A day for the Miami Dolphins many thought impossible went about as well as anyone could reasonably imagine.
Despite all the sickness and death and financial hardship from COVID-19, football has survived. The Dolphins' 55th training camp opened Monday _ albeit with empty stands instead of thousands of fans.
Full disclosure: The on-field product wasn't great Monday. It never is on Day 1. There were misfired passes, blown coverages and fumbled carries.
But who cares?
Just being able to even talk about such on-field foibles is a win. Yes, we're still a long way from Week 1 _ and far longer to getting to Week 17 without a pandemic-related work stoppage. Outbreaks aren't just possible, but likely.
The Dolphins opened camp without arguably their best player, Xavien Howard, who is in quarantine on the NFL's reserve/COVID-19 list.
His condition is a reminder that the public health crisis has not ended.
But compared to the hellscape of a month ago _ when coronavirus was raging throughout South Florida and the players association was openly wondering if Davie was a smart place to hold training camp _ the fundamentals are much improved.
Positivity rates are plummeting. Miami-Dade has the fewest new daily cases since June. The league has conducted tens of thousands of tests in the past three weeks, but only 64 players _ out of some 2,500 _ had tested positive as of Monday morning.
And things are so buttoned up at Dolphins camp _ with temperature checks and testing trailers and Plexiglass dividers and Zoom interviews and UV air purifiers _ that players allowed themselves to focus on football, and football only, during the 90 minutes they were on the field Monday.
"You don't really think about it," Dolphins linebacker Kyle Van Noy said after practice. "Obviously when you get done off the field, you want to do the necessary things to stay healthy, sanitize, all of those good things.
"(But) you think about your job," he added. "You put that to rest until you have to deal with it again. ... We had a lot of fun today. Guys were flying around."
Dozens of Dolphins staffers think about coronavirus constantly so their players can concentrate on their assignments. That's not to say, however, the locker room hasn't had some scares.
On July 31, the Dolphins placed third-year linebacker Jerome Baker on the reserve list. But just three days later, he was cleared to return. That has been the norm _ players get flagged by either a false positive or contact with someone infected, and then quickly pass the necessary protocols to practice.
"It is what it was, but (trainer Kyle Johnston) and those guys _ our medical staff _ they did a great job of just taking care of me, making sure I had everything I needed," Baker said. "Honestly it was just, I really just wanted to make sure our team was safe, so I stayed home and pretty much just watched our Zoom meetings and did that. It was definitely unique, but I got through it."
More than a dozen teammates have gone through the same steps. Less than two weeks ago, six Dolphins players _ including four offensive and defensive linemen _ went on IR/COVID-19 on a single day.
The news was jarring _ both for those quarantined, and those who work in close proximity to those affected _ even though the vast majority of NFL players placed on the COVID-19 list have come off it after a couple of days.
"Well, I slept in the guest bed at home," center Ted Karras said. "I didn't want to bring any of that home. Obviously this is a scary situation for everyone. We're still working through it. I feel very confident and well taken care of. Our entire organizational staff is fantastic and I feel very comfortable coming to work every day. Being able to focus on football only, which is important with these next 27 days until kickoff."
The good news: Aside from Howard, only guard Ereck Flowers spent more than a few days out of action. (Flowers, a locally grown offensive lineman, has since been cleared to practice but understandably looked winded during his limited action Monday.)
The Dolphins need Flowers, Baker and everyone else to stay healthy going forward. A trip to New England is just four weeks away, and Monday was the first time they hit anyone in months.
Karras is one of potentially four new starters on the offensive line. Van Noy's defense will have at least five new starters and a bunch more who will play meaningful snaps.
Usually, teams have three full months to prepare for an NFL season. The Dolphins get a third of that time. Growing pains are inevitable. The early season product could be rough.
But as is the case with the virus, wishing away those issues is wasted effort.
"Days like today _ go out there in pads in the South Florida heat and work at our craft," Karras said of how to best get up to speed. "I think today was a good start. I'm going to watch the film right after I talk to you guys. Obviously there's going to be some things to clean up. I thought we were competing out there and everyone is fighting hard to get ready to go."
