The Athletic's #1 reason the Bills won't hoist Lombardi (note the final paragraph)

[Bubba Gump]

Just now, PastaJoe said:

If my post was removed, I’ll trust the mods that it went too far. I won’t complain about censorship like some do about Twitter.

 

Yeah, I didn't realize they actually removed posts. I've been warned and DM'd about crossing the line, but don't think my posts were deleted. Good to know.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

17 minutes ago, Bubba Gump said:

 

Appears he deleted his comment. What a tool, lol.

 

No.  I did.  Just a friendly reminder to everyone here: At this time, the board embargo on general Covid/Vaccine discussion or Political discussion is still in place, and the ONLY acceptable response to same is a report and a link to the Pinned post.

 

Thanks.

[RyanC883]

9 hours ago, Thurman#1 said:

My guess is that unless personal choices change, the draft, the free agency process and the player development process this year and in the off-season will be focused on finding replacements for Beasley, Lotulelei and the others. Purely for performance reasons, of course.

 

 

Star is overrated in any event, IMO. He can be replaced as a space eater.  Beasley not so much.  Perhaps Kumerow will replace him.  

[Dr. Who]

Just now, RyanC883 said:

 

Star is overrated in any event, IMO. He can be replaced as a space eater.  Beasley not so much.  Perhaps Kumerow will replace him.  

Star is limited, but an above average space eater and I don't think there's any doubt the defense is appreciably better when he is out there.

[Mango]

9 hours ago, Thurman#1 said:

My guess is that unless personal choices change, the draft, the free agency process and the player development process this year and in the off-season will be focused on finding replacements for Beasley, Lotulelei and the others. Purely for performance reasons, of course.

 

Beasley and Star are stupid. Like I think they’re legitimately unintelligent. Star has to be the only player who opted out AND didn’t get vaccinated right? Beasley can’t figure out how to keep his mouth shut. He isn’t any sort of activist or martyr. 
 

I agree with you, those guys will most likely be replaced without some major change. I think Beasleys replacement is on the roster already between Stevenson, McKenzie, and possibly Sanders moving to the slot, and move Davis outside. 
 

I do have some concern about Milano and Davis as two young guys. 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

49 minutes ago, BassToMouth said:

Actually no, the moderators did. Glad you get to say whatever you want without repercussion though. 

 

You would be mistaken in that thought.  If his post went against the request of the board owner:

It would be deleted.

 

 

49 minutes ago, BassToMouth said:

Because we’re not allowed to speak—shut down immediately by the mods here, who go on to post their own thoughts whenever and however they want. You can’t add anything new to a discussion when you’re not allowed to..add anything new. 

 

This is really very simple.  This is not a government, or a publicly-supported venue where censorship applies.  It is a private bulletin board - a "private house" where we are guests.   "Scott's House, Scott's Rules."  If his rules change, the rest of us get to adjust, or leave.  That's how it is, including for me.

 

Let's say you're in the living room of your friend's house watching the game, and someone starts to loudly rail about politics.  Your friend says "you're entitled to your opinions, but we have different strongly-held views and right now we're all here to knock back a few brews and watch the game.  So can we keep this about Football, please? There's the den over there where you can go, if you'd rather talk about this stuff than talk football."

 

What does that make you if you can't respect his request and instead burst out about how it's just So Unfair?  Does it make you a Spirited Free Thinker righteously fighting against Censorship and Oppression?  No.  It does not.  It makes you a Jerk. 

[Motorin']

2 hours ago, The Firebaugh Kid said:

Vaccinated and non-vaccinated people are getting Covid. 

 

How does your team being 100% vaccinated make your players less likely to contact the virus? 

 

I have nothing against vaccinated people, or unvacciated people, fyi. 

 

 

 

Kind of like how condoms help reduce the likely hood of contracting...

 

Nevermind...

[The Wiz]

My number one reason would be the other team scores more points than us but that's just me. 

[MiltonWaddams]

You know, when you open a thread and you read all the posts and then you wish that you had never opened the thread or read any of the posts? Yes, this is one of those times for me

[purple haze]

9 hours ago, BillsShredder83 said:

At this point McD needs to focus on controlling what he can control. This horse has been beat to death. Get this team to play to its potential, and hope you learned enough from AFCC to get over the hump.

 

Getting a team to play to its potential is easier when you have  your players available to play.  The horse gets beaten to death because the wrong player or more being unavailable bc of vaxx status, for the wrong game, could cost them.  Next man up is a truism, but the first man up was first up for a reason.

 

They can still win, but it does make it harder.  Not as hard against the Texans’ of the world, but what if the Bills  had an outbreak before the KC or Tennessee games and both  those teams came in at full-strength?  Much more difficult task.

 

 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

7 minutes ago, The Wiz said:

My number one reason would be the other team scores more points than us but that's just me. 

 

Indubitably, but in football discussion circles that only begs the question "Why did the other team score more points than us?"

 

If one factor is because half our starting WR corps is "on the shelf" due to NFL Covid Protocols for unvaccinated players while the other team is 100% vaccinated and is following other extra precautions besides, it's pretty clear there are impacts.

 

One factor behind several of Belichick's playoff wins has been his absolute focus and dedication on understanding the NFL's Rules and their impacts, and exploiting the rules to maximize his team's advantage.  The Rules may have been bad rules or had loopholes, but Rules were Rules and give him propers for exploiting them.

I don't see how it can be denied that if Team T is so focused on the goal of winning the championship that 100% of the players get vaccinated (and surely some of them didn't believe in it and would have preferred not) and that the players voluntarily agree to follow extra team rules precluding going out of the hotel or meeting with family when traveling, while Team B has players aren't vaccinated and therefore can be quarantined from the facility at any point for 5 days upon exposure to a positive Covid case AND players who insist they will "live their best life" and not be bound by any restrictions ---- well, it's hard to argue that Team T is more focused on a goal and willing to take every action that might hinder them from getting there, while Team B has other priorities.

 

That's a competitive advantage, right there.

[Dr. Who]

1 minute ago, Rc2catch said:

I just took one of the weakest week long bans ever lol. I did deserve it, but it certainly wasn’t anything like this thread has seen. Only a matter of time before the hammer strikes down. 

Well, you and I often have similar sensibility. Just have to accept that one has to keep quiet on matters outside of football as the price of hanging out here. Back in medieval Europe when universities were founded, dialectical back-and-forth allowed for vigorous debate, though I surmise everyone probably still thought the other side was often full of blockheads . . . 

[Alphadawg7]

10 hours ago, Scott7975 said:

I completely respect peoples choice to get vaccinated or not but ffs follow the rules and stop making a mockery of it.  Unprofessional and selfish to do that IMO.

 

To me, the issue isn't about whether a player is vaccinated...its more about guys like Cole intentionally boasting how he wont follow protocols away from the facility.  And I hope now that they are all together at camp, preseason, practices, etc...that the staff and his teammates have at least gotten through to him in that regard.

 

They have the freedom of choice, so now just be responsible and follow the safety protocols laid out that come along with that choice, and make no mistake about it, those responsibilities are still important.  There is a go fund me account to help a woman I knows recovery who yesterday just got out of the hospital after being there 6 weeks and even on a ventilator after getting COVID.  She was also already vaccinated, but the Delta variant hit her hard.

 

Sad part is, the only reason I know her is because she hosted the funeral reception at her house for my friend Brian back in June who died from complications and damage caused by COVID that he had a year earlier and had been on life support for 19 days before passing.  Brian was a die hard Steelers fan and I will have a patch on my Allen jersey in his honor when I am in Buffalo at the game week 1.

 

A few members of my staff in Denver right now have COVID, and all of them are also vaccinated, but they are still pretty sick at home for several days and now feel like crap despite all being under 35 years old.  Someones kid brought it home from school they think is how they got it.

 

Point is...vaccinated or unvaccinated...COVID is still dangerous.  So if you are choosing not to get vaccinated, thats is 100% anyones choice and I support that.  But don't be irresponsible towards your staff and teammates by completely disregarding the safety protocols put in place to help protect the team and support their goals of winning a championship.  And again, hoping that side of Coles attitude towards it has improved now that he is around his mates and the facility.  

 

 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

43 minutes ago, RyanC883 said:

Star is overrated in any event, IMO. He can be replaced as a space eater.  Beasley not so much.  Perhaps Kumerow will replace him.  

 

He may be over-rated, he may not be over-rated, but he's one of the 5 guys on the team at his position this season, meaning his replacement may not be on the roster. Injuries also happen.  If an absence of Star due to Covid protocol happens to coincide with an injury or illness of another of the 1TDTs, then "next man up" is our 3rd string at that position, or playing out of position.  It's a disadvantage.

 

Beasley's replacement list would not involve Kumerow.  McKenzie is listed on the depth chart behind him, but it's notable that in the 2020 playoffs, the Bills considered Beasley on a broken leg > McKenzie.  Other choices would include putting Sanders in that role (he can play slot).  Getting further down, Tanner Gentry has some of that "sneaky speed" quickness, and has been honing his slot skills working with Bease and showed some stuff, apparently.

[Dr. Who]

5 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

He may be over-rated, he may not be over-rated, but he's one of the 5 guys on the team at his position this season, meaning his replacement may not be on the roster. Injuries also happen.  If an absence of Star due to Covid protocol happens to coincide with an injury or illness of another of the 1TDTs, then "next man up" is our 3rd string at that position, or playing out of position.  It's a disadvantage.

 

Beasley's replacement list would not involve Kumerow.  McKenzie is listed on the depth chart behind him, but it's notable that in the 2020 playoffs, the Bills considered Beasley on a broken leg > McKenzie.  Other choices would include putting Sanders in that role (he can play slot).  Getting further down, Tanner Gentry has some of that "sneaky speed" quickness, and has been honing his slot skills working with Bease and showed some stuff, apparently.

For this year only, Sanders is the fella that I feel could comfortably fill that role. Gentry is an interesting thought for down the line.

[Alphadawg7]

54 minutes ago, RyanC883 said:

 

Star is overrated in any event, IMO. He can be replaced as a space eater.  Beasley not so much.  Perhaps Kumerow will replace him.  

 

I disagree.  The fanbase here has always under appreciated the value Star brings, and I think they are going to see that this year when our defense makes a very noticeable improvement with the only major change being Star is back.  

 

His ability to eat space impacts the edge rushers, Oliver, and our LBs...and the success of our front 7 substantially impacts the pressure put on our secondary.  

 

Im not saying Star is some sort of irreplaceable elite player, but he is very good, and not as easy to just replace as I think you alluded to in your post.  

[Hapless Bills Fan]

2 minutes ago, Dr. Who said:

For this year only, Sanders is the fella that I feel could comfortably fill that role. Gentry is an interesting thought for down the line.

 

I think it would be McKenzie, and Stevenson would take his place as the KR/PR.

 

I think we signed Sanders because we essentially want 2 Beasley skill-sets out there at once, which purpose would be defeated by turning Sanders into Beasley so to speak.

 

But McKenzie right now is a step down from Bease.  Taron Johnson talked about this in an interview, how Beasley is like a "cheat code" to make him a better CB because he's so supurb at reading the defense and figuring out where the gaps will be.  Johnson carefully tried to compliment and not disparage Lil' Dirty, but he made it clear that in "football intelligence" it's a long step down from Bease.

[Scott7975]

13 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:

 

To me, the issue isn't about whether a player is vaccinated...its more about guys like Cole intentionally boasting how he wont follow protocols away from the facility.  And I hope now that they are all together at camp, preseason, practices, etc...that the staff and his teammates have at least gotten through to him in that regard.

 

They have the freedom of choice, so now just be responsible and follow the safety protocols laid out that come along with that choice, and make no mistake about it, those responsibilities are still important.  There is a go fund me account to help a woman I knows recovery who yesterday just got out of the hospital after being there 6 weeks and even on a ventilator after getting COVID.  She was also already vaccinated, but the Delta variant hit her hard.

 

Sad part is, the only reason I know her is because she hosted the funeral reception at her house for my friend Brian back in June who died from complications and damage caused by COVID that he had a year earlier and had been on life support for 19 days before passing.  Brian was a die hard Steelers fan and I will have a patch on my Allen jersey in his honor when I am in Buffalo at the game week 1.

 

A few members of my staff in Denver right now have COVID, and all of them are also vaccinated, but they are still pretty sick at home for several days and now feel like crap despite all being under 35 years old.  Someones kid brought it home from school they think is how they got it.

 

Point is...vaccinated or unvaccinated...COVID is still dangerous.  So if you are choosing not to get vaccinated, thats is 100% anyones choice and I support that.  But don't be irresponsible towards your staff and teammates by completely disregarding the safety protocols put in place to help protect the team and support their goals of winning a championship.  And again, hoping that side of Coles attitude towards it has improved now that he is around his mates and the facility.  

 

 

 

Same.  I don't even care if they speak their mind about stuff.  What I care about is that they follow the protocols and don't get suspended and or cause the team distractions because they don't.  If a player misses a game(s) because they got Covid that's one thing.  If they miss a game(s) because they were suspended for not following protocols then that's just selfish, unprofessional, and unnecessarily hurts the team.

[Dr. Who]

Just now, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

I think it would be McKenzie, and Stevenson would take his place as the KR/PR.

 

I think we signed Sanders because we essentially want 2 Beasley skill-sets out there at once, which purpose would be defeated by turning Sanders into Beasley so to speak.

 

But McKenzie right now is a step down from Bease.  Taron Johnson talked about this in an interview, how Beasley is like a "cheat code" to make him a better CB because he's so supurb at reading the defense and figuring out where the gaps will be.  Johnson carefully tried to compliment and not disparage Lil' Dirty, but he made it clear that in "football intelligence" it's a long step down from Bease.

Good point. I had not thought of that. And yes, Bease does have superlative football intelligence so hopefully he remains available. Hard to replace that.

[Scott7975]

9 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:

 

I disagree.  The fanbase here has always under appreciated the value Star brings, and I think they are going to see that this year when our defense makes a very noticeable improvement with the only major change being Star is back.  

 

His ability to eat space impacts the edge rushers, Oliver, and our LBs...and the success of our front 7 substantially impacts the pressure put on our secondary.  

 

Im not saying Star is some sort of irreplaceable elite player, but he is very good, and not as easy to just replace as I think you alluded to in your post.  

 

It also allows some players to play a position they may do better at.

[CincyBillsFan]

I don't know about others but life is full of worries and it's hard enough dealing with bad things that have actually happened. I'm choosing to not worry about whether Beasley or other unvaccinated Bills catch the covid and are unable to play for 2weeks.  If it happens it happens, just like an injury.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

24 minutes ago, Dr. Who said:

Well, you and I often have similar sensibility. Just have to accept that one has to keep quiet on matters outside of football as the price of hanging out here. Back in medieval Europe when universities were founded, dialectical back-and-forth allowed for vigorous debate, though I surmise everyone probably still thought the other side was often full of blockheads . . . 

 

This isn't the place for a scholarly review of the history of dialectics in medieval theology, just to point out that a statement that they were "allowed for vigorous debate" is a vast oversimplification of the situation.  Even when/where they were allowed, there were boundries - such as within certain forums and not others.

[Dr. Who]

Just now, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

This isn't the place for a scholarly review of the history of dialectics in medieval theology, just to point out that a statement that they were "allowed for vigorous debate" is a vast oversimplification of the situation.  Even when/where they were allowed, there were boundries - such as within certain forums and not others.

Okay. I don't think I was advocating otherwise. 

[Radar]

28 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:

 

To me, the issue isn't about whether a player is vaccinated...its more about guys like Cole intentionally boasting how he wont follow protocols away from the facility.  And I hope now that they are all together at camp, preseason, practices, etc...that the staff and his teammates have at least gotten through to him in that regard.

 

They have the freedom of choice, so now just be responsible and follow the safety protocols laid out that come along with that choice, and make no mistake about it, those responsibilities are still important.  There is a go fund me account to help a woman I knows recovery who yesterday just got out of the hospital after being there 6 weeks and even on a ventilator after getting COVID.  She was also already vaccinated, but the Delta variant hit her hard.

 

Sad part is, the only reason I know her is because she hosted the funeral reception at her house for my friend Brian back in June who died from complications and damage caused by COVID that he had a year earlier and had been on life support for 19 days before passing.  Brian was a die hard Steelers fan and I will have a patch on my Allen jersey in his honor when I am in Buffalo at the game week 1.

 

A few members of my staff in Denver right now have COVID, and all of them are also vaccinated, but they are still pretty sick at home for several days and now feel like crap despite all being under 35 years old.  Someones kid brought it home from school they think is how they got it.

 

Point is...vaccinated or unvaccinated...COVID is still dangerous.  So if you are choosing not to get vaccinated, thats is 100% anyones choice and I support that.  But don't be irresponsible towards your staff and teammates by completely disregarding the safety protocols put in place to help protect the team and support their goals of winning a championship.  And again, hoping that side of Coles attitude towards it has improved now that he is around his mates and the facility.  

 

 

I was so happy they signed Beasley. Be just as happy to see him go. He's obviously another self absorbed athlete who doesn't care about anyone else. Go back to Texas!

[Motorin']

9 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

This isn't the place for a scholarly review of the history of dialectics in medieval theology, just to point out that a statement that they were "allowed for vigorous debate" is a vast oversimplification of the situation.  Even when/where they were allowed, there were boundries - such as within certain forums and not others.

 

What, we won't be getting a doctorate in medieval dialectics after reaching our 100,000th post? What a rip off!

[Alphadawg7]

3 minutes ago, Radar said:

I was so happy they signed Beasley. Be just as happy to see him go. He's obviously another self absorbed athlete who doesn't care about anyone else. Go back to Texas!

 

I dont want to see him go, unless he become detrimental to the team.  As of right now, I can't say he is or isn't being that.  He said some really stupid stuff on Twitter, but until I see him actually do something that puts his teammates availability in jeopardy, I will give him the benefit of the doubt that he will do right by his teammates.  Outside of his twitter comments, everything else about him suggests he is a team first guy in every other way and well loved in the locker room.  

 

Social media is just toxic in general.

[Rc2catch]

16 minutes ago, Alphadawg7 said:

 

I dont want to see him go, unless he become detrimental to the team.  As of right now, I can't say he is or isn't being that.  He said some really stupid stuff on Twitter, but until I see him actually do something that puts his teammates availability in jeopardy, I will give him the benefit of the doubt that he will do right by his teammates.  Outside of his twitter comments, everything else about him suggests he is a team first guy in every other way and well loved in the locker room.  

 

Social media is just toxic in general.

Very well said. Twitter world could be his downfall but his team still seems to stand by him for the most part. It’s probably not as serious as media outlets would like us to believe. Beasley probably won’t be here much longer but that’s more Father Time than Twitter, at least I hope. 

[Boatdrinks]

Yawn, awful take but not surprising. The Bills biggest obstacle is the Chiefs, period end of story. Every team has to deal with the silly NFL protocols and those are the issue. I respect the Bills players and their personal medical decisions. Nothing could be more personal, and that comes before anything you do on a football field or other place of employment. 

[RiotAct]

3 hours ago, f0neguy said:

Looking at the above noted statistics, any guess as to the percentage of Bills fans that will be vaccinated at the opener?  55-60%?  More, less?  🤔

41.938%

[Hapless Bills Fan]

2 hours ago, Radar said:

I was so happy they signed Beasley. Be just as happy to see him go. He's obviously another self absorbed athlete who doesn't care about anyone else. Go back to Texas!

 

I don't think this is obvious at all. 

 

Beasley presents himself as concerned for protecting his unvaccinated teammates. 

 

Given that goal, Beasley is muddies his own waters with some of the stuff he tweets (which is "shaking my damn head" level), but he's not wrong about other things - like the fact that the NFL preseason protocols testing vaccinated players and staff only once every two weeks (unless they are symptomatic) is not sufficient to preclude a vaccinated player or staff member from exposing people in the facility.

 

The NFLPA recognized this by requesting the NFL to return to daily testing of everyone, and the NFL tacitly agreed by returning to 1x/week testing with an "optional" midweek test available.

 

 

[CincyBillsFan]

I wonder if the Bills are testing players to determine if they have naturally derived immunity? Would the union or the players even allow such testing?  The reason I'm asking is that natural immunity appears to be very robust, long lasting and effective against the different covid strains.  Knowing whether any of their unvaccinated players have natural immunity might allow them to better estimate their susceptibility to testing positive for covid?

 

 

 

 

 

 

[HOUSE]

Subscribe to the Athletic for $1 they said...

 

Its a deal they said....😬

 

 

 

[transplantbillsfan]

11 hours ago, Richard Noggin said:

It's really unfortunate that there is an NFL team/organization registering a 100% vaccination rate, and the Bills are NOT that team. And I say this as a purely competitive football observation. The Bills have on their roster a handful of important players who have chosen not to get vaccinated, which means the team's roster is potentially more vulnerable to COVID-related disruptions during the season than the teams they're competing against. 

 

Last season's champions, for example, the Bucs, have ALL elected to be vaccinated (coaches and players). Even snake-oil salesman TB12 and his well-hydrated acolytes have fallen in line; not necessarily because they each believe in the efficacy of the vaccines, so much as they have decided, collectively, to place team accountability above individual skepticism. I'm actually surprised by a Brady-led 100% compliance rate, given the QB's documented history as a pseudo-science guru.

 

Good for them, in terms of collective accountability and compliance. It pains me to type it.

 

Personal beliefs aside, if Bills vs Bucs were to miraculously be the Super Bowl matchup this year, during the 2 week media fiasco that is the lead-up to that game, the entire coaching staff would have an extra thing to worry about, monitor and talk to the team about--probably multiple times. That's of course if Buffalo still has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the NFL, which they currently do.

 

That's a competitive disadvantage.

[Billsfanatic8989]

I'm not going to get into the Covid political talk. Everyone has a choice to make. I respect that.

 

Football wise, there's one major reason we wouldn't get to a SB: Patrick Mahomes. That's obvious.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

1 hour ago, Boatdrinks said:

Yawn, awful take but not surprising. The Bills biggest obstacle is the Chiefs, period end of story. Every team has to deal with the silly NFL protocols and those are the issue. I respect the Bills players and their personal medical decisions. Nothing could be more personal, and that comes before anything you do on a football field or other place of employment. 

 

I would agree that the Bills players medical decisions are private.  There's a distinction between a private and a personal decision.  If your private decision potentially impacts others - relatives, friends, coworkers - it's kind of by definition no longer personal.

 

You're also correct that every team has to deal with the NFL protocols.

 

The germaine point here is that teams which are 100% vaccinated (or close to it) have less to deal with from the NFL protocols which are, silly or not, the rules everyone must follow.  For example, the Bucs are not at risk of having half their starting WR room be quarantined outside the facility for 5 days due to a close exposure to Covid.

 

Whether you or I think that's a good rule or a bad rule, Matters Not - it 's the NFL's rule, that, as you point out, every team has to deal with, and it's going to impact the Bills more than teams who are closer to 100% vaccinated.

[Billsfanatic8989]

1 hour ago, Boatdrinks said:

Yawn, awful take but not surprising. The Bills biggest obstacle is the Chiefs, period end of story. Every team has to deal with the silly NFL protocols and those are the issue. I respect the Bills players and their personal medical decisions. Nothing could be more personal, and that comes before anything you do on a football field or other place of employment. 

I said Mahomes is their biggest obstacle. But yes the Chiefs as a whole are better than we are. On paper.

 

But being better on paper only counts in the NBA. Not so much in football.

[transplantbillsfan]

4 hours ago, 4merper4mer said:

The good news is that if the Bills are one of the 31 teams that don’t win the Super Bowl, some douche will find a way to point to his article as the reason by using twisted pretzel logic because a backup’s third cousin got sick.  Hooray for journalism.

 

If Beasley or Gabe Davis or Star or Milano or any combination of them or other important players (I don't think it'll be Josh... I'd bet he got the shot at this point) misses the Super Bowl or a playoff game, I'll do someone else a favor and fall on the sword and take your title of "douche" and bump this thread

[ColoradoBills]

I've made peace with family members regarding their decisions about vaccinations and I am doing the same with the Buffalo Bills players.

What is going to happen will happen and my opinion won't change anything.

 

I'm off this merry-go-round.  All I have left to say is good luck to anyone suffering because of this situation.

Go Bills.

[Boatdrinks]

2 minutes ago, Billsfanatic8989 said:

I said Mahomes is their biggest obstacle. But yes the Chiefs as a whole are better than we are. On paper.

 

But being better on paper only counts in the NBA. Not so much in football.

Sure, you could break it down to Mahomes ( or any top teams starting QB) and you’d not be wrong. A major injury to Mahomes would definitely change the dynamic. I’d still say the Chiefs as a team/ coach though(assuming a healthy Mahomes) until the Bills beat them. The Bills were out coached and overmatched in some areas. We will see if they manage to beat ‘em soon enough. The Athletic should say “NFL protocols“ and they’d be much closer to the truth than claiming a virus is the #1 reason the Bills won’t be champions. 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

23 minutes ago, CincyBillsFan said:

I wonder if the Bills are testing players to determine if they have naturally derived immunity? Would the union or the players even allow such testing?  The reason I'm asking is that natural immunity appears to be very robust, long lasting and effective against the different covid strains.  Knowing whether any of their unvaccinated players have natural immunity might allow them to better estimate their susceptibility to testing positive for covid?

 

The union and players apparently allow voluntary antibody testing, but I don't think it would tell you much.  Why, is beyond the scope here.

 

For an NFL example, Lamar Jackson had Covid-19 last fall and was re-infected this summer.  It clearly happens.

 

If you read the NFL protocols closely (I haven't found the new protocols yet, but this aspect from the preseason protocols hasn't changed, a player who contracts covid confirmed by a positive PCR test, is exempt from testing for the next 90 days (p 66):
 

Quote

iii. Previously documented positive virus test results.
1. Any player, or Tiered Individual who can provide documented
evidence of a positive test result from an approved rt-PCR test
(“Original Positive Test”) will be exempted from the normal virus
testing cadence required in this section for a period of ninety (90)
days from the date of the Original Positive Test. This individual
must continue to check in each day for a symptom screen. The
aforementioned documented evidence shall be provided to the
Club’s ICO and reviewed and approved in conjunction with ICS
and the NFL’s Chief Medical Officer. After the expiration of that
90-day period, any such non-fully vaccinated individual shall
receive required virus testing one (1) time per week, until such
time as that individual receives a negative test result. Once that
individual has received a negative test result, he or she will be
returned to the regular testing cadence required for an individual in
his or her Tier. Any positive test result received after that non-
fully vaccinated individual has received two consecutive negative
test results shall be treated as a new positive test, and the
individual shall be subject to the requirements of the Treatment
Response Protocol.
2. Any player who is not fully vaccinated (including Free Agents,
Tryout, and players acquired from other clubs) who is exempted
from testing due to a previously documented positive virus test as
described in Subsection (1) above will not be subject to the Entry
or Re-Entry testing that would otherwise be required for that player
pursuant to this Protocol during the period of his exemption from
testing. Such an exemption must be approved by the NFL Chief
Medical Officer in advance of the player’s entry into a Club
facility. Such a player will be, however, subject to daily symptom
screening.

 

So teams probably track who has actually been infected. 

 

The NFL also recognizes some impact of natural immunity because a player with a previous positive PCR test for Covid  needs 1 vaccine shot to be counted as fully immunized.