Giants’ Judge trusts NFL’s COVID-19 plan
As the NFL kicks off training camp in the middle of a deadly pandemic, one question is at the forefront: How optimistic should players, coaches and fans be that the NFL can complete a full 16-game season?
Jets head coach Adam Gase and Giants head coach Joe Judge both gave their opinions on that subject this week during their online press conferences.
“Listen, I got a lot of trust in the plan put forward by the league,” Judge said. “We spent a lot of time on this. When these players left, or we signed off for vacation and the coaches took a break for about a month, it was 24/7 around the clock really working on making sure we got the facilities in order so we can bring out players in and have them work safely. We’re doing everything we can to be not just compliant, but make sure we’re staying ahead of issues that may arise.”
So far, the Giants haven’t been hit hard by coronavirus. Wide receiver David Sills is the only Giants player to end up on the newly created COVID-19 reserve list. That pales in comparison to other teams like the Vikings, Lions and Bills who have had multiple players get sick. That includes starters like Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr, Vikings wide receiver and first round pick Justin Jefferson and Lions cornerback Justin Coleman.
Judge did seem fairly optimistic that the league would be able to play an entire season.
“In terms of the optimism for a season, right now, we got 16 games on a schedule and I look forward to playing every one,” Judge said. Judge also said that the coaches and players would have to demand an environment that holds accountability.
Judge also said that everything involved with staying healthy during the coronavirus seems like a fair trade to be a part of the NFL.
Gase was a little more cautious with his optimism surrounding the NFL’s return to action.
“I don’t have a crystal ball,” Gase said. “What we’ve been given as far as how to put our players and our staff in the best position possible, you can tell that these guys have spent a lot of time and there’s a lot of work and they went to a lot of different people to give us the best opportunity that we possibly can. I think it’s going to be on us as an organization to do everything we possibly can to put our guys in the right spot and put our staff in the right position by following the guidelines that they’ve given us.”
The Jets have not had a player put on the COVID-19 reserve list yet.
“I think the thing that’s really important for us, and this is something we’ll really emphasize with our players, is asking questions,” Gase said. “If there’s something that anyone is concerned about or if there’s something that anyone isn’t sure about, it’s not being afraid to ask questions. There’s a lot of things that get brought up. You may have to go ask somebody in the league office. You may have to ask someone that’s in charge of our protocols if there is some kind of gray area.”
Gase seems to be taking the new reality of NFL football one day at a time. “I don’t think there’s 100% answers to anything right now,” Gase said. “We’re going through this and trying to find the best way to put our players in the best position possible and keep everybody healthy. There’s no handbook for this situation and we’re all going through it trying to figure out the best way to do every part of our daily lives. This is uncharted waters for us.”
As of now, actual practices are scheduled to begin around the middle of August.