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NFL players not expected until start of training camps

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2019 Packers joint practice with the Houston Texans

Some NFL teams were holding out hope of conducting minicamps this month, but it appears that players will not return to team facilities until training camps open.

Most teams have already reopened their facilities on a limited basis for essential employees amid the coronavirus pandemic, but healthy players are not allowed to return yet.

On Tuesday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell sent a memo to teams, informing them they must hold training camps at their main practice facilities because of the virus.  That doesn’t affect the Green Bay Packers, but ten of the league’s teams practiced away from their main practice facilities last year.

The memo also said teams will not be allowed to hold joint training camp practices with other teams.  That’s something the Packers did with the Houston Texans last year and were planning to do the same with the Cleveland Browns this year, but those plans are now on hold.

The issue is fairness.  The NFL feels if all 32 teams can’t hold on-field minicamp workouts, then there will be none.  Official start dates for training camps haven’t been announced either, but none of the teams are expected to start until all 32 teams can do so.

 

Virtual offseason workouts ahead for NFL teams

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The NFL and players’ union will kick off a virtual offseason workout program starting next week.  The programs are an alternative to teams being able to open their own facilities, which will not take place until all 32 teams are permitted to do so.

The three-week virtual offseason starts on April 20, and allows teams to hold classroom instruction, workouts and non-football educational programs using online platforms.

Players who don’t have the necessary workout equipment are being offered a $1,500 stipend to buy it.

The program also allows players with a workout bonus in their contract to collect on that bonus, as long as players participate in the percentage of workouts that are laid out in their contract.

For the Green Bay Packers, nearly 20 players with offseason workouts would be affected.  Those players [Read more…]

NFL Draft to be “fully virtual”

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There’ll be no NFL Draft inside Lambeau Field this year.

The NFL Draft is still set to take place as originally scheduled, April 23-25, but the annual event will feature more significant changes due to the coronavirus pandemic.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell issued a memo to NFL teams on Monday, telling them the draft will be “fully virtual.”  It means general managers, coaches and other team personnel will all operate separately from their own homes.

The NFL had originally instructed teams in March to shut down their facilities but had kept open the possibility that organizations might be able to have employees in the same place together, as long as they followed the Center for Disease Control guidelines on social distancing.

In Monday’s statement Goodell said, “All Clubs will not have access to their facilities, which is contrary to the fundamental equity principle that all clubs operate in a consistent and fair way.  Moreover, we want all NFL personnel to comply with government directives and to model safe and appropriate health practices.  And after consulting with medical advisors, we cannot identify an alternative that is preferable from a medical or public health perspective, given the varying needs of clubs, the need properly to screen participants, and the unique risk factors that individual club employees may face.”

 

Lambeau Field will remain closed

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The Green Bay Packers announced Thursday that Lambeau Field and the team-run operations at Titletown District will remain closed due to the coronavirus pandemic until at least April 24.

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers earlier this week issued a “Safer at Home” order directing people to stay at home as much as possible until April 24.

Operations that are closed include the Packers Hall of Fame museum, the Packers Hall of Fame and 1919 Kitchen & Tap, as well as all team-run public activities in Titletown.

Teams are allowed to conduct normal business operations, which includes signing players and evaluating players for the upcoming NFL Draft.

But the look of the NFL Draft is expected to look different.  NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell reiterated that the draft dates of April 23-25 will not be moved.  But Goodell informed teams they “should be doing the necessary planning to conduct Draft operations in a location outside of your facility, with a limited number of people present, and with sufficient technology resources to…communicate with other clubs and Draft headquarters.”

 

The NFL Draft will go on, without the fans

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Roger Goodell and Mark Murphy during Shareholder’s meeting

The NFL announced Monday that the annual draft will go on as scheduled, April 23-25, but it will do so without without fans.  The league says it will cancel all public events that were originally scheduled in Las Vegas in an effort reduce the spread of the coronavirus.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Sunday that all gatherings of 50 or more people be postponed or canceled for at least the next eight weeks in order to help curtail the spread of the coronavirus.

“This decision reflects our foremost priority, the health and safety of all fans and citizens,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said Monday in a statement.  “While this outcome is disappointing both to the NFL and to the Las Vegas community, we look forward to partnering with the Raiders, the City of Las Vegas and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority for a future NFL Draft as well as evaluating opportunities for other major NFL events in Las Vegas in the future, including the Super Bowl.”

While the sports world has shut down a number of events, the NFL is continuing with the start of its new league year as scheduled, which opens at 3 p.m. CT on Wednesday.  But teams can begin negotiating with players today (Monday) as part of the league’s legal tampering window.

Training Camp moves to night time

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After a week of practicing at 8:15 in the morning, the Green Bay Packers will

Desmond Bishop

move their training camp workouts to night time for a while.  It starts with a 7pm practice tonight at Ray Nitschke Field.

Packers coach Mike McCarthy said there’s a reason for the shuffling of practice times.

AUDIO: McCarthy said there’s a reason for varying practice times :23

Following tonight, the Packers will hold their annual Family Night Scrimmage at Lambeau Field on Friday.  More than 70,000 tickets have been sold (sold out) for the night-time practice. [Read more…]

Goodell to visit today

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The Green Bay Packers are back on the practice field this morning and they’ll

Desmond Bishop

welcome NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to camp today.

Goodell will also have with him, some replacement officials.  It’s possible they may have to work regular season games this year.  The regular officials are still without a new labor deal.

Injury List

Jermichael Finley returned to practice in full pads on Tuesday.  Finley returned after suffering a concussion late last week.

Wide receiver Greg Jennings (elbow) is expected to be back practicing today and linebacker Desmond Bishop (calf) could be back later this week.

DE Ryan Pickett (bruised knee), RB Marc Tyler (shoulder) and DT Mike Daniels (knee, groin) all left practice early yesterday.

NFL Pro Bowl is back for 2013

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When NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said canceling the NFL Pro Bowl was a

Aaron Rodgers

possibility after the uninspired performance by the league’s players in the 59-41 AFC victory in Hawaii, it appeared Goodell was making some real sense.

Apparently the players realized this wasn’t a good move, or at least the greedy stars wouldn’t be able to collect large bonuses for playing in the Pro Bowl, if there’s no Pro Bowl to play in.

So the players promised that the game will be more competitive and the NFL for at least once more season, will go ahead with the game, Jan. 27th in Honolulu, the week before the Super Bowl. [Read more…]

Could this be it for the NFL’s Pro Bowl?

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It was the worst NFL Pro Bowl ever.  You remember, last January, when

Roger Goodell

most of the players put out “zero” effort.  Players in the trenches were just leaning on each other instead of rushing and blocking.  It was the ugliest rendition of an all-star game that I had ever witnessed.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell apparently felt the same way because he’s considering doing away with the game.  According to an ESPN.com report, Goodell is strongly considering suspending this year’s game and every Pro Bowl game beyond that.

Could there be better news for NFL fans? [Read more…]

Goodell comes down hard on the Saints!

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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell lowered the boom on the New Orleans

Roger Goodell (left)

Saints today, penalizing team management for violations of the NFL’s long-standing “bounty” rule that endangered player safety over a three-year period.

The NFL’s investigation established the existence of an active bounty program on the Saints during the 2009, 2010 and 2011 seasons in violation of league rules, a deliberate effort to conceal the program’s existence from league investigators, and a clear determination to maintain the program despite express direction from Saints ownership that it stop as well as ongoing inquiries from the league office. [Read more…]