Offseason programs vital part of NFL teams' regimens

Vince Young is working his class schedule at the University of Texas around his offseason program duties with the Titans in Nashville. AP

Preparation for the 2008 season begins in earnest this week for most NFL players as teams kick off their offseason conditioning programs. While that won't come close to rivaling the headlines devoted to free agency and the draft, the foundation of success for 2008 is being poured in the weight room, on the field and in the classroom over the next three months.

There are a number of realities regarding offseason programs that fans and members of the media alike should know. Here are five noteworthy ones:

• There's not much of an "off" season anymore. Once upon a time, former Giants center Bart Oates used the offseason to pursue a law degree, attending classes full-time at Seton Hall during the second semester. Up until the late 1980s and early 90s, this was more than possible as teams asked players to report to only one mandatory mini-camp between the completion of their season and the start of training camp in July.

Times have changed.

Though some players are still able to secure part-time internships or work towards a degree by taking classes at night or online (like Vince Young is doing at Texas), the reality of the current NFL calendar dictates that football is basically a year-round job. Players are generally free of any team obligation and are able to work out on their own from the completion of their season to mid-March. They are also typically given another three or four weeks between the culmination of their offseason program in late June and the start of training camp in late July.

Though that is certainly ample free-time when compared to a typical desk job, keep in mind there are virtually no days off for an NFL player from July through January. They work on the weekends and the "off" day they are given on Tuesday usually consists of simply a shorter work day.

• The level of emphasis differs from team to team. When I played for the Redskins in 2002, Steve Spurrier did not place a strong emphasis on attending the offseason workouts. For that reason, attendance waned. Conversely, when I was with the Cowboys in 2003, Bill Parcells made it extremely clear to us how vital the offseason program was. Not only did he virtually demand that every player get a minimum of 40 workouts in at Valley Ranch in the offseason and pass his vaunted 300-yard shuttle conditioning test, but also he made his presence felt by spending time in the weight room on a daily basis, an uncommon move among head coaches. For that reason, attendance was nearly 100 percent.

There are numerous other examples of the disparity between attendance and emphasis among certain organizations. One player who spent offseasons in both New England and Buffalo said, "The Patriots offseason program is just part of the deal of being on that team and every veteran is there. Tom Brady is there. Richard Seymour is there. The only guys that were really up there in Buffalo in the offseason were the young guys trying to make the team. Their best players were nowhere to be found. That was one huge difference between those two organizations and I think it really sets the tone about what they are all about."

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