The NBA has grappled with how much preparation time to grant players and coaches if and when they are able to resume the 2019-20 season. But the NFL will need to a lot for preparation time as well.
Offseason programs and organized team activities have been postponed indefinitely amid the coronavirus pandemic, and there are no guarantees teams will be able to hold workouts before the scheduled start of different training camps.
There is no telling when team facilities will open, but Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said his players need at least six weeks of on-field work to “get rolling,” via Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk.
“That’s a really good question, because that’s going to be a very big issue,” Carroll said. “ I know that our guys need six weeks of work to get rolling, and that’s what the league has always allowed us. A couple weeks, then four [preseason] games. It takes a full five, six weeks in camp. . . . and that’s coming off weeks and weeks of an entire offseason.
“Without an intense offseason, with competition and guys working against each other and all of that, I don’t know. We’re going to have to just figure it out. We won’t know until after we see the results of what happens.”
While commissioner Roger Goodell continues to insist the NFL plans to start on time, there are no guarantees.
Not only do players need time to get into playing shape, but coaches like Carroll also deserve the chance to work with rookies and offseason additions to prepare and scheme for the upcoming season.
For now, people in football circles are operating under the assumption Week 1 will still be in September. But–given Carroll's words–the league would also do well to keep an eye on the timeline and the scheduled start of training camps and preseason play.
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