Author: /u/atf790

Plan to start the NFL:

I’ve been thinking and I have an idea on how to start the season. I’m in no way a doctor, businessman, agent, player,etc so I may be missing some very minute details that our crucial to the NFL enterprise…so that being said…go easy on me.

Traditional Preseason and OTAs: Nonexistent. People are being complete idiots this summer so I think the NFL needs to take extra time to develop additional safety measures, stockpile more tests, listen to player concerns, possibly build some housing and facilities in the locations I suggest the nfl play this year (this comes later) etc.

The “NEW” offseason: The NFL starts the new off-season in late August to mid Sept and transition to the their new bubble towns. Testing will be rampant starting in early to mid August with all coaches, personnel, and players. Teams will practice/ scrimage with their counterpart team from the division they will be playing in the regular season ( for example the afc north is set to play the nfc east this season so the cowboys may be set to scrimmage and practice with the steelers during this preseason). Testing is everyday/ every other day. What ever is more feasible. NFL players will follow similar rules that the NBA have in their bubble when they get to their “NFL bubble locations”. Refs, coaches, trainers, team personnel all wear mask and prac social distance. Owners are all older and are at high risk so they receive the recommendation to stay away. Scrimmages are included in a Sunday ticket package, tv provider contracts with the NFL etc.. the press and reporters practice social distancing and tv crews limit staff and implement more technology in order to provide games to the public with limited human interactiom( this will be the same provision that goes into the actual NFL season)

The NFL season: The season starts in late September, no later.. Teams will stay in their four bubble locations around North America that they practiced in and performed their preseason scrimmages( this comes later). 2 divisons will be located in one location so that equates to 4 bubble locations for the nfl and roughly 600 people in each bubble location ( this will be due to an 75 person per team limit. Coaches, players and personnel included. anyone who can work remotely will outside of the bubble) The locations will be in low populated areas compared to the major metropolitan areas that normally house the nfl season/ teams. Teams will play their division first which equates to 3 games. Teams will then play their nf/afc division counterparts that they were set to play in the original nfl season plan within their bubble which equates to 4 more additional games bringing the total to 7 games. After the 7 games every team has a 2 week bye. This helps with testing and rest for players. Maybe this be the time players can visit with their family for the first 5 days of the week and have strong restrictions on what they can do during this week. Maybe the NFLPA and the owners recommend that contracts just for the 2020 season have restrictions in place and if players break these restrictions this will result in reduction of their guaranteed money they were set to inherit for 2020 season.. in an act of good faith the nfl players get an additional 5-15 percent hazard pay. After the first five day bye period players relocate to their new location and quarantine and undergo constant testing with strict covid rules in place ( all travel is private planes). All locations that were used during the first 7 weeks of the season will undergo cleaning measures. The last 7 games of the season will pit 2 afc divisions against one another and two nfc divisons against one another (aka afc east vs afc west) which is 4 games and then the last 3 games is the interdivisonal games. 14 games total. Games will be played on thursday nights, Friday nights ( doesn’t compete against HS games), Saturday games ( let’s be honest college football isn’t happening), Sunday, and Monday night

Playoffs: start in January to give time for a optimistically hopeful vaccine..same format that is in place in terms of seeding and the additional wild card game that was to be put in place for this season pre covid. Before the playoffs begin everyone gets a week off to go to the final 2 bubble spot for all nfl games maybe places like Dallas, TX and quarantine with deep testing. Hopefully the state of Texas can get their stuff together and I think that Dallas faculties are like no other that is the only reason I say that. Alternative LA assuming their facility is built and covid is not rampant there. If both states can’t handle it and there is not a vaccine the NFL goes to Canada. The Super Bowl will be played in the Fargo Dome if covid is not handled and players family and friends can enter the bubble after strict quarantine and testing. Super Bowl will be played in mid February in the original location if a vaccine is in place.

Possible locations:( I’m not going into detail on why I think each location is suitable) 1. Green Bay 2. Fargo dome in ND 3. Buffalo NY 4. Rural college stadiums ( state college in PA, North Dame, etc) 5. Hawaii if the location can control the virus outbreak and maybe isolate as an island 6. Canadian football sites 7. England

All locations for the 2 divisions to bubble in are drawn as a lottery with a primtime ESPN segment/ special preview show. Workers in the bubble locations like food services, drivers, cleaners, etc are all given 20,000 dollars to quarantine in place for 2 and a half months (Bill Simmons idea for Disney workers during the NBA bubble season). If some workers that work in these locations like hotels and food services cant don’t this, start a job fair for the high unemployment that is already running rampant in the US

REVENUE FOR TEAMS: players will receive full salaries and hazard pay. Im sure the nfl will get a bailout from the fed government like all millionaires and billionaires seem to be getting. TV providers redo contracts to pay more to teams for the 2020 season and maybe reduce payouts to the NFL over the next 20 years to compensate for the more money they are paying now to “help out” billionaires in the 202p season. NFL Sunday ticket raises price by 20 dollars and so does NFL Redzone. People will pay it. Season ticket owners get free NFL Sunday ticket and a roku if they don’t have direct TV with the Sunday ticket app.

This is a just a loose plan and I know there are a lot of holes in my plan that I’m not thinking of and thousands of provisions that go into hosting a NFL game that I have no earthy clue that go into a game that need to be worked out but these are just some thoughts. ( also I know there maybe a lot spelling/ grammatical errors. My bad)