Getty Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf
The biggest non-football question surrounding the Eagles involves opening weekend. With large gatherings banned due to the novel coronavirus, everyone wants to know: Will the NFL season start on time?
President Trump indicated that he believed it would during a conference call with league commissioners in early April. Then, California Gov. Gavin Newsom pushed back on that by saying he didn’t “anticipate that happening in his state.” The new normal is anything but normal.
On Thursday, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf offered an opinion on what might happen in regard to both the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers playing in their home stadiums in September. According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, it’s “too soon to tell.”
“It’s too soon to tell how our current mitigation efforts will impact future public events,” Wolf’s Press Secretary Lyndsay Kensinger told the newspaper in an email.
Meanwhile, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has announced plans to begin opening his state on May 1 while New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has lengthened his state’s shutdown until May 15. Pennsylvania is caught in between right now.
“I have been considering when we end this phase from the time I put it into place,” Wolf said in a conference call, via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “What I haven’t done is come up with the dates yet. We need to keep thinking about that, keep talking about it but … I’m not there yet. I’m not ready to provide that date.”
One other possibility — an unpopular and drastic idea — being thrown out is moving home games for the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers to a less-infected state like Ohio.
Eagles GM Explains How Draft Day Will Work
Since NFL teams have been forced to conduct a virtual draft due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there are a certain amount of challenges. Perhaps the biggest one pertains to where they orchestrate their business. Front-office executives are relying on their team’s IT departments to outfit their homes with the proper technology, something that Eagles GM Howie Roseman explained in detail.
“I’m fortunate that I have a home office, and about two years ago, [Vice President of Football Technology] Pat Dolan, who heads our video group, he came out and he outfitted me with what was in my office at the NovaCare Complex,” Roseman told reporters. “He gave me all the bells and whistles so I could watch tape and so I could use our scouting system — so I have all the resources at my disposal.”
But one thing the video technicians can’t guard against is children. Roseman said he fully expects his kids to be knocking on the door and trying to glean information on the picks.
“It’s an issue. It’s funny,” Roseman said. “I got on a chat with a bunch of other GMs, because our kids get an opportunity to go to those league meetings, so they all hang out together and they have been fortunate to grow up together, which is really special. We are trying to figure out stuff to keep them busy during the draft.”
If the Eagles don’t select a play-making wide receiver at pick No. 21, the kids won’t be the only ones knocking down Roseman’s door. Bet on that.
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