JC Tretter's greatest block came out of uniform and at the negotiating table. (USA Today)
NFL agrees to reschedule Browns-Raiders 48 hours to Monday
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.
They said it wouldn’t be done, but it has. The immovable object has been moved.
With lead blocking from center JC Tretter, NFLPA president, the union negotiated a deal to reschedule Saturday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders, giving the Browns an extra 48 hours to regain some of the 20 players lost to positive COVID testing.
With the Raiders sitting on buses waiting to be transported to the airport for their flight to Cleveland, the union and league finalized an agreement to avoid a competitive farce.
The Washington Football Team and Los Angeles Rams each had more than 20 players unavailable for their weekend games and benefitted from the agreement.
The Browns-Raiders game scheduled for Saturday at 4:30 p.m. was rescheduled for Monday at 5 p.m. The game will still be played in FirstEnergy Stadium and shown on NFL Network nationally and WOIO Channel 19 locally.
Washington at Philadelphia was moved from Sunday at 1 p.m. to Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Seattle at L.A. Rams was switched from Sunday at 4:25 p.m. to Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Almost immediately, opponents affected by the moves expressed outrage.
Raiders owner Mark Davis told Paul Gutierrez of ESPN that the rescheduling was a “competitive disadvantage” for the Raiders because it imposes a short week on them to prepare for a divisional game against the Denver Broncos on Dec. 26.
“Health and safety is always No. 1, but it’s tough,” Davis said. “Maybe Cleveland should travel here. That would make it more fair.”
The Raiders have had only two players miss one game apiece because of COVID positives.
Raiders linebacker K.J. Wright vented that the league showed favoritism to the Browns and Tretter, the union president. “I pay my player dues just to get lied to and the rules bent,” Wright wrote on social media. “If it was the other way around I swear we would be playing tomorrow.”
Raiders cornerback Casey Hayward wrote, “I’m sure the @NFLPA president playing for the Browns didn’t have any effect on these negotiations…”
A statement from the NFL said, “We’ve made these schedule changes based on medical advice and after discussion with the NFLPA as we are seeing a new, highly transmissible form of the virus this week resulting in a substantial increase in cases across the league. We continue to make decisions in consultation with medical experts to ensure the health and safety of the NFL community.”
In a letter to team owners and executives, Commissioner Roger Goodell stated, “The emergence of the Omicron variant is precisely the kind of change that warrants a flexible response.” Goodell added that the games would not be rescheduled a second time.”
In addition to 20 players on the COVID list – the number was reduced when linebacker Anthony Walker was activated – the Browns have three coaches sidelined because of positive tests – Kevin Stefanski; offensive assistant Ryan Cordell; and offensive assistant T.C. McCartney.
In a team statement, Peter John-Baptiste, senior vice president of communications, said that every member of the organization who tested positive was vaccinated and the majority were without symptoms or experienced mild symptoms.
“We fully recognize the fluidity of the situation, including Browns personnel who may be available this week, and remain in constant communication with the NFL,” John-Baptiste said. “The team conducted virtual meetings and a virtual walkthrough this morning and plans to hold a practice tomorrow at the CrossCountry Mortgage Campus as we continue to prepare for the Raiders game."
The Browns confirmed new additions to their COVID list previously reported: safety Grant Delpit, linebacker Tony Fields, cornerback A.J. Green, safety Ronnie Harrison, quarterback Case Keenum, linebacker Jacob Phillips and linebacker Mack Wilson. They are expected to add defensive end Jadeveon Clowney to the list on Saturday.
The team also confirmed the signing of quarterback Kyle Lauletta, who would serve as backup to presumptive starter Nick Mullens against the Raiders. That is, unless Baker Mayfield, or Keenum, manage to clear COVID protocols before the deadline of Sunday at 5 p.m.
The team intends to hold a practice on Saturday, after which Stefanski and selected players would hold Zoom press conferences.
Rescheduling the Raiders game 48 hours is a break for the Browns, but it comes with a consequence. It makes for a short work week before they play the Packers in Green Bay, WI, on Christmas Day. But the Raiders game is more important to the Browns’ playoff hopes because of AFC tie-breakers.
