2012 NFL Offseason: What Can We Actually Glean from Organized Team Activities?

Organized Team Activities, or OTAs for short, are one of the building blocks to the NFL's offseason program, and part of how teams are built heading into training camp and the preseason. OTAs are one way for coaches to get an idea of how their team will mesh together.

OTAs help the players get into the playbooks and learn the new schemes. For teams like the Steelers and Falcons, who have new coordinators, the OTAs will give the players a way to get familiar with the scheme, pick up their playbooks and get to know their new coaches. 

It's also a way for new players—like DeMeco Ryans of the Eagles—to familiarize themselves with their new teams. Don Banks of Sports Illustrated quoted him saying:

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"A lot of people were already afraid to face the Eagles. But with me coming here, I just want to come in and help a group of young linebackers and teach them the things I know about the position and also to line up, get back to playing the type of ball I can play, sideline to sideline.''

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Ryans isn't going to be using OTAs as a way to insert himself into the Eagles as a leader they were sorely missing on defense last year; however, he will be using it as a way to show his new teammates that he wants to be in Philadelphia and that they can trust him.

OTAs are also a way to spend some time with the players before they are off for a few months. As SB Nation's Anthony Defeo puts it:

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Mini camps, OTAs, whatever you want to call them, are like the two or three days before your big vacation. You're really excited about it, but you're still bummed because you have another few days of work. Plus, you still have tons of things to take care of like packing, making sure the dogs get to the kennel on time, confirming your flight, and if you're going out of the country, finding your passport.

You still have to get all of that stuff out of the way before you can even dream about being on the plane.

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And it makes perfect sense to look at it this way. OTAs are about the team getting some familiarity with their coaches and schemes. Jobs will not be won or lost because someone has a great couple of days in OTAs; nor will there be completely new schemes installed in the two-three days that are coming up. 

Sure, hearing blurbs like, "Andrew Luck was amazing in the OTAs this week," will be amazing for some Colts fans to hear. But hearing offensive line coach Harold Goodwin talk (via Kevin Bowen of colts.com) about how Samson Satele has been around the block for a while will just feel like filler for some Colts fans. 

So while OTAs are fun for the fans to get to see their new acquisitions, these are really nothing more than a way for players to get to know their new coaches and teammates, and for coaches to get an idea of who will be competing for which job.