THE 101ST SEASON?
No shortage of questions as NFL kicks off this unusual season
The NFL has achieved its goal of arriving on time for the start of its 101st season, which is no small task considering the logistical tangles and layers of planning needed to get to September 10th’s scheduled marquee kickoff with the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Houston Texans.
Reaching the finish line — Super Bowl LV — on Feb. 7 at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium will be even more impressive as the COVID-19 pandemic is certain to create unknown detours along the way. But thus far the NFL has found a way to navigate its calendar through the threat of the virus with minimal changes other than the elimination of preseason.
Can teams safely travel to play eight regular-season road games, not to mention maintain safety in the 32 club facilities? Those are pressing questions to be answered in the days, weeks and months to come.
“We’re learning so much from the results with our testing and seeing how the tests inform us over time,” said Dr. Allen Sills, the NFL’s chief medical officer. “We know that testing alone doesn’t make us safe. We can never be lulled into the position because we’re testing and people are negative, now we don’t have to wear PPE (personal protective equipment) or do physical distancing. I do expect that our testing protocol will evolve and will change throughout the course of a sixmonth season because of what we’re leaning along the way.”
The coronavirus pandemic isn’t the only off-field issue expected to have an impact on football this season.
The social justice initiatives supported by the NFL and Black Lives Matter movement came front and center four years ago and emerged as a hot-button topic. The league office has pledged to handle the matter, which was initially sparked by former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick in 2016, better than it has in the past.
The discussion has shifted following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Major fallout from that heinous crime included Washington finally dropping the nickname Redskins, something owner Daniel Snyder had pledged he would never do.
The ways games are viewed will also differ this year. The league’s television ratings took a significant dip during the last presidential election year in 2016, but with many games set to be played at empty stadiums — and stadiums that do allow fans at greatly reduced capacities — networks are expecting a surge in viewership.
On the field, it will be interesting to see what play looks like without any preseason. The league has discussed a shortened preseason for several years, and this will provide a glimpse of what the season looks like without the benefit of exhibition games.
When players hit the ground running, there will be no shortage of intriguing storylines.
The Kansas City Chiefs are aiming to become the first Lombardi Trophy winner to repeat since the 2004 New End Patriots, and wide receiver Tyreek Hill made a bold prediction over the summer, saying the team has one down on the way to what should be seven titles with star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who signed a massive 10-year contract extension that could be worth $503 million.
New England’s dynasty is no longer together as 43-year-old quarterback Tom Brady, who won six Super Bowls with the Patriots, signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His old pal Rob Gronkowski came out of retirement, giving Tampa Bay a threat at tight end to go with top-flight wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Meanwhile, the Patriots move forward with coach Bill Belichick now left to turn to newcomer Cam Newton in the post-Brady era.
Electric Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson took the NFL by storm in 2019, winning MVP honors. And the Ravens remain stout on defense, a formidable threat to Kansas City in the AFC.
Quarterback Joe Burrow catapulted from a phenomenal senior season at LSU to win the Heisman Trophy en route to being the No. 1 overall pick by the Cincinnati Bengals. The Miami Dolphins pinned their rebuilding hopes on another former Heisman Trophy winner, Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. The Packers piqued interest by trading up in the first round of the draft to select quarterback Jordan Love with 36-year-old Aaron Rodgers still leading the franchise.
Managing to play games through the pandemic will be the dominant focus all season, but once the games kick off, the NFL is certain to generate the usual headlines in what usually is mustsee reality television.