Back to the the news, it's currently dominating
the National Football League and I'd love to know how John
Madden would have handled. These situations is the NFL
tries to continue
to get its arms around and keep its arms around the pandemic,
more changes to the code protocols and
you know
folks can be cynical about how and why some of these other
changes were made. But once we accept the fact that the league
and the union are committed to getting all games. Paid
when the CDC gives the game of football, the gift that was
given on Monday. Yeah,
reducing that 10-day, quarantine
isolation period down to five days,
the NFL pounced, on it.
The nflpa pounced on it,
10 down to five
and what that does
is going to get guys back faster, talking to limit
the number of guys who are positive, but it's going to get
him back faster. There's one key.
Though to keep in mind and it's funny. I've seen a lot of
cynicism expressed about this now.
I don't know where all those people were when they change
the protocols a week and a half ago to make it so driven by
whether or not someone has symptoms because there's like,
all they have to be asymptomatic. So after five
days, they're all going to say
they're asymptomatic. Well,
yeah, that part of the problem with the new testing protocol.
They're only testing two people are asymptomatic and plenty of
guys are putting their hand in the air and saying they have
symptoms. Now, on the back end, will they try?
To conceal, any lingering symptoms. They have, how
thorough will the medical examination, be? I don't know.
But but you know
for the same reason that people are saying, guys are going to
say, they don't have symptoms after five days.
They're covering up their symptoms. Now, that's why
I think that it's just the tip of the iceberg. Chris
for the for all these players that are out there who are
positive. I think a lot more guys have it and they either
are asymptomatic or they've successfully concealed their
symptom. Yeah, I don't disagree.
Re with that and I don't and I again I think you know, we've
talked about this before, you know, this. I know this most of
the felt players are really good people and aren't going to
like
try to jeopardize the public for the most part, you know.
Yes, there's some selfishness than and every football player.
That's it's, I don't even think you think about that way. It's
not. I think you're going through that dilemma of them.
I putting someone at risk is,
as you've said, plenty of these guys, don't even think it's
a big deal. No, I don't think they think it's a big deal,
covid wise, but I think I've talked enough to people to know
that like,
There's still an
thought of like, wait. I don't want to endanger others. I do
think that's still kind of prevalent, but I don't think
there's fear from them within themselves. And yes, my coming
to your point. They're going to have, you're going to have
a handful of guys,
you know, in every locker room that.
Yeah. I mean, they're gonna know, I mean, I got
the sniffles. So what? Well, the sniffles or a headache, can
mean you got covid right now and that's the simple fact of
the matter, but some of those guys just go, I don't feel bad
enough to even care. Tell.
So I'm not going to say anything.
Yeah, I certainly think that will go on.
No doubt. It seems like
I don't know where this is going. But if it seems like again,
yeah, we're going to lessen some of these protocols
and you know, they're going to go back to let's do some of
the other protocols within the facility to limit spread or
contagiousness, that way.
And maybe this is the way to go as we go forward.
I'm happy to see it. I'm glad to CDC did it
and, you know, just from the pure competitive standpoint of
the NFL and watching good game. Games. Yes, you know again
here. We are getting close to playoff time. I want to see
some of these playoff teams at full strength
and make sure the best seven make it and not, you know,
have some team that got like a lucky covid, you know, run down
the stretch to somehow get in the playoffs. And if we're
going to be cynical about whether or not players will
hide their symptoms after they've gotten a positive, so
they can come back after
five days. And if that's cynicism spreads back to, you
know, keeping your symptoms quiet in the first place.
There's another type of cynicism that's at play here.
And I've heard from a couple of people about this. There's
a thought that the NFL and the union just wants it to wash
through all the facilities. Now, right. And have it over
with now and go ahead and
let everyone get exposed and infected. Now symptomatic or
not. Let's get it over with now. So when the playoffs are
all around, it won't be an issue. And there is kind of
a weird herd immunity that's going to happen.
Not that herd immunity is ever going to be permanent because
the things going to continue to have variants and You have to
deal with in the coming years and I hate to say that but it
I think it is going to be years. Not once definitely, but
but to have everyone get into that 90-day window.
We're just like Aaron Rodgers has been since early November
not tested every day,
not subject. Close contact.
Absences for five days. If he's exposed since he's unvaccinated,
if guys have either had it
and they've,
you know,
not Symptomatic and now they've got the antibodies. So they
won't test positive for some reason, their flag later. Or if
guys have been positive and they're in that 90 day window,
where they aren't tested.
You get to the point where,
you know, for example, the next we are going to talk about
Carson Wentz, the good news for the Colts. Once Carson Wentz is
back. Yeah. He thinks that protocol. He could be back for
Sunday's game against the Raiders. Right. Once he's back.
He's back. You never have to worry about him again the rest
of the year. Yeah. That's a great Advantage. You're right.
There's something to that. I'm sure there are, you know, some
code.
Churches and some some owners who are kind of
hoping that happens and on their football team without,
you know, of course anybody getting really sick or, you
know, in danger that way.
But yeah, that's a great Advantage for a team. Like,
you know, the Packers or the Colts to know. If they do, get
in the playoffs, the cold sores, especially
there's no worry that you're going to, you're going to have
your your you know, your main quarterback out there to help
you win those football games and
Mike like, Mike. I was going to ask you so
five days. He tests positive yesterday morning. Like he'll
still that. It'll be good to go Sunday. He makes that cut off.
Like it's
yeah, if he's asymptomatic. Yeah, okay.
All right, so that word, he symptomatic. Right? Right. Yep.
It's now vaccinated or not and what it was for vaccinated
players was
that ten days was the absolute limit and you came back, no
matter what after 10 days. Now, I think if you were
symptomatic, you you didn't, but by ten days,
no one still going to Asymptomatic.
Now it's five days.
You're even if you don't otherwise qualify to return
because they change the rules a couple of weeks ago. So guys
could come back sooner. Not a lot of guys have been back
after like one or two or three days but five days. Yeah, if
you're vaccinated, you
can be back. And even if on vaccinated five days,
you're back if you're asymptomatic and
and again, I don't, I look
guys can try to hide it. I don't how much you can hide if
you still have fever. Yeah, I mean, there's still going to be
a medical component got Doctors in the building.
If you know, if a guy has had symptoms, there's going to be
some evidence that,
you know, I know how
any time you have a cold.
You can't hide your symptoms and nose is running. Your nose
is running. If you're sneezing, you're sneezing coughing,
you're coughing. You. Can
you hold it together for 5 seconds and say, I'm good. And
then you start walking away and you're confident hacking
everywhere. I mean, again, there's only so much that can
be hidden that if you have symptoms of covid. Yeah, I'm
glad you brought that up. Cuz
I was having a little text conversation with, with
a friend of mine in the NFL this weekend, and they were kind of
referring to that a little bit. As far as that,
you know, there's checks and balances to this new thing to,
you know,
to your point. If a guy's walking around the facility and
coughing and sneezing and you know, nose is runny somebody's
going to see it and tells,
you know the medical staff and he's the guys going to end up
getting tested. So that that's what you know
the the conversation. I was having through text a little
bit, you know, saying that's why hey, it's we're still going
to be on the lookout for symptoms. And, and there's, you
know, nobody's just going to get a free run like, oh, you
feel okay? No big deal. We've heard you cough
20 times and you know, blow your nose 20 times. Oh, you're
okay. Okay, big deal. Know, those guys are going to get
called out or somebody's going to say something
to make sure they get tested and see where it goes from
there. But