How NFL is set, if needed, to shake up its schedule

https://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2020/04/27/Leagues-and-Governing-Bodies/NFL-schedule.aspx

The league has told media partners to expect the schedule to be released as early as May 7.

A Super Bowl that kicks off on Feb. 28.

A regular season that starts as late as Thursday, Oct. 15.

An NFL season with no bye weeks or Pro Bowl.

These are all contingencies that the NFL has considered as the league moves forward with its plans to hold a full regular season.

The league’s executives are trying to put themselves in the best position to fit in a full season, or at least a nearly full season, even if there are delays.

NFL schedule-makers are in the process of designing a 2020 season that has several different wrinkles. When the schedule is released next month, it will look like a standard 16-game, 17-week slate, but it will be designed to allow for several steps that could become necessary depending on the state of the pandemic. (The 17-game regular season agreed to in the new CBA goes into effect with the 2021 season.)

In one version, the start of the season could be delayed by up to five weeks with relatively few adjustments. Such a scenario would have Super Bowl LV, currently set for Feb. 7, 2021 in Tampa, pushed back by three weeks. If that happens, it could compete with other big events that typically try to avoid Super Bowl Sunday.

Two weeks of early-season games could be shifted wholesale to the end of the season. A third week would feature teams only playing opponents with the same bye week, so that week could be cut and byes eliminated leaguewide.

These contingency-laden plans also include cutting the weekend between the conference championships and the Super Bowl, where the Pro Bowl is typically played, to allow another week to be lost to delays. Under such a plan, the Pro Bowl would not be played.

Specific conversations have occurred with Tampa hosts about delaying the Super Bowl by one week to Feb. 14, but a source said the last two weeks of February are in play as well.

Sources caution that none of the plans are final, and nothing has been ruled out. All parties are aware that the season is still subject to major variables around the spread of the coronavirus by late summer, local regulations and medical progress against the disease.

But the NFL’s chief scheduler, Howard Katz, and the NFL’s broadcasters are working with two overriding goals: Do what they can to preserve the possibility of playing a full 16-game slate, and also keep the Super Bowl in February.

By setting up the schedule now with those potential changes in mind, such as eliminating the Pro Bowl and getting assurances that the Super Bowl can be moved, the league could start as late as Oct. 15 — what would typically be Week 6 — and play a 16-game season that ends in February.

Tampa Bay Sports Commission Executive Director Rob Higgins declined to comment on the possibility of a Super Bowl shift. “We’ve been in constant communication with the NFL and we’re totally focused on Feb. 7, 2021,” he said.

The NFL has told network executives to expect the schedule to be released as early as May 7 — two days before the May 9 date that the NFL originally had circled.

Even though Brian Rolapp, NFL executive vice president of media, said on March 30 that the league would announce a schedule by May 9, internal debate is still roiling about whether the league should even announce anything.

Sales staffs at teams, leagues and broadcasters are agitating for a tangible schedule, desperate for any offering to give ticket buyers, sponsors and advertisers. Some high-level strategists, though, are questioning the wisdom of releasing a schedule with so many unknowns.

They worry that a schedule release will be interpreted as a challenge to powerful politicians, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has been pessimistic about resuming major sporting activities this year.

For those reasons, insiders said, the schedule will be released with an emphasis on the contingencies. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said on April 17, “We continue to plan for the season as scheduled, including the Super Bowl, and will be prepared to adjust as necessary.”

Commissioner Roger Goodell later addressed the issue on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”.

“One thing I’ve learned about what we are going through as a country is you can’t tell a week from now much less three months from now,” Goodell said. “So, our job is to be ready. We will obviously be ready to make alternatives.”

Rich Hammond@Rich_Hammond
I’m very excited to welcome @JourdanRodrigue as our new Rams beat writer! Rams fans, please give her a follow

Jourdan Rodrigue@JourdanRodrigue
/taps mic/

Test, test.

/tap tap/

“Uniforms”

(did I do it right? thrilled to be here!!)

@Rich_Hammond is the absolute best and sets the bar SO high – I am seriously lucky to be working with him!! We have some really, really fun stuff in the works for you all over the next couple months. Looking forward to getting to know everybody better!

Couple early takeaways from this (still getting my feet wet so pardon if any redundancy)
– Love that the data/analytics office is nicknamed “Nerds Nest” (also…WOW! An analytics office! Panthers fans will get this.)
– Snead doing scouting meetings from his Peloton – LOL
– When scouts and regional directors show such conviction on a single prospect in a specific round either for the positive or the negative, most GMs sit up and seriously listen (re. Akers-in-the-second-round conversation).

Jane McManus@janesports
We can have sports back when we have invested in public health, when we test, trace and isolate cases. Saying, “one day it’s like a miracle it will disappear” means we get to watch live sports broadcast from Taiwan. Congratulations, America.

from 2020 NFL Power Rankings: 1-32 poll, plus post-draft winners for every team
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/29119922/2020-nfl-power-rankings-1-32-poll-plus-post-draft-winners-every-team#LAR

7. Los Angeles Rams

Post-free-agency ranking: 17

Player who benefited: QB Jared Goff. The Rams moved on from two key players when they released running back Todd Gurley and traded receiver Brandin Cooks. Gurley was Goff’s every-down back, and Cooks was the speedy deep threat who stretched a defense. But with their first two picks in the draft, both in the second round, the Rams selected Florida State RB Cam Akers and Florida WR Van Jefferson. The team also picked up tight end Brycen Hopkins in the fourth round. They are expected to contribute as rookies, and their addition ensures that Goff will again have a full arsenal of playmakers. — Lindsey Thiry

Adam Schefter@AdamSchefter
NFL plans to release its preseason and regular-season schedule later this week, but one league source said Sunday that he doesn’t “think any international games (are) coming this year.”

Los Angeles Rams UK@LARams_UK
And it’s official. No NFL games in London this year.

Over The Cap has contract projections for the Rams’ draft picks and Akers/Jefferson are going to cost LA a lot less than Gurley/Cooks would have https://t.co/aErBMILjrU

— Cameron DaSilva (@camdasilva) May 4, 2020

Higbee is so good after the catch, also I love how blythe pushes baker like 10 yards lol pic.twitter.com/mcod9ckCr6

— HoldenCantor (@HoldenCantor) May 4, 2020

Hear this all the time. Guys know almost instantly. pic.twitter.com/4FiCw3aHdo

— Aaron Nagler (@AaronNagler) May 4, 2020

Cooper Kupp is incredible (we all know this). But, the best part of this play is Woods and Cooks in an all-out sprint, trying to create headway for Kupp to finish the job. It’s so much fun to watch receivers who know how to block downfield. pic.twitter.com/NT3ESwekWU

— Rams Brothers (@RamsBrothers) May 3, 2020

Little man got clamps🤐 pic.twitter.com/kulnmbs2Y9

— Footballism™ (@FootbaIIism) March 30, 2020

These protesters defied the lockdown to gather in central London.

Their reckless actions are more likely to prolong lockdown and add to the burden on the NHS. pic.twitter.com/o2maYW3DYW

— PoliticsJOE (@PoliticsJOE_UK) May 2, 2020

Two different fan views of Lewis.

—

merlin

Lewis lasted on the board for a reason. It wasn’t just the injuries. He’s a high end talent, but his tape wasn’t dominant and he needs to work on his technique to maximize his ability. In the LSU game his best pressures were inside moves. On the outside moves both OTs handled him for the most part. He’s got a good amount of snaps where he disappears or lets guys seal him off without too much contesting it IMO.

I don’t like his balance either tbh. He’s stiff and his weight seems to stay up high which is not something you see with rare pass rushers. The rare guys can power through with good balance or they’re bendy and can shift their weight and he has neither really.

But the guy is a freak in terms of his physical gifts, and he has missed so much time on the field that the Rams probably felt “why not.” IMO if he develops into a top rusher for us it will be with technique coaching because of the above. He’s long with plus size so if he can get that technique down quickly I think he can be a very good OLB who fits the scheme who can get better and better. And I can’t complain where the Rams took him, it was good value if they can get the full effort without him getting injured.

LSURAM

Terrell Lewis

I have been watching a lot of rebroadcasts of college football games in particular games that include Rams’ draftees. I’ve watched a couple of Bama games from last season and watched Lewis. I came away with a general sense that Bama players are very disciplined and all where they need to be. That sometimes looks like they are waiting for someone else to make a play. Being around athletes that are returning from injury there tends to be some cautiousness the first year back. I think Lewis holds the edge quite well and the games I watched the teams tended to run opposite of him. That being said he had some plays where he could make a tackle for a loss or get pressure on the QB and I saw a different gear which was encouraging.

• This reply was modified 6 years, 6 months ago by zn.

How many Rams starters on defense in the Super Bowl from 15 months ago are still with the team? Aaron Donald, Michael Brockers, Samson Ebukam, and John Johnson. That’s it. The 2020 Rams will look much different. https://t.co/VyPZMX3sS5

— TurfShowTimes (@TurfShowTimes) May 2, 2020

Zooey wrote:

Here’s what I don’t understand:From the beginning, they told as worst case would be 4% fatality.

The other day, we had one million people infected, and 60K dead.

Maybe I’m no good at math, but that looks like 6% to me, and many of the confirmed cases haven’t recovered yet.

We don’t know the mortality rate because we don’t know the true number of infected. How many don’t even know they are?