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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. . Newcastle dominated in the early stages but City weathered the storm and then raised its game in extra time. Negredo broke the deadlock from close range after a simple move in the 99th minute before Dzeko took the ball round goalkeeper Tim Krul to seal the victory in the 105th. . Westbrook has missed 27 games since having a procedure on Dec. 27 to deal with swelling in his injured right knee — the third operation on the knee in nine months. .C. -- Calgarys Kevin Koe did it the hard way again. . -- Washington Redskins tight end Fred Davis was charged Thursday with driving while intoxicated, a day after he was suspended for an NFL substance-abuse policy violation. . -- Peyton Manning will have all of his wide receivers available for the first time in a month when the Denver Broncos begin their playoff run Jan. South Africa are not ready to head home just yet, despite having just a lead of 70 with four wickets in hand going into the fourth day of the Adelaide Test. Weve got two big days left and tomorrow (Sunday) is one of the biggest ones. Theres a lot of fight. Were not on the plane yet, Neil McKenzie, South Africas batting coach, said.Those words may be dismissed as fanciful, but Australia would do well to look back to four years ago, when Russell Domingo, South Africas assistant coach then, vowed similar and was proved similar right. On that occasion, South Africa were staring at defeat on the final day, having stumbled to 77 for 4 chasing 430. They batted out a draw.Now, they will need to bat with resolve if they are to set Australia a challenging target. Hopefully Stephen Cook converts, which is what his track record shows he can do, he said. And then if Quinton de Kock can produce the Quinton de Kock knock that everyone knows he can do and has been doing, that would push us up past 180 and 200. If we can get there, we know weve done it to Australia before, where weve knocked them over so that will give us a lot of confidence.McKenzie was particularly happy for Cook, his former Highveld Lions team-mate, with whom hes worked closely on footwork throughout this tour. Cookie is just one of those hard-working cricketers; sort of old-school, he said. He does it his way. It doesnt always look pretty but has a method that has worked for him. He has got nearly 40 first-class hundreds so you cant messs with technique.ddddddddddddMentally he is right up there in terms of one of the toughest guys playing cricket at this stage. He has endured a lot of noise about his technique but normally what Cook does well is capitalises on starts and he has a good conversion rate. We hope that follow suit tomorrow.Even if Cook continues, he has only the tail to keep him company, but Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada and Tabraiz Shamsi have all showed they can contribute. Since its them that will have to do the defending, McKenzie believes they have enough motivation.Weve got a couple of guys who can do damage at the back end and we have a bowling unit who are ready to go, he said. Well leave everything out there, whether we get bowled out early or whether we battle into the evening.He even joked South Africa could get enough runs to declare again. That will be the best day of Test cricket ever, he laughed, when asked about Faf du Plessis surprise declaration on the opening day. McKenzie explained the decision was based on what South Africa saw in the Sheffield Shield, when teams declared in order to make use of the ball under lights.Its our first Test with the pink ball. We can only look at stats. We watched when the state sides played and both declared. You take a lead from what you see, he said. Commentators and ex-players were all applauding the decision and we stand by it. ' ' '
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