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NFL

QB Burrow named Bengals captain as rookie

CINCINNATI — Add captain to the list of Joe Burrow’s titles.

The Cincinnati Bengals rookie quarterback was named one of seven team captains before he makes his NFL debut Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Wednesday’s announcement is not a surprise considering how teammates have complimented his leadership since the team convened for the 2020 season.

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“It makes you feel good for sure,” Burrow said in July. “But I’m going to have to continue to do my job. If I don’t play well, that all goes out the window. That’s what I’m focused on right now is playing really, really well and doing my job.”

Three of the team’s seven captains — Burrow, safety ?Vonn Bell and linebacker Josh Bynes — were not on the team last season.

On Monday, Bengals second-year coach Zac Taylor said Burrow has been cemented as the team’s starter for so long that it felt as if it occurred “years ago.” The top pick in the 2020 draft is the lone quarterback taken in the first round to be named his team’s Week 1 starter.

Days before his NFL debut, quarterback Joe Burrow has been named a Bengals team captain. Ian Johnson/Icon Sportswire

After a preseason scrimmage, Taylor said Burrow’s leadership in the huddle is one of the reasons he felt the recent Heisman Trophy winner was unquestionably the team’s top quarterback. That wasn’t lost on his teammates.

“To be honest, I think what popped off the most about Joe Burrow is his leadership and how he takes the huddle,” Bengals running back

Burrow has also been out front in other matters. The team selected the rookie to deliver half of the team’s recent public statement denouncing racism.

“My teammates have done a great job of making me feel comfortable and part of the team, and that’s not always the case as a rookie,” Burrow said Aug. 30. “So it really did make me feel at home.”

The Bengals are looking to bounce back from a 2-14 season in 2019, the franchise’s worst record in 17 years.

“Any time you play the first game, you want to come out and play really well,” Burrow said Wednesday. “Win the game and kinda jump-start your season. At the same time, it’s a long season. I’m obviously focused on Game 1, but we got 16, 17 other games. … I’m not out there to win, go .500, squeak into the playoffs. I’m here to win games and win championships.”

NFL

One NFL player positive in latest COVID tests

Only one NFL player produced a confirmed positive coronavirus test during the league’s most recent testing period, another encouraging report as the league prepares this week to open its 2020 regular season.

According to data released Tuesday, the league tested 2,641 players and 5,708 other personnel between Aug. 30 and Sept. 5. In addition to the one player, seven other staff members also produced a positive result. Since the true start of training camp Aug. 12, a total of 24 people have produced confirmed positive tests.

NFL

What happens to coin tosses? Jersey swaps? 15 obscure NFL coronavirus protocols you need to know

The NFL’s last “normal” moment was the annual scouting combine, held from Feb. 23 to March 2 in Indianapolis.

Amid the routine of that week, league executives focused on finalizing a new collective bargaining agreement with players. Teams locked in on scouting college players and setting plans for the start of free agency. The global spread of COVID-19 had just started to seep into the national consciousness, but few had conceived a future in which the virus could impact a regular season that was six months away.

And yet here we are. The NFL is set to open Thursday night amid a set of coronavirus pandemic protocols that have transformed its operations at every level. You know about the major changes: a virtual offseason program, no preseason games and a softened training camp that centered on preventing soft-tissue injuries after months of football inactivity.

What follows are 15 of the smaller changes, from the slightly weird to the completely wacky, that you might never have imagined would be necessary to safely play football. All of these protocols are subject to change but will be in effect at least for Week 1.

Electronic whistles are in

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The NFL and its teams have ordered hundreds of

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AP Photo/Ted S. Warren

Skip the buffet

Like the rest of the country, NFL players and coaches can’t graze the buffet any longer — including at their team facilities. And if they’re going to eat a postgame meal, it must be individually packaged with disposable utensils. Third-party meal delivery is permitted, as long as its delivery is contactless.

Take the stairs

Players will be required to stay in the team hotel the night before games, whether they are the home or visiting team. Team travel coordinators have been instructed to request room blocks on lower floors so that everyone — players, coaches and staffers — can avoid elevators whenever possible.

Cleanliness is next to …

In team facilities, the NFL is requiring all “high-touch” surfaces to be cleaned at least three times a day with solution that qualifies as hospital-grade EPA List N disinfectant. “High touch” is defined as any surface that is in an area accessible to multiple members of the party. That includes tables, desks, countertops, door and drawer handles, cabinet handles, light switches, phones, television remote controls, handrails, toilets, sink handles, touch screens and elevator buttons.

Quarterback quarantine

One thing the NFL hasn’t changed this summer: Its teams’ fanatical desire to cloak personnel strategy. So while we don’t have many details, we do know that some coaches have considered isolating one quarterback from the rest of the team as a hedge against potential breakouts.

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Teams are prohibited from having in-person player meetings with more than 15 people present, and everyone must be distanced at least 6 feet away from each other. Anything larger must take place virtually. No more than 15 people are allowed inside a weight room unless a special exception is approved. And trips to the athletic trainers must be made by individual appointments to keep numbers down.

Two charter planes encouraged

In most years, NFL teams charter one large plane for road games. In 2020, the NFL is encouraging them to charter two in order to maintain social distance requirements. At a minimum, every member of the traveling party must have at least one seat between them. To assist, the league is allowing only 70 non-players to join each traveling party. That count includes coaches, medical officials and all other essential staff.

Private planes on standby

When on the road, teams must hold at least three empty hotel rooms near the game site to be used for any member of the traveling party who reports COVID-19 symptoms or tests positive and needs to be isolated. The NFL has also retained a private air-charter service to transport those people home without coming into contact with the rest of the team.

NFL

Clowney reunites with Vrabel, agrees with Titans

Jadeveon Clowney agreed to a one-year contract with the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.

Terms were not disclosed, but a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that the deal is worth up to $15 million.

The New Orleans Saints, the other main suitor, made a very strong push for the defensive end, but their offer was lower by roughly $2 million, sources told ESPN’s Dianna Russini.

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Clowney is reuniting with Titans coach Mike Vrabel, who was his position coach and defensive coordinator when the two were with the Houston Texans.

The seventh-year veteran had his best season in 2017 when he played in Vrabel’s scheme for the Texans. Clowney posted career highs in sacks (9.5), tackles for loss (21) and QB hits (21) that season.

Clowney made an impact following his trade before the 2019 season from the Texans to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for Jacob Martin, Barkevious Mingo and a 2020 third-round pick.

Jadeveon Clowney 5.8%
Grady Jarrett 5.7%
Luke Kuechly 5.5%
Calais Campbell 5.3%
— NFL Next Gen Stats

While he had only three sacks in 13 regular-season games, Clowney ranked fifth in ESPN’s pass-rush win rate (24.8%), scored two defensive touchdowns and was consistently Seattle’s most disruptive defensive lineman. PRWR measures how frequently a defender beats his blocker in 2.5 seconds or less.

Clowney, 27, suffered a core muscle injury in Week 10 last season and elected to postpone surgery until the offseason. That left him playing in pain for most of the second half of the season. The injury sidelined him for two games; he missed a third game with the flu.

Clowney was named to three consecutive Pro Bowls from 2016 to 2018 with the Texans. Overall, he has 236 tackles, 32 sacks, 9 forced fumbles, 7 recoveries, 51 tackles for loss, an interception and 4 defensive touchdowns since being selected with the first overall pick in the 2014 draft.

ESPN’s Turron Davenport and Brady Henderson contributed to this report.

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“If you think about it, I've never held a job in my life. I went from being an NFL player to a coach to a broadcaster. I haven't worked a day in my life.”
-John Madden


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