Falcons’ Alex Mack shares concerns about playing with no fans on ‘The Jim Rome Show’

Professional sports leagues around the world are trying to figure out how to move forward, notwithstanding the need for extraordinary COVID-19-related precautions. The NFL is no exception.

This week, assistant coaches made their much-anticipated return to Flowery Branch, a move that signals an intention to move forward with preparation for the 2020 season. Alex Mack was featured on The Jim Rome Show yesterday and he had some interesting things to say about how playing without fans could affect the players. This is what he had to say about line calls specifically:

“It depends on what actually happens. If they have a microphone right in front of us [...] I’m going to have to change my calls a lot. Because I don’t want the next defense I play to be able to know exactly what we’re doing all the time. So trying to keep things secret and try to keep things confusing for the defense will be key.”

This is the entire segment. Give it a watch, if you have a moment:

At the end of the day, there isn’t a football fan with a pulse that wouldn’t prefer football with no fans in attendance over no football at all. The league, the teams, the players, and the fans — we all want to see the season come to fruition, assuming it can be done safely.

That said, teams and the players that comprise them have always come up with creative solutions to keep the other side guessing. I’d imagine this is no exception. And even if Mack didn’t come out and say it, I’m quite sure this is something they are already working on. Just like many of us, these players have been sitting at home for months, participating in video meetings. NFL players and coaches work year-round to get a competitive advantage; don’t think for a second that a global pandemic will derail those efforts.

Your thoughts about Mack’s comments, Falcoholics?