The NFL yesterday postponed the Week 5 Broncos-Patriots game, which was set for tonight, to next weekend, and that was the "only decision for the NFL to make if it wanted to avoid a player revolt," according to a front-page piece by Ben Volin of the BOSTON GLOBE. A "noticeable whiff of rebellion has been in the air this past week," as NFL players are "starting to question the league’s protocols and the executives making the decisions." The Patriots are "upset they were forced to play" last Monday night against the Chiefs 48 hours after QB Cam Newton tested positive for coronavirus, while the Broncos are "upset they practiced all last week and won’t get a true bye week." The Titans have "lost faith in the testing system," while the Dolphins, Jets, Jaguars, and Chargers "want to know why their schedules were likely blown up" by a game that did not directly involve them. The NFLPA, which has had "equal say in developing the league’s protocols, isn’t inspiring confidence from the players, either." It is "unclear if the Patriots forced the NFL’s hand into postponing the Broncos game," but Pats coach Bill Belichick has been "proactive and engaged on conference calls with the NFL in the past week." Many players around the league are "starting to question if the NFL’s commitment to safety is genuine or just public relations," while many also are "starting to wonder if they were truly given the full picture when the NFL and NFLPA apprised them of their plans in August" (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/12).
PATS PLAYERS KEY TO GETTING GAME MOVED: In Boston, Tom Curran wrote the league "wisely avoided a staredown with the Patriots who have ... stood up all week for the best interests of themselves and their families." It is "obvious which way the league was headed Sunday morning" regarding Patrtios-Broncos -- they were going to "ramrod this game through." Patriots RB James White sent out a tweet "speaking for every Patriots employee reacting to the news the game was on." White "didn’t tip the scales with a couple emojis but his, 'Yeah, OK … we’ll see about that…' response was the tip of the iceberg to what was undoubtedly going on behind the scenes." From the coaches to the players, the Patriots are "galvanized in using their agency." Curran: "This isn’t some wildcat strike by a few players" (NBCSPORTSBOSTON.com, 10/11).
McCourty made it seem as if some players have lost faith in the league’s decision-makersGETTY IMAGES
MCCOURTY SPEAKS OUT: In Boston, Karen Guregian wrote remarks made by Patriots CB Jason McCourty on Saturday made it seem as if some players "have lost faith in the league’s decision-makers when it comes to maintaining the health and safety of players amid a pandemic." McCourty said, "Outside of here the people that don’t have to walk in our building -- whether it is the league office, whether it is the NFLPA -- they don’t care. ... For them, it is not about our best interest, or our health and safety. It is about what can we make protocol-wise that sounds good, looks good and how can we go out there and play games." Guregian writes while the Patriots "may have been hung out to dry with the league pushing ahead with games even though the median incubation period for others to test positive had not elapsed," players were "appreciative of the efforts of the Patriots organization," including Owner Robert Kraft. Their faith in Belichick is "part and parcel of what’s kept them going during this unusual time." From "shutting down the facility the entire week when it wasn’t mandated by the NFL, to taking extra precautions during Saturday’s practice, to listening and heeding players’ concerns, to providing medical information from doctors, the Patriots’ head coach has risen to the challenge (BOSTON HERALD, 10/11).
IN BILL THEY TRUST: In Boston, Tara Sullivan writes if trust in the process "erodes among players, this season gets exponentially more difficult to complete for the decision-makers of the NFL." However, for the Patriots, the confidence to continue playing "lies in the trust players have in their coach." Belichick "made his own quiet statement about league-wide protocols when he opted to keep the team facility closed Friday even after personnel had completed enough consecutive days of negative tests to re-open." Belichick "knew he was forfeiting another slice of competitive advantage to the Broncos, and that’s a decision it seems impossible to imagine the uber-competitive coach ever making under normal circumstances." Patriots DT Lawrence Guy said, “Bill did a good job of looking after the players and making sure we had the best opportunity to stay safe with our families. By him closing down the facility he’s just trying to protect us. That’s the best thing we can have, a head coach who makes sure his players are healthy. That’s what you expect from a head coach who cares about his team" (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/11).
TOUGH TIMES IN TENNESSEE: Titans QB Ryan Tannehill also spoke out over the weekend about the testing system, saying, “It was a roller coaster for sure. Definitely the fact that we had guys with no symptoms testing positive and we had guys with full-blown symptoms getting consecutive negative tests on multiple days was really eye opening. Just the fact of we really don’t know." He added, "So, we have to treat everyone as if they have the virus. Unfortunately, really probably lost some faith in the testing system just through everything we’ve been through over the past week and a half" (AP, 10/11).
