By Gregg Bell | McClatchy News Service
RENTON — If the Seahawks make the playoffs again, they can keep fighting COVID-19 their way.
Because it works.
The NFL and its players’ union decided Tuesday to scrap the idea of local “playoff bubbles,” teams qualifying for the postseason having to sequester in separate hotels every day between playoff games.
The league had been discussing its playoff teams possibly tightening the bubble around each of them. It would have been a version of the postseason bubbles the NBA and NHL used with specific, neutral game sites to successful complete their playoffs during the cornonavirus pandemic this past summer.
The NFL months ago determined a single site for all postseason games—as the NBA had in Orlando, Florida—or two playoff bubble cities, as the NHL had in Toronto and Edmonton, Alberta, was not feasible. Pro football has more than twice the number of players on each team’s roster, not to mention the dozens of coaches and more staff and medical-support personnel for a much larger traveling party to effectively contain and maintain inside one site for an extended period.
The NFL informed teams Tuesday night they “cannot require players and staff members to stay at a hotel during the playoffs other than the night prior to a game,” in a memorandum obtained by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Pelissero reported “the choice to forego local bubbles was recommended by the league and NFL Players Association medical experts based on COVID-19 testing data. The NFL and NFLPA are pleased with numbers related to the coronavirus and therefore sticking ‘with what works’ for the postseason, Pelissero relayed from the league memo to teams Tuesday.
That’s exactly what Pete Carroll and the Seahawks wanted.
In the ultimate knock-on-wood fact, the Seahawks remain the league’s only team to not have a positive COVID-19 case since daily testing began for every team on July 28. They put reserve defensive tackle Bryan Mone, who is on injured reserve, as their first player on the reserve/COVID-19 list briefly into last week. But Carroll said that was for a contract-tracing issue of Mone being close to a person outside the team who tested positive.
It’s remarkable streak. It validates the measures Carroll have had his Seahawks taking beyond the NFL’s protocols. Seattle has been more effective than any other team in keeping the coronavirus away, despite COVID-19 spiking again across the country and league.
“Absolutely. No, I wouldn’t want to change anything,” Carroll said, foreshadowing the playoff COVID-19 protocol he got from the league Tuesday night.
“We have this thing under control, as much as you could. Our guys know how to do it. Our people know how to maintain it and orchestrate it.
“Why would we—there’s no way in the world we’d want to change.”
Seahawks nearly in
Seattle (9-4) has a 99 percent chance to make the playoffs, according to The New York Times’ NFL postseason probability analysis.
The Seahawks currently hold the fifth of seven playoff spots in the NFC, the first wild-card. They are on track to host an NFC West division title game next week, Dec. 27, against the 9-4 Los Angeles Rams. Seattle first plays at East-leading Washington (6-7) while Los Angeles, which beat the Seahawks in California last month. hosts the New York Jets (0-13).
The Seahawks just beat the Jets 40-3 last weekend.
Carroll had said the NFL was deep in discussions with general managers including Seattle’s John Schneider about how to separate teams during the playoffs.
“I know that they’ve had some meetings. I know John has some meetings coming up, too, particularly about what’s going on in the postseason,” Carroll said.
No matter how far they go in their eighth postseason in nine years under Carroll, this season may already be the best leadership work of his long coaching career.
“This is the most I’ve ever had to coach,” Carroll said.
