THE FRONT ROW WITH JASON ELLIOTT: Adjust, or get used to staying home

If 2020 was the year of the postponement, with the coronavirus pandemic putting a halt to pretty much everything you can think of, then 2021 has been the year of the adjustment.

From playing in some odd circumstances — no fans and in some cases, no idea if a game is going to get played up until it actually starts — area teams have passed that test with flying colors.

IN MOST years, the Rollie Lane Invitational at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa in early January is one, if not the biggest true test for teams from Idaho where they need to be as state tournaments are held in late February.

Take nothing away from Tri-State at North Idaho College, but at Rollie Lane, there’s more teams from this state to see, scout and compete against.

This year, the tournament was moved from the Idaho Center to the smaller Ford Sports Center, located behind the Idaho Center. The Sports Center is home to indoor track and field meets and other smaller events.

That being said, with no fans allowed at tournaments quite yet — wrestlers are allowed two guardians each at duals — it sounded like the best-case scenario if they weren’t going to pack fans into the Idaho Center.

“I definitely put a lot of steps onto my FitBit this weekend,” said Lakeland coach Rob Edelblute, whose team finished eighth. “The atmosphere without fans made it feel a little different, but all of our kids that competed won matches this weekend, so I’m happy. I’m just happy that we got to wrestle and see some tough competition. I’m really happy with where we’re at in our season right now.”

Same with Coeur d’Alene, which finished ninth at Rollie Lane.

“Some of our younger guys wrestled well, and we’re right there,” Coeur d’Alene coach Jeff Moffat said. “But we’ve got to get over the hump. We’ll get over it and need to keep plugging away.”

Coeur d’Alene could get a boost to the lineup with the return of Dylan Moffat, a junior, who placed fifth at state as a freshman in 2019. Moffat — Jeff’s nephew — missed last season with a knee injury.

“He’ll help our lineup for sure,” Jeff Moffat said. “We’re close to where we want to be.”

AS A football fan, you knew the 2020 season was going to be a weird one.

No fans — for the most part — in stadiums, games didn’t seem the same on television without that little extra bit of crowd noise.

And sure, there’s plenty of reasons why the Seattle Seahawks are going to be relegated to watching from the couch.

Of all the teams in the National Football League, it’s a pretty safe bet to say that the Seahawks rely on their fans as much as any of them.

When the defense isn’t playing up to snuff, just get the fans involved and get a false start penalty and move the offense back a few years.

Without fans, that didn’t happen as much this year.

In fact, at times, it seemed like the smaller crowds might have done more harm to the Seahawks offense than good.

Looking back, that 12-4 record was pretty good, but pretty good doesn’t get you playoff wins.

Had Seattle been able to hang onto a lead at Arizona, instead of blowing a 14-point lead late, there’s a chance the team is 13-3.

Not losing to the New York Giants — at home — could have left the team 14-2 and, who knows, playing in front of an empty Lumen Field this weekend for a chance at the NFC Championship Game.

If only they could have adjusted.

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for The Press. He can be reached by telephone at (208) 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JECdAPress.