by Craig J. Santucci @ NYGiantsRush
With the current CBA in place, you don’t really get to know a player to October. And I mean…know if a guy has heart, can tackle in the open field, will go across the middle and catch a pass or put an Offensive Tackle on skates as he is driven back into the Quarterback.
Camp is like flag football with a few fights thrown in because guys are hot and tired. Well conditioned athletes stand out as they glide through drills and always hold a pop in their step during the heat.
Gone are the “three a days” or the “two a days”. Some say it’s better because guys get hurt less. Some say football shape comes from hitting and practicing. Over the last 10 years, the classroom work has dramatically increased and for the veterans…becomes a grind. Pre-season quickly bleeds into September and most teams are still working out the kinks on who does what well.
Throw in guys recovering from surgery, contract holdouts and new free agent bodies all trying to get up to speed. There are many moving pieces when engineering a productive, efficient football team, all striving to deliver peak performance. There are a ton of variables that most of the fans don’t consider.
OTA’s brings guys together to begin the bonding, to throws some weights around and work on the muscle memory.