Practice politics

New NCAA rules may virtually eliminate two-a-days

College football coaches are counting the days. Not the days remaining until practice begins (about 30, in most cases), but the actual number of practice days allowed in August and how to use them. I spent some time this week with Jim Tressel, head coach of the defending national champion Ohio State Buckeyes. We talked about his offense (stacked), his defense (almost as stacked) and his schedule (no road games until an October tilt at Wisconsin. At night. At Camp Randall. Whoa).

But it was only a matter of time until our conversation turned to the new NCAA rules regarding preseason practices. Know this: Some people are complainers; Tressel is not one of these people. But he's more than a little bit intrigued by how he should handle one of the most significant practice rules changes in NCAA football history.

In effect, the NCAA has legislated out of existence one of the most enduring traditions of the sport: two-a-days. The bureaucrats haven't entirely killed double sessions, but they've passed a new rule mandating that teams cannot practice twice a day on consecutive days. Moreover, on double-session days players must be given at least three hours between sessions, and those three hours can't be used for meetings. There's more: Freshmen no longer can report early, and the first five days of team practices are limited to one practice a day. "Everywhere you go, coaches are asking each other, 'How are you going to handle it?'" Tressel told me.

Two-a-days are as much a part of football as goal posts and cheerleaders. Anybody who has played even high school football has a fond (or, more likely, painful) memory of laboring under a brutal summer sun, preparing for the season that lay ahead. Anybody who has won a championship can remember celebrating in November, re-living and crediting the hot August workouts. Two-a-days can be brutal beyond description. If you don't remember or don't believe me, read The Junction Boys. But as tough as they are, there's little question that double sessions allow for rapid conditioning and forge camaraderie.

Of course, the landscape has changed. In recent years players have died in the summer heat, dehydrated from pushing themselves, often fueled by dangerous supplements that Bear Bryant's boys never imagined. Two-a-days have become endangered because of concern over the welfare of athletes and the financial instinct of schools, which seek to avoid lawsuits. The change in practice schedules is a safety issue, and also a dollars-and-cents one.

It's hard to argue against legislation designed to prevent the deaths of young players, although the issue is more complex. Supplements clearly are a culprit, not only because of their immediate effects during heat exercise, but also for their insidious ability to create monster athletes. Are 18-year-old linemen meant to carry 350 pounds and run gassers? That train, however, has left the station, and pulling it back in will take years. In fact, it might never happen. Therefore, change in the practice rules was inevitable.

Teams will have to be creative. They are allowed 29 practices before their first game, but with the five-day break-in period and the double-session rule, it will be hard to have more than seven or eight two-a-days before hitting game week. "Do you want to have two-a-days during game week?" Tressel asked. "We're going to have to ask ourselves that question."

Another question, too: Will teams be as fit and tough as in previous years? Possibly not. However, if a life or two is saved, it's worth it.

And I'm not so sure teams will be softer. Earlier this week, a group of more than 30 Ohio State players ran sprints on the Buckeyes' practice field at high noon under a blazing sun. Other groups would run later or had run earlier in the day. Players everywhere are doing the same thing. These are "voluntary" summer workouts. "But," said senior quarterback Craig Krenzel, "everybody is here." Players and coaches adjust. They find a way.

Sports Illustrated senior writer Tim Layden is a regular contributor to SI.com. Click here to send him a question or comment.

 

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