Camp thoughts Vol. VI

 

Here we go. The first warning shot has been fired at the National Football League’s bold attempt (gamble?) to successfully complete an entire season, including playoffs, in the middle of a deadly pandemic.

 

The Browns Sunday cancelled their scheduled afternoon practice after Saturday’s daily COVID-19 testing revealed double-digit positive results from a New Jersey laboratory.

 

“Saturday’s daily COVID testing returned several positive tests from each of the clubs serviced by the same laboratory,” the NFL said in a statement. “We are working . . . to investigate these results while the clubs work to confirm or rule out the positive test.”

 

This little outbreak right now seems to involve the several teams using that lab. “Other laboratories used for NFL testing have not had similar results,” the league reported.

 

The Browns, meanwhile, chose to err on the side of caution instructed those who tested positive to self-quarantine, or until a determination is made whether they are false positives.

 

The Chicago Bears, using the same New Jersey lab, received similar results for nine people that were ultimately determined to be false positives. The club then shifted its scheduled morning practice Sunday to the afternoon.

 

This obviously caught the Browns by surprise as they were in the midst of preparing for the start of the 2020 season in three weeks. They just entered the full-pad/contact phase of training camp as they ramped up for the season opener in Baltimore on Sept. 13.

 

The notion the NFL could pull off this little miracle in the face of the novel coronavirus was met with some skepticism. Until now, nothing COVID-related popped up on the radar.

 

Optimists would say it’s only one day. Don’t worry. The Browns will be back at it Monday when the tests come back as false positives. Pessimists will take an entirely different and more realistic view.

 

Yes, it’s only one day, but it’s one less day to get ready for the season. Considering the team had a scheduled day off Friday, that’s only one practice over a three-day period for a team installing a new offense and new defense. Those are days they’ll never get back.

 

It’s going to be hard enough for new head coach Kevin Stefanski, who now has to accelerate the program in order to catch up, which probably means even more mistakes and blown assignments.

 

This all eventually could turn into a daily gnashing of teeth as the uncertainty of the power of this mysterious virus continues to threaten this country with no end in sight, especially dealing with a sport that features collisions.

 

There is no such thing as social distancing in football. You won’t find players wearing COVID facemasks behind the attached protective facemasks on their helmets. There also appears to be some pushback against league-proposed plastic shields on the helmet.

 

One more thing: False positives are frustrating enough to cause some consternation. Far more dangerous are false negatives. This virus, is seems, can mask itself in several different ways. It is possible to test negative, but be a carrier.  

The NFL nevertheless will continue to plunge ahead on this precarious journey until or unless it reaches the point of futility and common sense takes over. The first warning shot has been fired. There will be more. Stay tuned.