Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank is still confident the team can play a 16-game season but thinks there might be some other changes. Blank thinks to make the 16-game season happen the NFL might have to cut down on the time for training camp, have players tested for COVID-19 daily and potentially have no fans in attendance.
In speaking with Peter King of NBC's Football Morning in America, Blank said:
“If I had to speculate now, and I use the word ‘speculate' because that’s really all it is, I would say yes … Only because it’s so far away from where we are today. I could easily see camps being shorter, players being tested on a daily basis, things of that nature. No fan attendance. Things like that. We may have fewer preseason games, which probably wouldn’t be the end of the world. But I think by September, my hope is by the time the regular season starts, that we’ll be able to bring people together in some form or fashion in a safe manner and play.”
The owners will probably try to do everything in their power to try to have a 16-game NFL season, but it's a bit shocking that Blank is already alluding to the fact there might not be fans in attendance.
Testing players every day for COVID-19 also could be quite the challenge depending on the testing capabilities at that point. Testing every player and member of the coaching staff every day could be taking away tests from others in the general population who actually need them, and there could be some big pushback for using these resources as a way to ensure an NFL season happens in full, on schedule.
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