On Wednesday afternoon, we reported that in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the NFL was preparing to announce the cancellation of the first and fourth preseason games for each team.
For the Kansas City Chiefs, this would mean that the home games against the Cincinnati Bengals and Green Bay Packers scheduled for August 15 and September 3 would be canceled, leaving the Chiefs two games on the road against the Cardinals of Arizona and the Dallas Cowboys on August 22 and August. 29)
But almost immediately, word spread that, when necessary, the schedule would be matched so that each team would play a preseason game on the road and one at home. But which of them would turn into a confrontation at home remained unknown.
It’s not even 24 hours later, and the situation is even clearer now.
On Wednesday night, Denver Broncos NFL Players Association (NFLPA) representative Brandon McManus tweeted that the teams would likely play even fewer preseason games, and perhaps none.
This was amplified by a report from NFL.com.
A decision has not been made on the upcoming NFL preseason as some members of the NFL Players Association are in favor of not playing preseason games before the 2020 NFL season, reported Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network on Wednesday night.
Previously, the expectation was that the NFL would reduce the preseason schedule from four games to just two games, however, the NFLPA has yet to sign, and there are some within union leadership who continue to question whether it is a smart move to play. preseason games, added Garafolo and Pelissero.
But it is not clear if the union really has anything to say about it. According to an article by Washington Post NFL correspondent Mark Maske, the league does not need NFLPA approval, and remains firm on his plan.
However, the league can set preseason length without NFLPA approval, and has no intention of giving in on its two-game plan, even if the union seeks additional reductions, according to a person familiar with planning the NFL, who said: “there will be two [games]. “
NFLPA player representatives have reportedly scheduled a conference call for Thursday night to discuss the preseason schedule, and hopefully that will result in greater clarity.
And clarity will be needed … soon.
According to a report by ESPN NFL informant Adam Schefter on Wednesday, the preseason schedule is far from the only issue that remains undecided.
The NFL and NFLPA continue to discuss protocols for reopening the team’s facilities, test schedules, and other gaming-related issues amid a pandemic. Sources close to the discussions say that there is no difficult deadline for the completion of the protocols, but that if the training camps must start on time (July 28 for all [but the Chiefs and Houston Texans]), there is a feeling that both sides should reach an agreement by the end of next week.
One reason for this is that there is a possibility that the league will ask players and team staff to quarantine at home for two weeks before leaving for camp. This doesn’t even take into account recently imposed rules in states like New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts that ask people who come from states where coronavirus cases increase quarantine for two weeks upon arrival.
This is further complicated by a report by Mike Florio of NBC Sports Professional Soccer Talk, who said the rookies would initially report July 19.
According to a league source, the NFL’s proposed schedule has rookies showing up for a coronavirus test on July 19, with rookie conditioning beginning two days later on July 21. That same day, wounded veterans would have their coronavirus test, with conditioning for injured veterans beginning July 23. Veterans would be screened for the virus on July 26, and the veterans’ conditioning would begin in conjunction with the launch of the camp on July 28.
All of those dates (presumably) would move three days ahead for the Chiefs and Texans, whose camps will begin on July 25 to get them ready for the season opener on Thursday, September 10, which would give the league and union even less. time to agree on these issues; could mean that final decisions would have to be made in the next days.
Unless, of course, the league decides to exercise one of the options that it incorporated into the 2020 calendar, starting the season with what would have been the scheduled games of Week 5 on Thursday, October 8, and passing the games of Week 1 to Week 4 to The end of the season. That would cause the Chiefs to start the regular season with a road game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, Oct. 11, and end against the Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots sometime in January.
We will keep you informed.
