Notes: Should NFL players be given another chance to opt out of the 2020 season?

It’s Thursday and another Tennessee Titans player has tested positive for COVID-19.

That brings the total number of positive cases to 21 people in the Titans organization — 12 players and 9 staffers. The team hasn’t been in their facility since Week 3 and their game against the Steelers scheduled for last Sunday has been postponed until Week 7.

Now as the positive tests add up, the NFL is forced to figure out what to do with this week’s game against the Buffalo Bills. In light of all this, Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr writes that he believes the NFL needs to rethink how it approaches the remainder of the 2020 season. One solution is offering players a second chance to opt out.

“The league is clearly abdicating its responsibility to the players, so it’s time to give the players another chance to get off this ride before it’s too late. Now that they have a total picture of how it all works, realizing that a push for player safety runs parallel to a push for all games to get completed and all television revenue checks to be cashed before the ink dries, players can make a more informed decision about how they want to live their lives.”

He goes on to discuss players opting out the first time, personnel openly breaking the mask policies, and other aspects of the argument. Read the rest of the article here.

And onto the rest of your notes.

• Erik Schlitt for Lions Wire offers some quarter-season evaluations on the Lions’ multiplicity strategy.

• In case you missed the Sights and Sounds from the Saints game. Peep the 2:13ish mark — second video I’ve seen where Duron Harmon looks like he’s giving an impassioned speech. Bummer it’s not working out, but it makes me wanna run through a brick wall.

• In Dave Birkett’s latest mailbag he answers some questions about Kenny Golladay’s contract for the Detroit Free Press.

• Also from Dave, some reactions from Lions who are required to stay near Detroit during the bye as part of expanded COVID-19 protocols.

• Detroitlions.com’s Tim Twentyman takes a look at the NFC North through the first four weeks.

• Some stuff from the Lions on the election.

• Our fearless leader Jeremy Reisman penned an article in this month’s SEEN Magazine on Reggie Ragland, his path to Detroit, his family’s struggles through COVID and why he thinks a championship is still possible with the Lions.