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When looking around the NFL landscape at the start of July, it’s normally time to start gearing up for training camp. In a normal year, camps should be starting in less than a month, with the preseason getting underway about two weeks later.
But this is no ordinary year, and these are no ordinary circumstances. With the NFL already canceling the preseason opener, the Hall of Fame Game, the entire exhibition slate of games is in question, particularly as the spread of the coronavirus is soaring once again.
The next two weeks will be critical for the NFL and other sports leagues as they try to determine how to open up safely. Some of those decisions will have direct effects on teams, like the expected restrictions on fan seating inside stadiums. The league is still trying to find ways to play games in front of fans, while all of the other three major North American sports leagues have gone to empty stadiums for their reopening plans.
And then there are the knock-on effects, the tasks and negotiations that are being postponed while the urgent matters take precedence. Kenny Clark’s impending contract extension with the Green Bay Packers is one of those. The team’s admitted top contractual priority is extending Clark, but the front office evidently has been unable to focus on those negotiations amid all the uncertainty this summer.
It’s a tough situation for all involved, but hopefully both sides can come to an agreement.
As football fans hope to see the sport take place this fall, keep in mind that the best way to ensure that it can do so is do your part and help minimize the spread of COVID-19. Keep up the social distancing, wear masks when out in public, and avoid high-risk activities and places. Most importantly, this will help reduce the number of people who get infected, but sports returning for good would be a great added bonus.
Packers' Kenny Clark hopes, waits for new contract, 2020 season | madison.com
Kenny Clark wants his new deal, and he wants it done before the season starts...if it starts. He knows his agent and the team have talked, but with COVID-19 continuing to rage -- and only getting worse in the last week or two -- those talks have taken a back seat as the team tries to figure out plans for training camp and the season.
Green Bay Packers navigate coronavirus effects, NFL stadium rules | JSOnline (subscription required)
It sounds like the first six to eight rows in NFL stadiums will be closed off, which will mean no Lambeau Leaps if the 2020 season happens. But that would nix about 6,000 seats at Lambeau Field, costing the team as much as $7 million just in lost ticket sales.
From Bananas Foster to subpar salads, ranking the NFL press box food spreads – The Athletic
The Packers come in 11th, with cheese curds and brats at halftime earning big points. It sounds like covering a Buccaneers game at Raymond James Stadium is a dream, though, at least as far as the food is concerned.
NCAA conference realignment: Re-doing college football landscape - Sports Illustrated
Pat Forde has a crazy idea for realigning conferences in college football, doing it regionally and in such a way that each of ten conferences gets its share of current power-five and group of five conference schools. Yay or nay?
PFF Ranks Golladay Best WR in NFC North; Five Scouts Respond | SI.com
You may have seen the tweet from Pro Football Focus calling Golladay the best wideout in the division. Multiple scouts responded to this with simply "LOL," and all five agreed that Davante Adams was indeed at the top.
Finally, though it may be Rivalry Week here at SB Nation, Wisconsin residents are still happy to help out a bear in need. Good on this couple for helping this little guy in distress get out of an unfortunate situation.