DETROIT – It’s been more than 50 days without live sports. ESPN’s Adam Schefter is at home in New York with his wife, son, daughter and his three dogs. He’s used to working from home, but this is different.
“Honestly, every day is like ground hog day,” Schefter said. “It’s the same day over and over again. Then, there are little spurts of activity, little bursts of news. Bengals release Andy Dalton, teams not picking up 5th-year options, the NFL Draft.”
Leading up to the NFL Draft, Schefter was on record saying he thought it should be postponed amid this pandemic.
“I wasn’t the only person,” he said. “I was talking to front offices, coaches and general managers. There was almost universal agreement that the NFL should push it back. Then, to everyone’s surprise, it came off great and the NFL deserves credit for it.”
Who wanted the draft to go on? Schefter said it was Roger Goodell. He believes those three days were Goodell’s finest as commissioner. It showed his human side and it was a great success.
As for the Lions, how did they fare in this draft?
“On paper, the Lions draft went about as well as it could have gone,” Schefter said. “Now you see what happens, right?”
Asked about the questions of Bob Quinn not trading down, Schefter said there were no options.
“I don’t think [the negativity of Quinn] is fair,” he said. “There were no offers from a team to move up. The Giants were in the same situation and wanted to trade back, didn’t happen. How come no teams in the top 12 traded?”
Schefter said Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia are like every other NFL coach and general manager in the league. Without playoff wins, there’s pressure. But he does not agree with the negativity placed on Matthew Stafford.
“I think you put him on a lot of teams, and he wins,” Schefter said of Stafford. “I think he’s good enough to win in this league. That’s without a question in my mind. Now, it’s up to Lions to get job done this year.”
Schefter has worked from his home office in New York since he joined ESPN in 2009.
“They installed a green screen right there, 11 years ago, to pull it down whenever I do a live shot,” Schefter said. “It had ESPN on the background, but I never pulled it down on the first day.”
Instead, Schefter goes with his bookshelf as his background. This Michigan Man said he strategically placed items that mean the most to him front and center.
“We have Michigan stuff everywhere, my Tom Brady statute, the Wolverines helmet, my blocks from Mott Children’s Hospital,” Schefter said. “I try to highlight the place that raised me.”
Schefter said as of right now, the NFL is set to start the season as scheduled on September 10th, although no one knows what the future holds for professional sports.