NFL camps open with celebration of 'a return to normal'
NFL training camps are open and, most notably, team facilities are open. Players, coaches, front office folks and media were all in the same rooms Tuesday.
As people renewed acquaintances and celebrated another new beginning as well as the perceived "return to normal," it was impossible to escape the feeling the biggest story of the coming season could again be the novel coronavirus.
Asked if he expected his club to achieve the NFL's target of at least 85% of players getting vaccinations, general manager Ryan Pace said, "Yeah, we feel really good about it, the way it's trending.
"Our staff has done an awesome job, starting with Matt communicating with our players, educating our players."
It's clear Pace and head coach Matt Nagy would be a lot happier if all of their players were vaccinated, but knowing that's unlikely to happen, Nagy talked about the best he can do.
"What we did was we lived by the 'encourage and educate' (motto) and try to let them understand the 'why' part.
"If we just tell them, 'For these reasons, it can be a lot more convenient in the football world and for these reasons it can be good for you healthwise.' Everything that everybody went through last year, we were all a little bit inconvenienced, because we had to. Now, with the new rules, if you get vaccinated, it's different."
The obvious question is why doesn't the league mandate the shot for everyone?
Because much like NFL players, a percentage of America doesn't believe in and/or want the vaccine. Current polls suggest it's in the 30% range.
Angering a third of your fan base isn't particularly good for ticket or merchandise sales or television ratings.
Roger Goodell and the 32 team owners are trying to thread a very fine needle, allowing players to make their own choice but punishing them severely if they don't get vaccinated, get sick and cause their team to miss games.
If that happens, the game could be forfeited, and every player on the forfeiting team will lose a game check.
For Allen Robinson, that one check would be a little over $1 million, and for all we know he may be vaccinated.
How would he feel about a hit like that caused by a teammate who might have avoided it if he'd gotten his shots?
"I can't go into this trying to force guys or incentivize guys to get a vaccine to play a game for my sole benefit," Robinson said.
How will players feel if it happens?
It could get ugly.
New starting quarterback Andy Dalton told me, "I think we'll cross that when it comes to it."
OK, but what the NFL has done in trying to make everyone happy is create an avenue for turmoil.
We can only hope it won't be realized and become the next big scar the virus leaves behind.