with - vaccinated person tests positive..has either no or mild symptoms..unvaccinated players miss 5 days and test negative throughout..debate continues to be vaccinated vs. unvaccinated with media bashing unvaccinated players with the thought that this will somehow change their minds. Each team should be bringing in outside physicians to inform the team. If they don’t take it it’s time to live with it or move on from the players.

[oldmanfan]

9 minutes ago, Jpsredemption said:

All season long we will be dealing with - vaccinated person tests positive..has either no or mild symptoms..unvaccinated players miss 5 days and test negative throughout..debate continues to be vaccinated vs. unvaccinated with media bashing unvaccinated players with the thought that this will somehow change their minds. Each team should be bringing in outside physicians to inform the team. If they don’t take it it’s time to live with it or move on from the players.

I think teams have brought in physicians.  The Vikings the other day brought in Dr. Osterholm, a leading infectious disease specialist, to talk to the team and give them accurate information.  And what did Cousins say?  "It was what it was".  

 

I am sure the Bills have done the same, I am sure they gave the players accurate info (like the fact that the vaccine does nothing to affect your fertility among other things).  And there are still guys like Beasley who get in their car with their driver's license, put on their seat belt after eating a breakfast that is probably provided by the nutritionists for the team, go to the stadium and get treatments if required from the Bills medical and training staff, and then stand up and yell that their freedom is somehow being violated because they'd rather listen to nut cases on the radio and on the Internet rather than listen to the medical and training staff that they listen to about everything else and follow the science that shows incredible effectiveness of the vaccines with extraordinarily small risk of side effects.  

 

The fans need to accept right now we're not going to win it this year because of this.  We are going to lose very important players this season because of their willful ignorance.

[Rc2catch]

3 minutes ago, oldmanfan said:

Rc2catch doesn't like what I said apparently.  The truth hurts.

If you wanna call me out you can tag me. And no I don’t like all of what you said. 
You have an opinion and that’s fine. I don’t agree with all your assumptions. Which is also fine.  Your opinion does not mean it’s the truth. We don’t all have to agree. That’s why we have the reaction options given on here. 

[Andy1]

This team is so close to reaching the final game. Are some over confident that “ it doesn’t matter if they are vaccinated”? With all the other stuff injected into them and all the risks they assume when they step onto the field, I don’t understand their logic. If the team falls short due to an unvaxxed missing game, I don’t know how you explain that to your teammates. 

[Big Turk]

4 hours ago, 78thealltimegreat said:

Tell that to the Ravens since Lamar Jackson hasn’t been been vaxxed either 

 

No need to, they would tell us that.

[BuffaloRebound]

6 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Thad Brown gets the same math:

 

 

I don’t think it’s a safe bet anymore that all 16 make the Final 53.  Bills can’t go into season with that much uncertainty. This week had to be wake up call for Beane.   For example, you can’t have both your 1 Techs unvaccinated.  You gotta take the vaccinated player over the unvaccinated where you run the risk of both guys on top of depth chart risk being unavailable.  Sucks that this is a huge story for Bills.  

[H2o]

Just as sands in the hourglass, these are the "Days Of Our Vaccine"

[dpberr]

The Bills Wire article is conjecture.  There is zero fact to substantiate the vaccination rate of the Bills is 80 percent, above or below.  Zero. 

 

If there is fact, prove it.  Show the class, cite the source.  

 

It could be 80.  It could be 90.  It could be 40. It could change by the day.  I have no idea.  You have no idea. 

 

[BringBackFergy]

12 minutes ago, dpberr said:

The Bills Wire article is conjecture.  There is zero fact to substantiate the vaccination rate of the Bills is 80 percent, above or below.  Zero. 

 

If there is fact, prove it.  Show the class, cite the source.  

 

It could be 80.  It could be 90.  It could be 40. It could change by the day.  I have no idea.  You have no idea. 

 

So, I should hold off on hating certain players until I hear the facts? I just read above we’re going to lose our only opportunity to win a Super Bowl because of these 6 or 7 players.  I don’t know what to do. Help!!!

[H2o]

1 hour ago, oldmanfan said:

I think teams have brought in physicians.  The Vikings the other day brought in Dr. Osterholm, a leading infectious disease specialist, to talk to the team and give them accurate information.  And what did Cousins say?  "It was what it was".  

 

I am sure the Bills have done the same, I am sure they gave the players accurate info (like the fact that the vaccine does nothing to affect your fertility among other things).  And there are still guys like Beasley who get in their car with their driver's license, put on their seat belt after eating a breakfast that is probably provided by the nutritionists for the team, go to the stadium and get treatments if required from the Bills medical and training staff, and then stand up and yell that their freedom is somehow being violated because they'd rather listen to nut cases on the radio and on the Internet rather than listen to the medical and training staff that they listen to about everything else and follow the science that shows incredible effectiveness of the vaccines with extraordinarily small risk of side effects.  

 

The fans need to accept right now we're not going to win it this year because of this.  We are going to lose very important players this season because of their willful ignorance.

 

The vaccine does not prevent you from getting Covid. To act like it's only the unvaccinated that can catch it, then miss games, is blatantly false. Here's a quote from an NBC News story and a link to said story. 

 

https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/provincetown-outbreak-reportedly-among-reasons-behind-cdc-reversing-mask-guidelines/2448568/

Quote

The report cited the COVID-19 Provincetown outbreak during the July 4 weekend, where more than 900 people were infected with COVID-19 as of Friday, some with the delta variant. Among those living in Massachusetts, 74% of them were fully vaccinated, yet officials said the majority reported mild symptoms of the disease. Seven people were hospitalized.

 

74% of those who contracted Covid were fully vaccinated. The report says over 900 people were infected so that means at the least around 670 of that were people who had lined up for the shots. You will likely see fully vaccinated players missing games at some point this year as well and they could also be the starting point of outbreaks within teams. 

[Johnnycage46]

 

[HappyDays]

8 minutes ago, Johnnycage46 said:

 

 

That means Beasley, Davis, and McKenzie are all unvaccinated. We should roster 7 WRs.

 

I can't believe this is going to be a thing that could ruin our season and McKenzie is laughing about it.