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thesportssoundoff · 6 years ago

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The AAF And Why We Should Care About These Teams

Joey

Feb 5th, 2019

Still bummed about the Super Bowl? Well let's get over it real quick! On Saturday, the Alliance of American Football will be the first of THREE (God help us) spring football leagues to take off. THREE. We really needed that many, huh? Doesn't being announced after the XFL, the AAF will launch this spring under the watchful eyes of Dick Ebersol and NFL executive legend Bill Polian and will air across a variety of platforms such as Bleacher Report's online app, the NFL Network, the CBS Sports online app, TNT and CBS itself. Let that be a lesson to those of you who think that sports can't milk every single penny out of today's weird digital/broadcast era. The majority of the pitches for this game feature stuff football fans do seem to want in some capacity although disagreements about HOW to implement them remain. For instance, the AAF is attempting to shave 30 minutes off of the viewing experience by limiting commercials. They're also scrapping pretty much all elements of kicking from the game (two point conversions only, onsides kick have been replaced by a wacky 4th and 10 scenario and there's no kickoffs either) so fans who are obsessive compulsive about kicking get a bit of a break. We've got a college football style "one foot = catch" rule and a reduction of the play clock from the NFL's 40 seconds to a cool 30 seconds. It's an attempt to do somethings differently and I'm at least willing to give it a try.

With just eight teams to choose from for the AAF, I'll just go team by team and list ONE reason why you should care. As much as you wanna just consider it a bunch of has beens and never was' playing out here, there's some intriguing storylines for the AAF. So much so in fact that perhaps you'll find a team so intriguing that you'll follow along this year!

Atlanta Legends

Why: Michael Vick Offensive Coordinator

I wanted to do a larger piece on how the NFL's lack of black head coaches boils down to the NFL's lack of black offensive coordinators (the IN demand spot these days). Instead of writing eight paragraphs about something that could be done in one, let's just look at Michael Vick and his new role as Atlanta Legends offensive coordinator. For starters, the Alliance of American Football being a potential breeding ground for former players to better grasp the coaching game is an A+ decision. We've already seen the offensive coordinator for another team in the Alliance of American Football get the bump up to NFL QB Coach (Jon Kitna went from San Diego Fleet Offensive Coordinator to Dallas Cowboys QB coach) and any opportunity for former players to stay involved in the game is a good one. Michael Vick's name comes with a lot of clout (and plenty of controversy) so right off the jump he's an important get for the AAF. How good he is as an offensive coordinator (be it gameplanning, calling plays or making adjustments on the fly) could determine how quickly he ascends at the position. Vick is a really unique character and a polarizing figure but seeing him in the role of offensive coordinator is going to be a worthwhile experiment. If Vick opens the door for other young out of work players to jump into the coaching game then I for one am all for it. As for the roster, the Atlanta Legends actually have plenty of name value from former Georgia QB Aaron Murray to NC wide receiver Bug Howard to Iowa RB Akrum Wadley to a host of Georgia Bulldogs on defense.

Memphis Express

Why: The "name" QB battle

Let's always be honest about this stuff; your fan interest will only go as far as the QB you have. The Memphis Express may not have GOOD QBs but they have NAME QBs and that's truly what counts. The Memphis Express have Christian Hackenberg and Zach Mettenberger, two "name" QBs who figure to draw in eyeballs if only due to the fact that there's Penn State and LSU involved. Hackenberg was a disaster for two years at Penn State and people excused him for that because the team was bad or the line was bad or the coaching was bad. Turns out Hackenberg was just bad and continued to be bad at the NFL level before getting bounced around by 4-5 different teams. Hackenberg will attempt to resurrect his stock in the AAF, a team that literally named its offensive coordinator in like early January after their original OC bounced. Hackenberg won the job but the back up spot belongs to Zach Mettenberger. I refuse to believe that Hackenberg is a better player than Mettenberger but ALAS! Mettenberger has NFL experience and has thrown actual touchdowns in real football games even if he played like a 6th round pick who was holding onto a roster spot for dear life. He just wasn't that good. Mettenberger and Hackenberg are two guys who share similar traits (big, they throw the ball far) with different reasons (Mettenberger was a problem in college, Hackenberg couldn't really play) that leads to the same development (playing in the AAF to continue their pro football careers). Still a QB BATTEL with name value is STILL a QB BATTEL and here we are. The Memphis Express also have a ton of LSU guys and LSU players don't half ass it so expect a ton of big hits from their defensive which legitimately has an all LSU DL. Also of note, the head coach is Mike Singletary and we can expect plenty of intense coaching gifs and press conference call outs of his own players. That's the finest reality we deserve.

Orlando Apollos

Why: Steve Spurrier is BACK!

Remember the days of Steve Spurrier? Run and Gun? Mr. Click Clack? There ya go. The Ol Ball Coach is back and Spurrier in Florida just feels right. Steve Spurrier's offenses in the mid to late 2000s were some of the funnest things imaginable and I'm curious to see if a few years off to refuel the jets don't bring out the fun in the Run 'N Gun offense. Spurrier's offense is helmed by either Austin Appleby or Garrett Gilbert since apparently nobody knows who the starter is as of this moment. Beyond that, he's also got a trio of name running backs (D'Earnest Johnson from USF was a popular name around draft time plus Akeem Hunt from Purdue and De'Veon Smith from Michigan were interesting dudes) and like twelve WRs who all run really fast. Realistically though I feel like this team is about watching to see if Steve Spurrier turns this gig into another college coaching opportunity soon enough.

Birmingham Iron

Why: TRENT RICHARDSON (and friends)

Unsurprisingly given the whole locales theme, the Birmingham Iron roster is LOADED with dudes from Alabama. The one name who immediately jumps out is Trent Richardson and I'm surprisingly intrigued to see how he looks. It's worth remembering that Trent Richardson had a tremendous rookie season and looked to be on the way to being something before he got big/hurt. Perhaps Richardson will be rejuvenated playing at home in front of what figures to be a primarily loaded Alabama crowd. Also keep an eye on Blake Sims who I figure will win the QB job eventually. In fact keep an eye on every player from Alabama (Auburn, Bama, Troy) because chances are they'll be given ample opportunities to show out at home. They also have the coolest uniforms. Lastly Tim Lewis is a long time defensive coordinator/DB coach getting his first crack at a head coaching gig so I'm curious to see if he can parlay that into another big opportunity down the line.

San Diego Fleet

Why: Mike Martz

Mike Martz is arguably one of the more unfairly judged head coaches in NFL history. He was the coordinator for the Greatest Show On Turf and as head coach of the Rams, Martz had five full seasons---he made the playoffs in 4 of those. Martz' ouster in St. Louis was controversial for a variety of reasons but he WAS successful and deserves to be remembered as such. From that point on Martz never got another head coaching opportunity, bouncing around as a coordinator in Detroit (back to back 4,000 yard seasons for Jon Friggin' Kitna of all things), San Francisco and a disastrous run in Chicago with Jay Cutler. Martz was pretty much cast aside by the NFL at that point and his reputation as a pass happy difficult personality pretty much ensured he would stay out the game. With passing being en vogue (and every QB guru alive being courted for 1,000,000 roles), this might be Mike Martz's last chance to maybe find a place in big time football. The San Diego Fleet roster is relatively bare compared to its contemporaries but Mike Martz almost guarantees to make it as fun as possible given the usual performances of his wacky passing game. Mike Martz making Mike Bercovici look like an NFL level quarterback would probably be his greatest accomplishment ever. Also keep an eye on Nelson Spruce slot WR-ing his way back to the NFL if it's any thing like he was at Colorado.

Arizona Hotshots

Why: Phil Savage and Rick Neuheisel

Phil Savage is in a very weird spot here. Savage had a brief runs as Browns GM and it went about as well as you'd expect it to. He was in, out and done before anybody even knew he was there. Savage re-emerged as a key part of the Senior Bowl process and for the most part, I don't think I ever saw many complaints about Savage's job as the figurehead for the event. Surprisingly at the end of 2018, the Senior Bowl replaced Phil Savage with former scout Jim Nagy. The decision to move on from Savage was not exactly well received at first and it seems like Savage has bounced back well enough with the AAF. Savage should be able to form a damn good roster given that he's probably interacted with and been around most of these players relatively recently as the Senior Bowl's ace executive. Somehow someway Rick Neuheisel has weaseled himself into the picture and into another head coaching job, he of a sparkling 87-59 record in college but a less than sparkling 47-40 from 2000 onward. Plus he's also been pretty much run out of every stop he's had under inauspicious circumstances. Phil Savage should in theory be able to find a competent squad of players (and they have a pretty well known defense with Sterling Moore, Rahim Moore, Will Sutton, Carl Bradford, Scooby Wright and Chunky Clements) and perhaps the time away has rejuvenated Neuheisel. At the very least Trevor Knight will be fun to watch am I right?

Salt Lake Stallions

Why: A Testing Pattern Perhaps?

Utah has one pro sports franchise, the Utah Jazz, which is intreresting when you consider how beloved the Jazz are. It seems like there's a very big supportive fanbase for sports out there in the Pacific Northwest and yet Utah has no football team, no baseball team and no hockey team. PERHAPS this can be a test. The Salt Lake Stallions overall do not have the most appealing roster in this entire deal but they may be the one best situated to draw the biggest audience. Utah is not blessed with a lot of pro sports options and if the Stallions are good then perhaps they can get people into the stadium. They have a weird eclectic mix of former Utes and three former QBs who if memory serves were all in the draft last year. Former Vikings RB and Utah legend Matt Asiata is 31 year and probably cooked BUT he figures to be a popular face for fans.

San Antonio Commanders

Why: An Actually Kinda Decent Deep-ish Team

Really. If you were putting together an all star game in 2017/2018 of pretty decent-ish draft prospects, a lot of these dudes would be here. QB Logan Woodside? Pretty good player! Had some issues but was a super productive small MAC QB type dude. RBs David Cobb and Aaron Green? Kinda intriguing RBs! Tray Williams has been on like 12 NFL teams as a third down back over the past two years even if he never stuck. WRs like Greg Ward, DeMarcus Ayers and Mekale McKay? Some draft buzz there! Some of their OL were late round types who wouldn't have been out of place at an NFL camp this season. The defense has draftnik "names" like Joel Lanning, Keenan Gilchrist, Tyrone Holmes, Austin Larkin, Winston Craig and a secondary featuring Jordan Thomas and Duke Thomas on the back end. It's actually not an awful team assuming you can put the parts together.

#AAF #Football #Sports #san antonio #Orlando #Birmingham #Salt Lake #Utah

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olusheyi31 · 4 years ago

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#BLACKHISTORYMONTHPROFILE (DAY 7)(3 of 3)(SUPER BOWL EDITION):Lovie Lee Smith (born May 8, 1958) is an American football coach. He was previously the head coach of the Chicago Bears from 2004 to 2012, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2014 to 2015. Smith has been to the Super Bowl twice, as the defensive coordinator for the 2001 St. Louis Rams and as the head coach for the Bears in 2006.Smith played college football at University of Tulsa under head coach John Cooper. He was a two-time All-American at linebacker and safety. After graduation he immediately pursued a coaching career. He was hired as defensive coordinatorat his hometown high school in 1980. A year later he left to coach at Cascia Hall Preparatory School in Tulsa. By 1983, he began coaching linebackers on the college level, first at his alma mater the University of Tulsa (1983–86), and then atUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison (1987), Arizona State University (1988–91), and the University of Kentucky (1992). He also served as defensive backs coach at the University of Tennessee (1993–94), and Ohio State University (1995). Smith began his professional coaching career as a linebacker coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Under the guidance of Tony Dungy, he helped develop the Tampa 2 defense. After spending five years with Buccaneers, Smith was hired as the defensive coordinator of the St. Louis Rams under head coach Mike Martz. While in St. Louis, Smith improved the Rams defense, which went from giving up a league-worst 29.4 points per game in 2000 to an average of 17.1 points in 2001.The Chicago Bears hired Smith as head coach in 2004, following the dismissal of Dick Jauron.The Bears’ dramatic turn around in the 2005 season earned Smith national recognition. He won the Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year Award that year. After returning to the field following their first round bye, the Bears played the Carolina Panthers, with a fully healed Rex Grossman as quarterback.Smith led the Bears to a 27–24 victory against the defending NFC champion Seattle Seahawks during the 2006 Divisional Playoffs, winning the first playoff game of his career. Later, a 39–14 victory came against the New Orleans Saints https://www.instagram.com/p/CK--AE-r8Et/?igshid=1lypjlt68ijdk

#blackhistorymonthprofile

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bamgory · 2 months ago

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additional keychainful scream!byler from my one wip post ❤️❤️❤️ (ft. wills mole on the wrong side bc i flipped him rip 💔)

#martz #stranger things #will byers #byler #bylerween #wip #mike wheeler #scream 1996 #scream #ghostface #tw light blood #tw knives #tw serial killers

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maturemenoftvandfilms · 3 years ago

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Michael Martz Born: May 13, 1951, Sioux Falls, SD Physique: Husky Build

Michael Martz is an American football coach. Best known for his coaching tenure with the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League, he served as the offensive coordinator for the Rams' Greatest Show on Turf offense in 1999 that led the franchise to its first Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XXXIV. Martz subsequently served as the head coach of the Rams from 2000 to 2005, where his teams reached the playoffs four times, won two division titles, and achieved a franchise-best 14–2 record in 2001 en route to an appearance in Super Bowl XXXVI.

A gorgeous silverfox. Surprisingly, I forgot about Martz until an anon brought him up. Apparently Martz played tight end in college and since he married his high school sweetheart, his end is probably still tight. Until he meets me. What? Have you seen his body?

#Mike Martz #nfl football coach #football coach #mydaddywiki sports figures #mydaddywiki

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usashirtstoday · 4 years ago

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I Told Myself That I Should Stop Drinking But I'm Not About To Listen Skeleton T Shirt

3 Wall Street St where all records will in a I Told Myself That I Should Stop Drinking But I'm Not About To Listen Skeleton T Shirt logical that the will a great really die for lack being Wall Street well seems to be known as golf when you look for consider the price consuming concerning Mike Brown and Matthews Courtney very much Michigan has reached a preliminary agreement to dollars to victims of different water crisis is to be approved by the generous support from years gone for over a tinted water it anywhere that money might illegal hell like you know me rich and I like it ANA to say Craig Davis is a lifelong Flint resident who had to leave to the devastation brought on by the city’s tinted water crisis is almost into the with the water because of who already drink it comfortably like you know so you. Why did you expect him to take a break job so the elite eight minutes in the war I think the time is right now that the start raping girls blind you want to know the ring the bells but am in general warned about the current tracking to the North menand that’s important because they were driving home the point that war is ugly bad things happenand throughout the whole series they been driving home the point of it is badand that is good it is that these things are grayer than you thinkand all these great characters as opposed to blackand white were was one of the beautiful parts about game of thrones but then just got done really clumsily in a clumsy way got arrested in China fitted into six episodes in a thoroughly happyand pleased with still low because I couldn’t make a better showedand that was with a bit is beautiful so I however they do not stand I don’t want I don’t want to goand said no Erin Foster mean it’s better than what you think you could ask his heart gauge art in general 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going to die either singing around pottery sangand he can singand keep in that bullet in the chamber for eight years nowand I’m amazed use caulk considering knows how to cook who got you think killing machine so acerbic episode two was amazing within episode three happenedand it made to worse because all of them sort of dealing with how they face their death didn’t die you got it I like that outside this ideological game ball either all I didn’t like itand let me to we went on for so long for to seeing anything I’m sure what happened in the moment we’re all like it’s happening finally good anything all they put on the screen I’m enjoying that’s I was but then I thought back on what a minute the best fight in this show but there’s ever been I think was when Oberand Martz out the red viper door thought the mount no question you are out in the open fight choreography like professional like best bet is good as any movie he killed that he is a bright daylight we can see everything there actually fighting you got two very different desperate fighting style completely different note that the quick agile guy with the spearand the gigantic powerful one regard with this longsword as big as a man it was great to watchand the ending of course was just heart to heart out of your chestand also the whole trip liquidated all was what was in that stairwell all darkand dustyand they kept cutting away from it so we could see are you getting tossed about by rubble find out when the web story okay different lookand see show me them fighting some of them fighting on the staircaseand show we started credible yes I was I was in my area are our house as well as a zygote it was like eight season buildable the mountainand the hound about to go at itand it was a little at the chromatic outline enjoy the way took him out the height of the fire is my personal could the bowl I knew what was happening I saw them head into the it like they headed up the stairs as the rubble he tells aria to turn back IQ of the video because I know it’s going downand I play this I played itand I love the end was everything I hoped it would be now this video plays for like four or secondsand then there’s silence I forgot about itand I hear through the visitors I heard another airhorn I might only put it in there all okay little fan service whateverand then againand again you thought likely airhorn in the gameand I don’t understand why still playing will visit autoplay of another air you before it was at the data to do their just a little airhornand Sony are autoplay until like 10 hours of airhorn’s waiting warned like blast was a parent or horn blast on what what why they are blessed you something else up so that I can get over little bit if I tryand rationalize myself have been reading explanations of help little bit but it’s like the nurses just suddenly deciding to burn the city doesn’t make senseand I know people will be like she’s going to mention in your take people along I’m just going mad thoughand it’s like will no figured like people are confusing like madness going crazy matter blood Metro fire with the rationality she’s been irrational the entire series but every time she’s gone bloodand gore she spared innocence it’s been old is the greater good to to get people out of trouble on crucifying these people because their slaveowners in theand are eviland whatnotand so for her to have already won the battle for it to be over she could fly straight to the red keepand burn Circeand all them she wantsand she decides to lay waste to everyone it just like maybe in the rationality hurt is like all she was so afraid of John stealing her receipts that she decided I have to establish fear among everyone so they don’t betray meand I was just like just doesn’t feel like Danny she stressed so many times I cannot my father’s daughter in that way on that you know I’m not like that I’m not out to just burnand kill everything so you just it didn’t make that much sense to me I thought that twoand then I read this twitter thread right is my guyand he sees the particular thread will kind of a seat my thoughts on the very start targetingand she’s always been one of the most loved characters this season is right are to flesh out these character are with that being said Danny has shown multiple occasions the capacityand willingness to burn down cities of threadand he just went downand he named Freddie do I do have them in front of me after open thread at the glad as I was there I was going to get on the same road as him but I don’t have your eyes oh okay Danny had into the micro told you he has clips from actual show is is or can we have the audio on your was pretty good might mimic allowable you to get us not to be placed on the counter living like this or any of this was the seven very early on hard to the burning down whateverand whoever to take dire no exit by the super knocking Glenn is having succeed to you coming in is is as well when the 13th of course of course turn Danny away she told them when I drag on the Woodburn city to the ground turn this way will burn you for’s told me me will delay the time of the time goes crazy would you put them when you say all of our cities to the ground will mean you going to vacate the innocent people you burnishand also Lacie has shown that throughout the entire overburden are not taught back by Thierryand or Sarah’sand sell me your way to Georgia. 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sdsportsdomination · 6 years ago

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New Offensive Coordinator Mike DeBord Replaces Dallas Cowboys Hire Jon Kitna

PRESS RELEASE #SDFLEET

(SAN ANTONIO, TX) — The Alliance of American Football’s San Diego Fleet has hired 37-year coaching veteran Mike DeBord as offensive coordinator, as announced on Thursday. He will fill the void left by Jon Kitna, who was added to the Dallas Cowboys coaching staff earlier in the week.

The 62-year-old…

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#Alliance of American Football #Chicago Bears #Indiana University #Jon Kitna #Mike DeBord #Mike Martz #New Offensive Coordinator Mike DeBord Replaces Dallas Cowboys Hire Jon Kitna #San Diego Fleet #San Diego Fleet Blog #San Diego Sports Domination #San Diego Sports Domination Blog #Tom Allen

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dinafbrownil · 4 years ago

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Efforts to Keep COVID-19 out of Prisons Fuel Outbreaks in County Jails

When Joshua Martz tested positive for COVID-19 this summer in a Montana jail, guards moved him and nine other inmates with the disease into a pod so cramped that some slept on mattresses on the floor.

Martz, 44, said he suffered through symptoms that included achy joints, a sore throat, fever and an unbearable headache. Jail officials largely avoided interacting with the COVID patients other than by handing out over-the-counter painkillers and cough syrup, he said. Inmates sanitized their hands with a spray bottle containing a blue liquid that Martz suspected was also used to mop the floors. A shivering inmate was denied a request for an extra blanket, so Martz gave him his own.

“None of us expected to be treated like we were in a hospital, like we’re a paying customer. That’s just not how it’s going to be,” said Martz, who has since been released on bail while his case is pending in court. “But we also thought we should have been treated with respect.”

The overcrowded Cascade County Detention Center in Great Falls, where Martz was held, is one of three Montana jails experiencing COVID outbreaks. In the Great Falls jail alone, 140 cases have been confirmed among inmates and guards since spring, with 60 active cases as of mid-September.

By contrast, the Montana state prison system has the second-lowest infection rate in the nation, according to the COVID Prison Project. No confirmed coronavirus cases have been reported at the men’s prison out of 595 inmates tested. The women’s prison had just one confirmed case out of 305 inmates tested, according to Montana Department of Corrections data.

One reason for the high COVID count in jails and the low count in prisons is that Montana for months halted “county intakes,” or the transfer of people from county jails to the state prison system after conviction. Sheriffs in charge of the county jails blame their outbreaks on overcrowding partly caused by that state policy.

Restricting transfers into state prisons is a practice that’s also been instituted elsewhere in the U.S. as a measure to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Colorado, California, Texas and New Jersey are among the states that suspended inmate intakes from county jails in the spring.

But it’s also shifted the problem. Space was already a rare commodity in these local jails, and some sheriffs see the halting of transfers as giving the prisons room to improve the health and safety of their inmates at the expense of those in jail, who often haven’t been convicted.

The Cascade County jail was built to hold a maximum of 372 inmates, but the population has regularly exceeded that since the pandemic began, including dozens of Montana Department of Corrections inmates awaiting transfer.

“I’m getting criticized from various judges and citizens saying, ‘Why aren’t you quarantining everybody appropriately and why aren’t you social-distancing them?’” Cascade County Sheriff Jesse Slaughter said. “The truth is, if I didn’t have 40 DOC inmates in my facility I could better do that.”

Unlike convicted offenders in state prisons, most jail inmates are only accused of a crime. They include a disproportionately high number of poor people who cannot afford to post bail to secure their release before trial or the resolution of their cases. If they do post bail or are released after spending time in a jail with a COVID outbreak, they risk bringing the disease home with them.

Andrew Harris, a professor of criminology and justice studies at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, said he finds it troubling that more attention is not paid to the conditions that lead to COVID outbreaks in jails.

“Jails are part of our communities,” Harris said. “We have people who work in these jails who go back to their families every night, we have people who go in and out of these jails on very short notice, and we have to think about jail populations as community members first and foremost.”

Some states have tried other ways to ensure county inmates don’t bring COVID-19 into prisons. In Colorado, for example, officials lifted their suspension on county intakes and are transferring inmates first to a single prison in Canon City, Department of Corrections spokesperson Annie Skinner said. There, inmates are tested and quarantined in single cells for 14 days before being relocated to other state facilities.

Outbreaks are also occurring in county jails in states that never stopped transferring inmates to state prison. Several jails in Missouri have experienced significant outbreaks, with Greene County reporting in mid-August that 83 inmates and 29 staffers had tested positive. Missouri Department of Corrections spokesperson Karen Pojmann said the state never opted to stop transfers from county jails, likely because of a robust screening and quarantine procedure implemented early in the pandemic.

At least 1,590 inmates and 440 staff members have tested positive for COVID-19 in Missouri’s 22 prison facilities since March, according to state data. The COVID Prison Project ranks Missouri’s case rate 25th among the states — better than some states that halted inmate transfers, including Colorado, Texas and California.

The halting of transfers was a critical part of the response by officials in California, whose prisons have been among the hardest hit by COVID-19. An outbreak at San Quentin State Prison this summer helped spur Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom to order the early release of 10,000 inmates from prisons statewide.

Stefano Bertozzi, dean emeritus at the University of California-Berkeley School of Public Health, visited San Quentin before the outbreak, and afterward helped pen an urgent memo outlining immediate actions needed to avert disaster. He recommended halting all intakes at the prison and slashing its population of 3,547 inmates in half. At that point, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation was already more than two months into an intake freeze.

Overcrowding has long been an issue for criminal justice reform advocates. But for Bertozzi, the term “overcrowding” needs to be redefined in the context of COVID-19, with an emphasis on exposure risk. Three inmates sharing a cell designed for two is a bad way to live, he said, “especially for the guy who’s on the floor.” But if those cells are enclosed, they offer far better protection from COVID-19 than 20 inmates sharing a congregate dorm designed for 20.

“It’s how many people are breathing the same air,” Bertozzi said.

Some California county jails struggled. In July, inmates in Tulare County’s facility, where 22 cases had been reported, filed a class action suit against Sheriff Mike Boudreaux alleging he’d failed to provide face masks and other safeguards. U.S. District Court Judge Dale Drozd ruled in favor of the inmates in early September, directing Boudreaux to implement official policies requiring face coverings and social distancing.

California resumed county intakes on Aug. 24 following the development of guidelines designed to control transmission risk and prioritize counties with the greatest need for space. But a huge backlog remains: 6,552 state inmates were still being held in county jails as of mid-September, according to corrections officials.

In Montana, the number of inmates at county jails awaiting transfer to prisons and other state corrections facilities was 238 at the beginning of September, according to state data obtained through a public records request.

Montana and county officials butted heads over delays in inmate transfers before the coronavirus, but the pandemic has increased the stakes.

“Once we had the issue with the pandemic and we had to maintain space for quarantining and isolating inmates, then it became even more critical because the space wasn’t really available,” Yellowstone County Sheriff Mike Linder said.

Montana Department of Corrections Director Reginald Michael acknowledged to state lawmakers in August that halting county intakes places a strain on counties but said it was “the right thing to do.”

“This is one of the reasons why I think our prisons are not inundated with the virus spread,” he told the Law and Justice Interim Committee.

Committee Chairman Rep. Barry Usher, a Republican, gave Michael his endorsement: “Sounds like you guys are doing a good job keeping it controlled and out of our prison systems, and everybody in Montana appreciates that.”

Since then, Montana officials have transferred up to 25 inmates a week, but they continue to block transfers from the three counties with outbreaks: Cascade, Yellowstone and Big Horn.

Martz dreaded the thought of COVID-19 following him out of jail. So much so that, after his release in early September, he walked to an RV park, where his wife met him with a tent.

Despite having tested negative for the virus prior to his release, he self-quarantined for a week before going home. The hardest part, he said, was not being able to immediately hug his 5-year-old stepdaughter. It “sucked,” but it’s what he felt he had to do.

“If somebody’s grandpa or grandmother had gotten it because I was careless and they ended up dying because of it, I’d feel horrible,” said Martz, who has returned home. “That’d be a horrible thing to do.”

Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

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from Updates By Dina https://khn.org/news/efforts-to-keep-covid-19-out-of-prisons-fuel-outbreaks-in-county-jails/

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