The NFL got a huge, and somewhat curious, scare this week.

As every football fan is wondering — will there be a season and, if so, how long will it last?

The debate rages on in college, and until Sunday the NFL looked like it was sure to play. Then the league got 77 positive test results, all turning out to be false positives upon second and third testing.

It is curious as to how 77 bad tests came back from, apparently, the same New Jersey lab the league had been using. Despite revised negative results, most NFL teams are acknowledging there will be some positive tests and required quarantining during the season. Whether they’re listed as COVID remains to be seen.

NFL rosters are usually 53 players, plus a practice or taxi squad that plays “dummy” offense or defense against the regulars. The roster number could go up by the start of the season, depending on the continued health of all teams.

As of now, NFL teams will not be sequestered in a bubble, with the players allowed to go home after practice and a night or two after each game. If that’s on Sunday, the players will need to be back on Tuesday or Wednesday to begin practicing for the next game.

That is where the most danger occurs. If married players stay with their families and go out in public, they obviously have the biggest chance of contracting the virus. Anyone who tests positive on his return for practice will be isolated and miss at least one game or until they have two consecutive negative tests.

The pros will be hardcore about replacing those players who must miss games, just like they are for normal injuries. The team will move a player up from the practice squad or sign a free agent. Unless it is a starter or indispensable special teamer, that roster spot may not be available when the player is healthy again.

The biggest problem, of course, will be an outbreak on a team, which knocks out so many of their players that the next game or two will be canceled or postponed… a possibility for football on all levels.

 

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