Harry Douglas: How players deal with COVID, coaching changes
Former Falcons receiver Harry Douglas talks about working in the media, adjusting to life in quarantine, how players and coaches are dealing with COVID-19, what it's like to play through a midseason coaching change and more with Matt Tabeek on Bird Noises presented by Bose.
0:59 – The all-important question: Do you (still) love the name 'Bird Noises'? Douglas gives a somewhat different responses from his previous visit (listen to episode No. 8 here).
1:48 – Douglas talks about all of his media obligations, juggling the responsibilities of fatherhood while living in quarantine.
4:28 – Douglas talks about how he's developed some cooking skills and names his favorite wine.
6:07 – Douglas explains the challenges of playing during the pandemic – the daily testing, all the safety precautions and guidelines, no preseason games, all the online meetings, playing in empty stadiums, games being postponed and rescheduled, and on and on – from the player's perspective.
8:35 – Some developing trends in the NFL after five games: An alarming amount of injuries and high-scoring games. Douglas talks about the lack of "normalcy" and how no preseason games and/or joint practices has affected the game.
10:18 – Douglas gives a very interesting answer as to why he thinks offenses are scoring so many points.
11:20 – With no crowd noise, do offenses have the advantage? Not so, says Douglas. He explains why.
12:05 – How the lack of fans has affected the game. Is it hurting the game?
13:50 – Going through the ups and downs as a player, Tabeek talks about highs and lows for Douglas in both Atlanta and Tennessee.
14:50 – Tabeek asks Douglas what it was like going through a midseason coaching with the Titans in 2015, from Ken Whisenhunt to Mike Mularkey.
15:40 – Douglas explains what goes through players' and coaches' minds when there is a coaching change. "Everything is under a microscope" and "everything is being watched," Douglas said.
16:45 – Douglas has a message for Falcons players right now.
17:40 – What's the challenge for an interim coach, like Raheem Morris. Douglas explains the positives that Morris has in front of him.
18:59 – Tabeek asks Douglas what is the one thing that should give Falcons fans the most hope with this current team.
21:35 – Will Harry make his wild and wacky bird sounds or not?
