Is the NFC South ready for the 2020 season?

By Kate Arhar // @ClvlndK8

Summer is here and we’d usually be talking about OTA’s and Mini-camps right now. Instead, we are trying to figure out if the NFL will even have a season this year and guessing as to what it might look like.

While fans and the media are all about speculating on what the future will bring, the teams in the NFC South have been busy trying to conduct business as usual. Or at least as well as they can during this pandemic.

Let’s take a look at how the draft and free agency has affected the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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Fan Forum: Quarterbacks and all that money. Are they worth it?

Dayna O’Gorman
Senior NFL Reporter
NFC West/AFC West

By Dayna O’Gorman // @DaynaOG

NFL quarterbacks are always a hot topic. Overrated. Underrated. Overpaid. Underpaid. Elite. Not Elite. Top five lists. Quarterbacks are often the cause of a lot of arguments and constant comparisons to fans.

With Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott signing his tag, and nowhere near a new contract, and Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes scheduled to break the bank with his new contract, I decided to ask the fan forum how they felt about quarterbacks. Is their favorite team’s QB worth it? Do they feel quarterbacks are overhyped or undervalued? Here is how a few of them felt.

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Could we see a 2020 season without football fans?

Lisa Johnson
AFC South AFC East Reporter

By Lisa Johnson //@LJ1303

We’re inching closer to the 2020 NFL season and the question about fans in the stands still remains.

The New York Giants announced via email that season ticket members now have the option to forgo the 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic. Ticket members will not lose their seating rights or license if they choose to stay home. The New England Patriots released a statement of their own, saying that higher risk fans now have the option to opt-out this year without the penalty of losing their seats to other fans on the waiting list

As NFL teams prepare and announcements are made, fans are facing decisions of their own. After all, football season is right around the corner.

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Uncertainty and expectation for the NFL’s AFC South Division

By Lisa Johnson // @LJ1303

As we move towards the start of the 2020 NFL season, one thing has become crystal clear is that we are going to at least HAVE some sort of an NFL football season. We’ll even see the Vince Lombardi trophy hoisted in the air sometime around February 2021.

Many fans and season ticket holders are waiting for official word on just how the NFL is expected to handle seating amidst the COVID -19 threat, or if they’ll have seating for fans at all. Team facilities have started to slowly open back up and the coaching staff has been given permission to return to work with certain protocols set in place by the NFL.

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Three random football thoughts: Minority hiring, Dak, and football during a pandemic.

Sonja Greenfield, Senior NFL Reporter NFC North, NFC East

By Sonja Greenfield //@Mom23RN

Its the offseason, we’re all in various stages of quarantine, and everything is Zoomed.

It’s sort of hard to come up with some good things to write, outside of fantasy projections, roster projections, etc. And so this time, I figured why just write about one specific topic when I have some thoughts on a few topics. Sort of a hodge-podge, if you will.

I would do all three in separate articles, but I feel that sometimes short and sweet is better. If you want me to get more in-depth, I’d be more than happy to, just reach out on Twitter!

(P.S. These are my thoughts, not necessarily the ones of my ladies here at OurTurf Football)

Continue reading “Three random football thoughts: Minority hiring, Dak, and football during a pandemic.” →

Fan Forum: Lottery? Just family? How fans could return to stadiums with social distancing

By Dayna O’Gorman // @DaynaOG

Last week I introduced the OTFB Fan Forum. A group of 6 fans from across the NFL who are willing to be a voice for football fans. The first question posed to them was about how they felt about fans not being allowed in stadiums for NFL games. This week, we look at fans being allowed, but with social distancing in place.

When and if the NFL decides they can allow fans into the stadiums to watch games, more than likely they will have to cut down the number of fans that can do that by as much as 2/3, with the required 6 ft of distancing and most likely masks required.

That then gives the teams, and the league, a major problem to solve. How do you choose which fans are allowed? How do you allocate those tickets? What would the consequences be if fans don’t follow the rules? Our Fan Forum weighs in with their thoughts.

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Fan Forum: How fans feel about few or no fans in stadiums this fall

By Dayna O’Gorman // @DaynaOG

Our Turf Football was designed with the football fan in mind. We aren’t driven by statistics, we don’t break down plays, we focus on what fans have to say and want to hear.

With that in mind, I decided to form a Fan Forum. A round table, of sorts, of 6 fans from all across the country. Over the offseason and beyond, I will pose questions to these fans, to get their opinion and thoughts about all matters NFL. I wanted to hear from the fans directly, and I found all I had to do was ask.

For our first forum questions, I wanted to discuss the hottest topic out there right now. Fans in stands.

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A flashy draft, or a functional draft? Which proves more useful?

*John Errico HeartNSkol Podcast Blitzed Football Blog*

By John Errico // @MikeZimmersEars

(Editors note: A few times a year we have guest contributors add to our website. Please enjoy.)

There have been many debates over the years. Waffles or pancakes? Chocolate or peanut butter? Tastes great or less filling? Allow me to add one more related to the NFL draft: Best available or fill needs?

I decided to dig into which strategy works better by researching ten years of drafts from 2009 through 2019. I chose the best team in each NFL division based on the overall record from that same period. I first looked at statistics for each season for these eight teams.

Items such as points scored and allowed, offensive and defensive rankings in each season, sacks allowed and recorded, and depth issues formed the baseline for what I saw as team needs for each draft. Any player chosen that would help improve the team in any of these areas was seen as a need pick, not a best available. Here are the teams and my analysis:

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What’s in store for the Green Bay Packers in 2020

Lucy Rendler-Kaplan
Green Bay Packers Reporter

By Lucy Rendler-Kaplan //@Lucyrk78

The NFL schedules were released Thursday night, although we have known the opponents throughout the week. I was surprised to see Green Bay opening the season in Minnesota. I can’t remember a time the opener wasn’t a Chicago Bears/Green Bay Packers game. And I know I cannot be alone – this is actually the first time in Packers franchise history.

Due to the pandemic, what will games even look like this season? Will the number of fans be limited severely, with at least 6ft of space between seats? Or will we only be able to watch in our houses, and sports bars? How will the lack of crowd hype make a difference in a player’s game?

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What does 2020 have in store for the NFC East

By Sonja Greenfield // @Mom23RN

The 2020 schedule was released last night, and right on time.

In the midst of all that’s going on in the world, it at least gives us some semblance of normalcy. Even if we’re still unsure what the NFL will look like come fall.

But let’s look at what 2020 could mean for the teams in the NFC East. Aside from teams in their division, the NFC East will face the AFC North and the NFC West.

So, some pretty tough competition in and out of their division.

Continue reading “What does 2020 have in store for the NFC East” →

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