Variants of COVID19 are still rippling across the National Football League, just like the rest of the country and the Green Bay Packers are the latest team to deal with a significant positive test. Last week, Arizona Cardinals Head Coach Kliff Kingsbury tested positive, missed a game and returned on Sunday and will be back for Thursday night’s showdown with the Pack. Earlier today, Chicago Bears Head Coach Matt Nagy tested positive and then the news broke that Green Bay’s defensive coordinator, Joe Barry has tested positive. Within hours, the team sent out a news release that star wide receiver Davante Adams has been placed on the Reserve/COVID19 list. Being placed on the reserve list doesn’t necessarily mean Adams had a positive test, he could fall under close contact tracing provisions.
Defensive Coordinator Joe Barry.
Barry, even though vaccinated, has been isolated from the team which immediately enacted enhanced protocols. All team meetings were conducted virtually as the players were kept away from facilities. Masks are required for everyone at the stadium regardless of vaccination status. Testing will be conducted daily through the rest of the short week before the team departs for Phoenix on Wednesday.
Head Coach Matt LaFleur addressed the situation Monday afternoon and said there may be other test issues with coaching staff members but he’s confident there won’t be any close contact problems with players in the locker room. Tuesday meetings will be conducted in socially distanced settings like was the case throughout almost all of 2020. Only light practices are scheduled Tuesday and Wednesday and again, all personnel will be masked and kept apart.
It’s unlikely Barry will be able to coach the defense or Adams to be in uniform Thursday night but LaFleur couldn’t rule that out completely. Because he’s vaccinated, Barry will need to have consecutive negative test results over a two day period and there may not be enough time before the team departs. Assuming Adams is vaccinated, those same rules would apply.
If he can’t make the trip, LaFleur said they’re putting together a plan to perhaps have secondary coach Jerry Gray, a former NFL coordinator, take over Thursday night.
LaFleur said this is just another hurdle in an already challenging week and it will take everyone to put together and execute a defensive game plan against the NFL’s only undefeated team that features one of the most explosive offensive units in the league. Now one of the game’s best offensive players might be taken out of the mix as well.
