Will the first week of the regular season take place?

In two months from this evening, the first week of the regular season will end with a double program Monday evening. Unless this is not the case.

Everything keeps moving as the NFL training camps prepare to open, and no one knows if professional football will be able to overcome the various obstacles that prevent football from playing in a continuing pandemic propagate, fueled equally by stupidity and selfishness with more than a hint of deliberate misinformation and distortion from the media hoping to get clicks and likes from people looking for someone, anyone to justify their stupid and selfish behavior.

So will there be a first week? We asked Twitter on Monday. Based on more than 20,000 responses (which is more than enough to establish a trend), 64.9% believe that the first week will not happen.

The construction of the regular season schedule has created a very clear feeling that the league is determined to spend the first week and then, if necessary, press pause and reassess. As the virus continues to spread and hot spots continue to rage, it becomes increasingly difficult to imagine football thriving, as Dr. Anthony Fauci said several weeks ago, in everything but a bubble. And at this point, it is far too late to build a bubble for 32 teams of 53 players as well as the coaching staff and training teams and everyone else who would be kept inside the bubble for five or six months.

We very much hope that the NFL will find a way to make it work. But we are also realistic. Ultimately, the operation of the current plan is beyond the control of the league. A full NFL football season in 2020 will only happen if the virus lets it go, and the virus proves again and again that it will do us no service.