NFL Offseason: Why the Value of NFL OTAs is Immensely Overinflated

If this were the NBA, we might be hearing Allen Iverson complaining about this just being about "practice."

But this is the NFL and while there is some discussion that the Organized Team Activities are overrated by veteran players who at times find ways to "avoid" these types of activities, there are those who still attend and complain anyway. 

Such is the nature of the NFL and the sports world. 

The best example I can use is players like Fred Taylor. When he was the starter in Jacksonville, Taylor would practice and prepare in South Florida before coming to Jacksonville to join his teammates for the season. His replacement, Maurice Jones-Drew, has been doing the same thing but staying in California to train and prepare for the upcoming season. 

Does it hurt players like a Jones-Drew or a Michael Strahan, who in his final years in New York with the Giants would stay away from offseason workouts because of various reasons, but always seemed to be ready for preseason football games and the regular season? 

Are these activities vastly overrated or overinflated on their importance? Hell yes. 

Remember, while coaches would love for all 53 active players to be in these types of camps for continuity, camaraderie and a chance to bond with rookies, it is practice and it is voluntary. Anything that is not a mandatory event in this day of the athlete and sports, players are going to avoid. This is a "me" generation of athletes—the ones who are coddled and stroked gently so they do not get their feelings hurt and have huge contracts that basically state the inmates are running the asylum. 

While these practices may be great for rookies, they do not hold the same weight for a Shawne Merriman or an Eric Weddle. Established stars are not as in need of these kinds of reps and exercises. They are time consuming, a struggle for older players and, for some, do not give them the time off they want after a grueling season beforehand.

And most of all, this is all voluntary. Athletes and stars that take the game seriously and prepare for the game like they do life will be in top shape no matter the situation. I can see the need for rookies and the younger free agents to come in and work on learning the game plan or developing chemistry with other players (Ryan Tannehill and the Dolphins' receivers), or players who have been on injured reserve needing to gain timing back or consistency.

But the NFL has become a 12-month sport where timing, training and learning and developing is now second nature, and having more time to rest and heal may be better for the players than the constant movement, drills and practice in the heat.

Yes, it will get hotter in the middle of the year, but time off and relaxation after 20-plus weeks of contact and injuries takes more time to heal than a few weeks.

Remember also that the NFL season goes through the first week in February. The draft is at the end of April. Players are back on a practice field in May. That’s about 8-10 weeks of down time, which isn’t much for the constant contact and stress of the game.

If the NFL and the players (or the players union) were to come up with a better plan where practice is held under other circumstances or pushed farther back, then I can see this being a better fit. Take into account that teams with new head coaches and coaching staffs get a jump on everyone else to form a solid nucleus of a winning program, and you have so much being crammed into time that players do not rest mentally.

And when it comes to the mental aspect of the game, not having the right sight for the game leads to injuries. And that becomes a whole other issue entirely.