Week 11 COVID-19 News

[TXsteeler]

8 minutes ago, AFlaccoSeagulls said:

I agree with this. I've been on the "forfeit this game in favor of the Steelers" for a little while now. The continued postponement is a joke.

A forfeit is the worse option, it should have been moved to week 18 as should have been other games this year tbh.

[diamondbull424]

1 hour ago, CKSteeler said:

Why would I care why the players were threatening to strike? It's entirely irrelevant to my argument. The league's stance was that the game was on until they threatened to strike and as the source explained to PFT, they threatened to open a massive can of worms.

It actually is relevant though.

I think two days positive tests within a clear team outbreak is a reasonable ask. It seemed like the NFL was looking to have them plow through to the game regardless to keep things on schedule, regardless of if playing the game resulted in another 10 positives on the other side... which is 10 people/families with the prospect of exposure and potentially suffering from covid related complications.

The outbreak, happens within the Ravens organization, but it was not the fault of players. Thus those players trying to leverage their employee rights to protect their family (and themselves) from exposure makes sense. If this were just made from a competitive angle, then I would agree that it’s weaksauce.

Nothing is confirmed but multiple players were thought to be exposed in the game vs the Titans, why risk playing another game that threatens further exposure, if you don’t have to do so? It makes sense to strike, whether the game is forfeited at that point is irrelevant. So it would make sense to want to know your options.

Like if you refuse to play and forfeit, will you get paid? That could be an option on the table. Along with what type of precedent they have in place from a medical/safety perspective to demand additional time? That would be important information to understand before deciding whether to forfeit playing. A forfeit however would also be a strike considering it would be the players deciding not to play vs the league declaring the game a forfeit, themselves.

I think it’s true that the NFL (office) doesn’t want to deal with the optics of it all and that’s why THEY pushed the game back, that might be fair to say, but that’s not actually a good thing. We know they sat on the concussion news for years before acting, so If they’re more willing to see this game played than with the control of spread/health of the players within the Ravens locker room, then that would be of bigger concern to Ravens players... which would be why they’re seeking assistance from the NFLPA.

Bringing up the Titans incident and the fact that they didn’t practice isn’t a 1 =1 situation. As they were given a bye week and an additional two days, so roughly 16 days, to figure out their spread situation before having to play a game. Whereas the Ravens outbreak will have been given 10 days before the Ravens players are having to take the field. 

If both Ravens AND Steelers players are okay with a forfeit, but the NFL isn’t okay with that, that’s not on the Ravens players who want to know what the NFLPA can do to keep them safe in this instance. Obviously the situation is frustrating, but it makes plenty of sense why the players might want this game pushed back considering your average quarantine time is 10 days in the first place. So asking the players to play with anything less (considering it was a clearly uncontrolled outbreak), was nonsensical on the part of the NFL.

Though I also don’t fault the NFL here because... how can they know the exact level of this outbreak, considering the sheer stupidity and noncompliance of Saunders. He’s probably one of those covid conspiracy types and it cost the organization big time. Though this last tidbit is just an assumption I’m projecting onto Saunders, not some confirmed knowledge.

Edited December 1, 2020 by diamondbull424
Syntax error

[Thomas5737]

35 minutes ago, CKSteeler said:

43 minutes ago, Thomas5737 said:

Being "Lucky" to face teams with Covid outbreaks sounds like a positive if you ask me.

They didn't play the Titans in the middle of a covid outbreak, so yea no you don't have a point.

So who closed their facility and were unable to practice that week? It in no way benefited the Titans, the Steelers obviously had more preparation for the game. Even if someone did have to reschedule a birthday party.

This week, who is without several starters and like 20 players? It isn't the Steelers. Covid, just by chance, has helped the Steelers more than any other team. Meanwhile the complaint is the Steelers are the ones being wronged, it just doesn't make sense from a non-Steeler perspective.

I am a Browns fan and obviously root against the Steelers but I'd rather see the Steelers win the SB every year over the Ravens.

I'm in quarantine, I haven't been to work going on three weeks. My co-worker scheduled his vacation for 3 days last week and this week. Guess what, he didn't get his vacation because I can't be at work. He got screwed. Nothing I could have done to prevent it. It's just the way it went. I haven't even heard him complain, although I'm sure he isn't happy. (He checks in via text to make sure we are okay), By comparison, the Steelers players haven't had it that bad and their fans which feel no effects but are still fighting the battle seem extremely disgruntled (some) by something that doesn't impact them at all. I have to wonder why. Entitlement perhaps?

[CKSteeler]

1 minute ago, Thomas5737 said:

So who closed their facility and were unable to practice that week? It in no way benefited the Titans, the Steelers obviously had more preparation for the game. Even if someone did have to reschedule a birthday party.

What? The Titans-Steelers game was rescheduled to a completely different week. The Titans got their bye the week they were supposed to play the Steelers. What are you even talking about? The Steelers spent the entire week practicing for a game that didn't happen. The Bills, not the Steelers, played the Titans with no practice. Titans had a full week of preparation in lead-up to Steelers game.

3 minutes ago, Thomas5737 said:

This week, who is without several starters and like 20 players? It isn't the Steelers. Covid, just by chance, has helped the Steelers more than any other team. Meanwhile the complaint is the Steelers are the ones being wronged, it just doesn't make sense from a non-Steeler perspective.

Which team broke protocols and then forced the league to delay the game three times? They will play a short manned Baltimore team, but now have to go and play a well rested Washington team on a short week through no fault of their own.

Baltimore created this situation.

[Thomas5737]

1 hour ago, CKSteeler said:

but now have to go and play a well rested Washington team on a short week through no fault of their own.

Too tall of a task? Wildcat strike!

Thursday games are shorter weeks and the Steelers got out of that this week. I don't think there should be Thursday games because there isn't time to get healthy from the previous game but if the league allows it then certainly 4 days off is enough if 3 is . I just don't get worrying about things that aren't a big deal. You get a free win (likely) against a Raven team that you were fortunate to beat the first time around. You should be happy that you get an easy task instead of a tough task.

[N4L]

8 hours ago, candyman93 said:

This is garbage.

 

The Ravens are the ones complaining and threatening not to play.

I like you candyman.

My post was in response to wwhichok and his constant bemoaning of the postponement. The steelers organization themselves have not complained (recently) but remember how much they complained earlier in the year about losing their bye week (ebron)? 

My overall point was, no one wants to hear any more complaints about the game getting moved and how it is unfair to one team or another. Everyone knew this was a possibility, and the NFL is not 'punishing' one team or another. 

3 hours ago, TXsteeler said:

We are, by definition, being treated unfairly. This year’s Steelers have the capability of going 15-1 or better without much of a struggle at this point and its being ****ed with by the NFL.

No other team has been as affected by other teams’ Covid problems as the Steelers have been.

The steelers have coincidentally played against the only two teams in the NFL to have a true, uncontrolled outbreak. 

The NFL has been consistent with how it has handled uncontrolled outbreaks.

Outside of james connor this week, has anyone on the steelers missed games due to covid? I would argue that actually missing players is worse than having a game or two pushed back. 

Pretty laughable that the ravens are going to be without MVP LAMAR JACKSON and yet, its the steelers who have been negatively impacted, and are being treated unfairly?? Look at it from a non-steelers homer perspective, there is certainly one team who is worse off due to this whole situation, and its 100% NOT pittsburgh 

 

[TXsteeler]

Just now, N4L said:

I like you candyman.

My post was in response to wwhichok and his constant bemoaning of the postponement. The steelers organization themselves have not complained (recently) but remember how much they complained earlier in the year about losing their bye week (ebron)? 

My overall point was, no one wants to hear any more complaints about the game getting moved and how it is unfair to one team or another. Everyone knew this was a possibility, and the NFL is not 'punishing' one team or another. 

The steelers have coincidentally played against the only two teams in the NFL to have a true, uncontrolled outbreak. 

The NFL has been consistent with how it has handled uncontrolled outbreaks.

Outside of james connor this week, has anyone on the steelers missed games due to covid? I would argue that actually missing players is worse than having a game or two pushed back. 

Pretty laughable that the ravens are going to be without MVP LAMAR JACKSON and yet, its the steelers who have been negatively impacted, and are being treated unfairly?? Look at it from a non-steelers homer perspective, there is certainly one team who is worse off due to this whole situation, and its 100% NOT pittsburgh 

 

Did you read my other post?

[N4L]

3 hours ago, TXsteeler said:

The Titans postponement earlier this season cost the Steelers their bye week. The Ravens postponement cost the Steelers a mini bye from Friday through Wednesday. Now the ravens continued postponement is allowing the WFT more time to prepare for the Steelers than the Steelers have to prepare for the WFT.

 

These postponements could cost our team the first seed and ultimate (due to no true bye week this year) cost us a Super Bowl.

This one? 

None of this changes anything. Steelers didnt get a mini bye after the ravens game, but they absolutely got some extra days this week, because I know for a fact tomlin cancelled practice at least once if not twice.

Niners had a week 4 bye last year, a TON of injuries, yet we were the #1 seed and went to the superbowl. So I dont want to hear how the early bye week is going to prevent you from making the superbowl. 

[Thomas5737]

17 minutes ago, N4L said:

So I dont want to hear how the early bye week is going to prevent you from making the superbowl. 

Yeah, that will probably be prevented by the Chiefs. Same with the rest of the AFC. I just don't see a team that can match up. You are pretty much depending on Covid to save you in the playoffs.

[diamondbull424]

4 hours ago, CKSteeler said:

I have avoided arguing as to what possible motives of the Ravens may be. They are really irrelevant. It would be speculative. Suffice to say, I don't buy that they were 100% sincerely related to medical concerns. The Ravens stand everything to gain and nothing to lose by delaying this game. And if they were so concerned about the two days of negative tests, then explain to me why they felt safe to practice on Monday morning (when the league delayed it) and Monday night when they actually went out and did so.

I fully believe Baltimore was hoping to get this thing pushed  back to a week 18.

But my argument is that it was actually irrelevant to why the league made its decision to delay. It didn't act out of medical concerns, but purely because the Ravens were the first and only team to threaten to strike despite their situation not being unprecedented. The Patriots players were pretty unhappy with the league's handling of their outbreak earlier this year, too, but played on.

Your logic is inconsistent and thus flawed. You argue that it is irrelevant to what the Ravens players motives might have been in speaking with he NFLPA because it is “speculative”, yet you conclude that the league moved the game back to Wednesday because of the threat of strike and not perhaps some other reason... because of speculation. Particularly speculation from a biased source. The fact is we don’t know WHY the players went to the NFLPA nor do we know WHY the league ultimately decided to push the game back.

Could the medical experts have agreed that 10 days was better than 9 days for the team to isolate? Could the NFL have felt the Steelers needed to be further screwed because Goodell hates them? Could the NFL have wanted to test out how ratings would perform on a Wednesday non-primetime game for future reference? Until the NFL makes a statement as to what made them chance the date of the game, there will only be implicit “evidence” to justify either belief.

All that matters is that the game has been pushed back and so far there hasn’t been any particularly concerning health effects reported from any of the players, except NFL Walter Payton award winner Calais Campbell. His comments lead me to believe that it could really be hitting him and his asthma pretty strong.

The only other thing that matters is that the Ravens broke protocol quite clearly and the franchise needs to be punished harshly for it to send a message to other teams who might feel like getting lax. Dock them a 2nd day pick if that’s what they feel they have to do. Based on precedent, a 3rd/4th would seem consistent considering 1st offender status. But considering we’re without a 3rd round pick (Yannick deal), perhaps they might instead dock the team a 5th this year and a 3rd next year. Or perhaps two 4th round picks.

But what day this game is played on, isn’t incredibly relevant outside of player health.

Competitive balance? The Ravens get back Dobbins and Ingram, but if the game had been played on Thursday as you guys wanted, we would’ve probably been playing with Lamar Jackson and definitely been playing with Mark Andrews. Which duo would you rather be available competitively??

If the game had been played on Sunday, we would’ve still been playing with Snead and Andrews, are these duos really that far off base? Had the game been yesterday, that still would’ve been exactly 10 days since a positive and thus Ingram and Dobbins could’ve still been available to play.

So the only thing that matters is the game will be played and the Ravens will be punished. Beyond that, the Steelers are still playing a very depleted unit. So what difference does it make if the game took place on Tuesday or Wednesday other than the convenience of catching the game at a more appropriate time?

I mean if THIS circumstance was all that it would take to prevent the Steelers from going 16-0 for some odd reason, then was 16-0 really ever meant to be? Because if it wasn’t this minor level of “adversity” it surely would have been something else. I like the direction Tomlin seems to have the locker room going though. There was far too many complaints before to my liking. Now it seems the Steelers just seem to be more worried about just letting their play speak for their frustrations... and that’s a far more respectable path to take IMO.

[August4th]

 

[August4th]

 

[Deadpulse]

4 minutes ago, August4th said:

 

does that mean they were on the Covid list as close contacts and have been quarantining and werent eligible to play anyways? Trying to make sense of this any other way and I can't. 

[AFlaccoSeagulls]

5 minutes ago, Deadpulse said:

does that mean they were on the Covid list as close contacts and have been quarantining and werent eligible to play anyways? Trying to make sense of this any other way and I can't. 

No to the bolded:

 

[Shanedorf]

5 minutes ago, Deadpulse said:

Trying to make sense of this