Franchise Quarterback

Courtesy of Michael Ainsworth "If you want to go back to normal, get vaccinated." Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians was blunt in front of local reporters when asked about the NFL's newly announced preseason and training camp guidelines. Arians is encouraging as many players to get vaccinated as possible, and hosted a clinic at the Buccaneers facility for medical experts to educate the team on the efficacy of the available vaccines, and provide vaccine stations for players who choose to get them. He says he understands the players are free to choose, but has reiterated that normal, pre-pandemic operation is impossible if the team cannot reach herd immunity. "I think everybody is tired of meeting out here and eating outside and doing all those things we had to do last year. It's still a personal choice, but I don't see a reason not to be vaccinated." Courtesy of Chris O'Meara With a new season on the horizon and the national recovery efforts...

Courtesy of Eric Christian Smith Rookie fill-in kicker Sam Sloman stunned the NFL stratosphere on Sunday after doinking a walk-off chip shot field goal attempt off the upright and in to clinch the Tennessee Titans their first AFC South title since 2008. Sloman's kick headlined a nail-biting Week 17 for the ages, and ensured that all 256 NFL regular seasons would be played, without a single cancellation all year. But Week 17 featured much more than the traditional drama of last-gasp playoff implications in 2020.  The 2020 NFL regular season reached its merciful end on Sunday night, allowing Commissioner Roger Goodell and the NFL to collectively breathe one hefty sigh of relief. We did it.  Overcoming dozens of volatile coronavirus outbreaks, playing games in empty and mildly populated stadiums, and juggling an ever-malleable schedule, the NFL delivered a full regular season. But it wasn't easy.  The journey to the finish line has been anything but a yellowbrick road for th...

Courtesy of Associated Press The COVID-19 pandemic was inevitably going to intersect with the NFL regular season.  Five weeks in, the pandemic has disrupted the fabric of the season, forcing the league to reshuffle its schedule. The NFL continues to combat increasing positive cases of COVID-19 with revisions to the 2020 regular season schedule. Nine teams are seeing changes to their schedule over the season, including the Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos,  Jacksonville Jaguars,  Los Angeles Chargers,  Miami Dolphins,  New England Patriots, New York Jets, and Tennessee Titans. Nashville, Tennessee has become the coronavirus epicenter across professional sports. Last week, the Tennessee Titans  saw a major COVID-19 outbreak, registering 24 positive cases since September 24, including players, coaching, and team personnel. The Titans were thrust into a national spotlight, becoming the first NFL team to experience a major coronavirus outbreak.  The league sub...

Courtesy of the NFL Football is on the horizon. Football like we have never seen before. The NFL's 101st season is scheduled to kick off on Thursday September 10, but it will not be the NFL that we know and love. The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown professional sports into limbo for months, including the 2020 NFL season.  Whereas the NBA and NHL have resumed their seasons in bubble formats placed in a concentrated area for the remainder of the playoffs, the NFL has opted not to play in a bubble. The league will play out its season across all 30 NFL venues in 22 states, with more than 5,000 players, coaches, and team personnel living from home. With the pandemic intensifying by the day, and a vaccine remaining unavailable, fans are wondering how the NFL can feasibly play the season during a public health crisis. Many are questioning the league's testing protocol, fan attendance policies, and the unknown challenges that could face the league once the season is in full swing. I have ...