COVID-19 and the NFL: How the changing preseason impacts the New York Jets
Amid the planning for the 2020 NFL season, the league and NFLPA have focused primarily on the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the NFL. For the New York Jets, the key for the organization and its fans is how can all these changes benefit this team. Former Jets tight end and preseason broadcaster Anthony Becht believes toning down training camp won’t have as big an impact on the regular season as the loss of preseason games will.
The league and the NFLPA are negotiating the number of preseason games that the teams will actually play. It will not be the four originally scheduled. The league wants to cut it to two games to limit travel and keep teams somewhat isolated. The union wants all four games to be eliminated.
The league believes two preseason games can lessen the exposure but still provide time to put teams in a place to prepare. Not overlooked is the idea that two games provide 50 percent of the revenue in a season that will be impacted financially. The union contends that the only travel any teams should be making is only essential towards games that count.
“I truly believe that two preseason games are enough and the players should feel good about playing two preseason games,” said Becht in an exclusive interview with Sports Illustrated.com’s ‘Jets Country’ this week. “Those preseason games would be huge. You can actually play the players a little bit more in those games, and you can also get a lot more feel for your depth of the team without having a fourth preseason game where nobody plays.”
Becht played the first five seasons of his 11 year NFL career with the Jets. He totaled 1,146 yards receiving with 17 touchdowns off of 133 receptions in a Jets uniform. For the last two years, Becht joined CBS’ Ian Eagle to call Jets preseason games on WCBS-2 and will do so again this season if preseason games are actually played.
He believes two games can work and there can be very little hitting during the actual camp. Players can keep social distance on the field and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and head coach Adam Gase can still see the physicality of the players they have, especially the new acquisitions.
“It's kind of an ancient question,” said Becht. “I don't know if teams really need to (hit each other) as much. You want to see your players go at full tilt, high-impact and see what they got, judge your depth, make sure you've got the guys who are supposed to be the guys out on the field, out there when you need them. What will galvanize a team and what Gregg Williams really wants to see is in a preseason game.”
Training camp for the Jets is slated to begin on or around July 28 in a season that will certainly be unlike any other.