Get ready for what could be the wildest, most wide open NFL season since the replacement players of 1987. One can easily foresee massive absences and mandatory quarantines shaking up rosters and active lists all season long. The Covid 19 precautions may well act as a leveling of the playing field for all teams.

Just getting ready for training camp will be challenge enough for teams like the Packers. NFL protocols include social distance spacing in the locker rooms, distancing in the weight rooms and in the meeting rooms. All meetings of 20 or more have to be virtual. Masks must be worn indoors. All in-person meetings are to be held outdoors. Constant and repetitive testing for all players and staff.

In a recent radio interview, Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh called the protocols "humanly impossible." Harbaugh went on to say "I'm pretty sure the huddle is not going to be six-feet spaced.....Are guys going to shower one at a time all day? Are guys going to lift weights one at a time all day? These are things the league and the players association need to get a handle on and need to get agreed with some common sense so we can operate in a 13 hour day in training camp".

There is also the question of living quarters during camp.   Dr. Anthony Fauci, the president's advisor on infectious diseases, says the entire NFL needs to isolate itself in a bubble-type environment, similar to what the NBA and MLB are planning.   "Unless players are essentially in a bubble, insulated from the community, and they are tested every day, it would be very hard to see how football would be played this fall"  Fauci said.

In an interview on the Packers website with Larry McCarren, coach Matt LaFleur commented "You've just got to be fluid, you have to be flexible.....there's no use in complaining about it.   You've just got to make the best of the situation."

Yes.   There it is.   LaFleur nailed it.   Flexibility.....that's going to be the key.   You see, this football season it won't be the best team that wins.   It will be the team most able to cope with a parade of policy changes and personnel adjustments.   The NFL will, literally, be making up the rules as they go along.   That's because one giant question has yet to be answered:   What happens when a player tests positive during the season?

That, of course, is inevitable.   We are already hearing reports of players around the league testing positive.   Not a great problem at the moment.   They just lay low and recover.   But what about when the games begin?   Commissioner Roger Goodell gave a hint when he told ESPN "Positive tests are going to happen.   The issue is, can we obviously prevent as many of those from happening, but in addition, treat them quickly, isolate them, and prevent them from directly impacting our player personnel."  

The two words that catch my attention in that statement are "isolate them".

What happens if Aaron Rodgers tests positive?   Does he have to quarantine for ten days?   Even if he shows no symptoms?   What if the entire quarterback room tests positive?   Do the Packers have to bring in some emergency free agent and start him on Sunday with two or three days of practice?

You get the idea.   That kind of development will drastically affect the outcome of games.   And all teams are vulnerable.   You can easily see how the best teams may have to go into games against the worst teams without several of their star players, paving the way for upsets that would never happen under normal circumstances.   According to NFL Network, the league is considering expanding practice squads from 10 to 16, anticipating the need for waves of substitute players when large groups of starters have to sit out.

In other words, there is a decent chance the Packers heroes in 2020 will not come from the ranks of Rodgers, Aaron Jones, Davante Adams et. al.   Rather their hopes may rest on obscure guys you've never heard of thrust into starting roles they may or may not be ready for.   Depth has never been more important than it will be this season.   We will truly see how well the scouts have done their jobs.   

Then there's the empty stadium factor.   Places like Seattle and Kansas City and Minnesota, where crowds have a reputation for being loud and affecting the game, won't provide their teams with that advantage.   Home teams won't be able to feed off the adrenalin they get from their fans.   How much of a factor will that be?

It all adds up to a wild card season full of surprises and roller coaster rides.   So fasten your seat belt.   This year anything can happen.