LA Chargers: Four takeaways from Hard Knocks episode 2

3. Seth Ryan’s false positive scare

The Jets were on Hard Knocks in 2010 with head coach Rex Ryan at the helm. Lynn used to be the running backs coach on the Jets where he got to know Ryan as well as his son, Seth. Seth Ryan, a former Clemson player, now runs quality control on offense for the Chargers.

Ryan was working with the receivers and other members of the offense when he found out about his positive test for COVID-19. This obviously caused him to go into immediate quarantine where he then communicated his situation to the team via Zoom. Cleaning staffs were brought in to sanitize practically every square inch of the facility that Ryan touched.

Later in the episode though, it’s revealed that Ryan’s test was a false positive, meaning he never had the virus. Lynn joked that Ryan should’ve just told him if he wanted a few days off of work.

The false-positive tests do concern me. We don’t really have quality data or numbers to suggest how often they occur. From the standpoint of playing games during the season though, hypothetical situations can sound concerning. For example, what if Derwin James is forced to miss a game against the Chiefs and then days later we find out it was a false positive?

It’s not just players either, as the coaching staff is huge on gameday as well. If Gus Bradley has a positive test and can’t travel with the team to an away game, it would be a pretty massive loss for the defense. Perhaps false positives are just part of the territory now, but it’s definitely a scary situation to deal with from a team standpoint and also as a personal health issue.