DieBruderschaft.com

In the final part of a series on why the NFL offseason is broken, lets look at the veteran offseason schedule and the impact it is having on the quality of football we see on Sundays in the fall. From a late start in early April under the new collective bargaining agreement to a brief appearance at training camp, technique and injury concerns are becoming more of an issue.The majority of veteran players get it when it comes to strength and conditioning: Take some time off after the season to let the body recover and then get back into a personalized program of functional training and core development that limits injury risks.Its all part of the offseason plan for these veterans, guys who understand how their bodies work and what they need to do during the winter to prep for another season in the league. And that hasnt changed in todays players. True pros.What has changed, however, is the schedule, the arrival time and the condensed program that impacts strength development for veterans?during the offseason.Late startUnder the previous CBA, vets reported back to the facility in early March compared to the April arrival we see now. One month? Doesnt sound like a lot, really, but thats another 30 days away from the facility without the supervision of the club.From the weight room work in Phase 1 of the offseason program, to the conditioning drills on the grass and the nutrition program, some in the league think that extra month is cutting into regular-season development. And it also lends itself to injury concerns.Players get hurt more because they cant train or eat at the facility supervised until April, an NFL executive said. Not enough time to really get a player better.Now, Im not going to pretend that NFL strength programs are ideal. In fact, I would take a college program any day of the week compared to the maintenance lifting I saw as a pro. And a lot of guys in the NFL?are going to modify their weight room workouts based on how they trained away from the facility over the winter at?first-class workout centers.For example, I used the strength program from coach Chris Doyle at the University of Iowa throughout my career. More core lifts, more Olympic movements. That fit me as a player. And I trusted the program. Thats key.But during that time, we also had that extra month to train with the strength staff and build up our conditioning levels before we started working on the field with coaches. I saw it as a positive compared to what some players are telling me now about a program that seems rushed -- especially when Phase 2 of the offseason program starts. Thats only four hours in the building under the rules. Lifting, film, structured on-the-field work with coaches (no helmets, competition). A lot of stuff squeezed into a short time.Theres not enough time to get your body to where it needs to be. You speed through lifting, conditioning, study, film room, technique and on-the-field stuff, an NFL linebacker told me. They try and cram in as much crap as possible during those four hours. So, its half-assed everything in my opinion. Guys arent fully ready because they are pushed to be a part of the offseason workouts and thats why you are seeing high injury rates.Just as we discussed in Parts 1 and 2, time is?the issue. Talent? The vets have it. Theyve proved it. But by reducing the offseason program, there is some worry in the league that the new CBA is having a negative effect.Technique concernsTechnique is often a major concern for rookies transitioning to?the NFL. But those shortcomings are also expected coming from college. Thats why we use the term development so much throughout the draft process.But is technique we see on Sundays becoming an issue? From press-man, to tackling, to offensive line play, it is easy to identify technique errors when you turn on NFL tape. A few examples: defensive backs opening the gate all day in press, too many missed tackles, and offensive tackles?struggling?against?speed rushers.Now, that doesnt mean we dont see great?technique on the field. Theres a lot of that too. Just turn on the tape of Broncos cornerback Chris Harris Jr. and study his footwork, watch Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor wrap up on tackles or check out Joe Thomas and Tyron Smith locking down defensive ends in pass protection. There are some nasty dudes in this league.But overall, the coaches and scouts I talk to?see the technique -- the core fundamentals -- sliding downhill a bit.There is no such thing as technique anymore, an NFL coach told me. Its all height-weight-speed.Measurables. Thats what the coach is talking about. A league more focused on speed, athleticism and scheme fit over development. But coaches dont deserve a pass here, either. With so many coaches narrowed in on game plans over technique, its no real shock that fundamentals have dipped. You cant teach from a spreadsheet and expect to see top-level footwork on the field.But I still wonder, based on the discussions Ive had, if this can be traced back to the late start of the offseason program and then the transition into a training camp setting that lacks the amount of reps and competition under the previous CBA?Lost time in training campNo one liked the old-school training camps. They were?hell. Two-a-days. Padded practices. The heat. The headaches. The soreness that didnt leave all camp.?But it was the most necessary evil in the game. You couldnt?win without it. And its vital to your conditioning as a player.In terms of the limitations of organized team activities and minicamps, the coaches can get after it in August. This is when they can teach more on the field, work double-time with rookies and the film study can carry on. Business as usual. Real football. And pads. Competition. True one-on-ones. The building blocks every player needs. Teach, teach, teach. And then make corrections.But training camp has drastically changed under the new CBA. Gone are the two-a-day sessions, the constant hitting and the grind of a four- or five-week camp. With only one practice a day (along with walk-throughs?and special teams practices), players get much more recovery time. And everyone should see that as a positive when discussing player safety and the longevity of careers.But its also another example of time lost on the field given the actual number of padded practices players have in todays game.I didnt like two-a-days, but they made me a better football player, a veteran NFL player told me recently. You can never have enough reps.Im a strong believer in that statement, despite the NFLs PR stance on player safety. Yes, two-a-days were physical, but I also saw that as a path to better technique with more reps to mold players. And better technique leads to safer tackling, safer football from my perspective when talking about the core fundamentals of this game. But to clean those up, to fine-tune your craft as a player, youve got to be on the field in competitive situations. And those situations, or reps, have been reduced under the current CBA.Where does that leave the NFL? At a standstill. The CBA isnt going to change tomorrow and camp will roll on this season as expected before Week 1 kicks off in September. This is the game we have now.The bad part is that you dont have enough time, the coach told me about player development in todays NFL. The good part? Everyone has the same rules. Cheap Nike Air Force 1 Wholesale Canada .5 million, one-year contract on Friday. Hawkins, who turns 41 in December, will compete with Rex Brothers for the closers role at spring training. Air Force 1 Clearance Sale Canada . At a Manhattan federal court hearing, attorney Jordan Siev said his law office has gotten more evidence nearly every day to support its lawsuit accusing MLB and Selig of going on a "witch hunt" to ruin Rodriguezs reputation and career. He said the defendants went "way over the line. http://www.wholesalenikeairforce1canada.com/ .Y. -- Syracuse has turned up the defence at the right time all season, and when High Point threatened to pull off a monumental upset the second-ranked Orange did what they do best with their quick hands and savvy play. Air Force 1 Canada Mens .C. -- After a listless first half, the Washington Wizards used a big third quarter run to beat the Charlotte Bobcats Bradley Beal scored 21 points and the Wizards used a 17-0 run in the third quarter to take control of what had been a close game and beat the Bobcats 97-83 on Tuesday night. Air Force 1 For Sale Canada . He just needed to be his best twisting, turning acrobatic self. "I didnt need to be anybody else, I just needed to be myself and be aggressive," said Burks, who scored a career-high 34 points to spark the Utah Jazz to a 118-103 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Monday night.LaMarcus Aldridge had 26 points and 13 rebounds as the San Antonio Spurs beat the Golden State Warriors 87-79 to remain perfect at home this season and extend their dominance over the defending NBA champions on their own court to 33 straight regular-season games. Kawhi Leonard added 18 points and 14 rebounds for San Antonio, who have won 44 straight at home in the regular season, tied for the second-longest streak in NBA history. Golden State have the longest regular-season home winning streak at 50 games and counting. The Spurs held Warriors superstar Stephen Curry to 14 points while limiting him to 1-for-12 shooting on three-pointers.Tonight we executed well on the defensive end, but offensively I didnt allow us to get comfortable offensively, Curry said. Ive got to play a lot better, manage the game a lot better, especially if certain shots that I normally make arent falling.San Antonio (59-10) moved within three games of Golden State (62-7) for the leagues top seed with two games remaining between the two teams. The Warriors can still set the single-season NBA record with 73 victories if they close the season 11-2.Theyre a great team, theyre the bar in the NBA and it just felt good to win tonight, Aldridge saiid.ddddddddddddTim Duncan played just eight minutes, scoring just one point while coming off the bench for the third time in 1,383 regular-season games.Elsewhere, Dwyane Wade scored 24 points to surpass 20,000 for his career and Josh Richardson added 19 as Miami never trailed in beating Cleveland 122-101.Goran Dragic had 18 points and 11 assists for the Heat, Joe Johnson also scored 18 and Hassan Whiteside finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds.LeBron James had 26 points for the Cavaliers and sat out the final 15 minutes with the game out of reach.In Indianapolis, Russell Westbrook had his second triple-double in two nights and Kevin Durant had 33 points and 13 rebounds as Oklahoma City overcame Paul Georges 45 points to beat Indiana 115-111.Westbrook finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds and 14 assists, his 14th triple-double of the season. He has more triple-doubles in one season than anyone since Magic Johnson had 17 in 1988-89.Zach Randolph also had a triple-double in Memphis 113-102 win over the Los Angeles Clippers, the first in the veterans long NBA career.Randolph, returning from a seven-game absence due to a sore knee, finished with 28 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, while Tony Allen added 22 points for the Grizzlies. ' ' '