Jul 25, 2019; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants defensive tackle Olsen Pierre (72) participates in drills during the first day of training camp at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Earlier in the offseason, there was plenty of talk about whether or not the New York Giants and the NFL at large would be able to hold training camp. The team joined the rest of the league in shutting down its facilities due to the coronavirus pandemic, and the Giants have only recently gotten back to reopening. The players haven’t convened again yet and so far, it’s just been front office members and support staff to show back up at the Quest Diagnostics Training Center.
However, according to recent news from CBS Sports, training camp proper is set to begin next month, towards the end of July. Additionally, it’s been reported that the preseason will happen as scheduled and there will indeed be fans in the stands.
As it stands today and according to the freshly minted CBA, the Steelers and Cowboys will be the first to report to camp by July 22, followed by the Texans and Chiefs on July 25 and then the 28 other teams on July 28. Thirty teams will play four preseason games while Pittsburgh and Dallas will play five (including the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio) and there will be fans in the stands. And then 2020 NFL regular season kicks off in Arrowhead Stadium on Sept. 10 and the league has a season uninterrupted by COVID-19.
The presence of fans at the games may be surprising to some, as it’s been unconfirmed until now whether or not the league would make that jump this quickly. However, there is a strong incentive for it to happen – ticket sales make up a large percentage of the profits in the sports world, and getting fans back in seats as quickly as possible is needed to maintain the health of the league economically.
Training camp will be the first time when the new staff led by head coach Joe Judge meets the new additions from both free agency and the draft, including high profile cornerback James Bradberry and fourth overall draft pick Andrew Thomas.
Following that, the Giants have four preseason games scheduled: against the Jets, Titans, Packers, and Patriots. While there’s been talk of a shortened preseason, that doesn’t seem to be the case currently, as the Giants will still play the full schedule including their traditional matchups against the Jets and Patriots. But whether that holds up may just depend on the coming months and how the reopening of the country at large goes during that span.
This post was published on 2020-06-12 23:53
