The restrictions placed by the NFL in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has forced teams to take unprecedented action this offseason.
They kickstarted the effort with a remote 2020 NFL Draft that seemingly went better than the league could have expected. Unfortunately, the next task of getting players ready for the 2020 NFL season could prove to be more troublesome.
The Los Angeles Rams are busy making preparations for their virtual offseason workouts. It seems head coach Sean McVay has already made efforts to keep the players engaged.
According to ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry, McVay says Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers will be among the notable guest speakers he hopes will talk to his team:
Sean McVay says he'll have some guest speakers talk to the Rams during their virtual offseason meetings. Among speakers? Clippers coach Doc Rivers, and he also is targeting Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
— LindseyThiry (@LindseyThiry) April 27, 2020
Meanwhile, left tackle Andrew Whitworth and center/guard Austin Blythe have already gotten their setup together:
Rams virtual offseason getting started. Here’s a look at the setups of offensive linemen Andrew Whitworth and Austin Blythe (via IGs) pic.twitter.com/1nZF0nqaL7
— LindseyThiry (@LindseyThiry) April 27, 2020
It is encouraging to see that the team is working on bringing an element of excitement to the virtual workouts. McVay is clearly using every resource at his disposal by relying on some of the fellow, high-profile coaches that happen to be in town.
Like the Rams, the Dodgers are hoping to bounce back from a disappointing year in which they fell vastly short of expectations. They were coming off back-to-back appearances in the World Series only to be knocked out in the NL Division Series by the future champion Washington Nationals. Fortunately, they have since managed to generate a newfound sense of optimism with their revamped roster.
Meanwhile, Rivers was in the midst of leading a bonafide championship contender in the Clippers until the global pandemic suspended the 2019-20 NBA season. In many ways, he and the rest of the league are navigating through uncharted waters that should help set a precedent for a return to action.
Rivers became the first guest to speak to the team on Thursday morning:
thank you @DocRivers for giving us your time this morning!
— David Long Jr. (@dljxxii) April 30, 2020
There has been plenty of speculation regarding whether or not the timeline for the 2020 campaign will be pushed back due to the ongoing crisis. Although commissioner Roger Goodell has done what he can to dispel this notion, it remains to be seen if he will have the means to make it come to fruition.
The NFL has already embraced the prospect of potentially playing their games in empty stadiums until it is deemed safe for fans to be in attendance. For now, the Rams are doing what they can to ensure that the players are prepared for any course of action.
