Mike Singletary aside, most of the best coaches already follow this pattern of limited contact practices after the season starts.
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Practicing in pads all the time does NOT equal great coaching…I agree. That said go check how many times BB had the Pats in pads last year. Bunch of young kids learning=more pads. And guess what? I am sure it was different in 07 when he had a more veteran team. Point is a HC HAS TO HAS TO HAS TO be allowed to cater his practices to the type of team he has and that is different every single year. Coaches who say well we never practice in pads after Nov are just as dumb as coaches who have guys practicing in pads a lot every year regardless of circumstances. If you are going to require a HC have winning seasons you cannot limit unreasonably the legal coaching methods he uses to achieve that goal.

I didn’t agree with Lombardi’s point on tempo as the be all end all. That’s all well and good for a WCO where tempo is always king. Might not work for a smashmouth team. The only way you learn how to run plays in pads at the right speed is by…running plays in pads at the right speed. How many times do we hear every year something like “so and so looked good in shorts but you can’t tell what he’s like as a player until the pads go on”? IT’S THE TRUTH.

I don’t think more pads=better tackling though. It’s just bad technique and laziness. If you’ve ever been to a TC practice, they don’t tackle there. Guys don’t practice real tackling at all in the pros that I know of.

You used quite a few words to say absolutely nothing.

You should learn to be a little less sensitive.

NFL players are poor tacklers, at best. That’s a fact. I see it every week. I’m sorry you lack the ability to observe what any casual fan can see on a weekly basis.

I’m certain no player or coach would be insulted if someone told them NFL players don’t know how to tackle very well at all. It’s odd you said that they would be insulted.

You’re overreacting to a true statement. Colleges are hitting less and failing to teach the fundamentals of blocking and tackling.

Many players go for the big hit instead of wrapping their arms around the ball carrier. Some players, like Asante Samuel, don’t even like to tackle.

It’s pretty simple to learn what players and coaches like and dislike about the game. I simply listen to former head coaches and former/ current players. You should try it.

Please continue your love affair with the amazing talents of NFL players. They’re incredible and, in your misguided eyes, infallible.

They obviously proved their intelligence over the past 4 days with their blatant immaturity, inability to communicate, and complete lack of organization.

I didn’t agree with your point about an 18 game season. I didn’t read your post about that issue until you mentioned it to me. I didn’t even know you existed until you directed a rambling response to my first post.

Sorry you couldn’t control your temper after reading my accurate post. Perhaps you should go to school so you can learn how to efficiently articulate your opinions.

By the way, after reading part of your first post (I lost interest when you began to preach) about government and whatever else you were ranting about, I’ve learned that you’re paranoid and definitely kind of a weird dude with bizarre opinions. Sorry, just telling you the truth.

Mike Singletary aside, most of the best coaches already follow this pattern of limited contact practices after the season starts.

Not sure how you can call the owners super wealthy but act like the players are just “employees”. Very rich employees with no other job like theirs in the world.

They reduced all preseason practices also. No pads means no pads. Just a helmet and a jersey.

Yes, nfl practices are now no diffrent then the combine, and the PLAYERS asked for this.

Dude. Its not even the no contact. They dont even want to wear pads during practice.

Since when was allowing players to pick practices any good for anybody?

You’re right. the suits and money are destroying football, this manly game is becoming soft as is our weak society.

Did you ever play organized football above Pop Warner? You just called one hell of a large group of humans that are far, far bigger, stronger, faster, meaner and tougher than you

wussies. You must be fast indeed.

Everyone here is reading this as though the players demanded all of these points with no input from the ownership. I do not claim to know exact facts on this point. If if is true that the players demanded all of this ‘softening’ of their work lives, I’m sorry for them. But I’m certainly not the one getting my bell rung in the interest of entertainment.

Time will tell.

How do you think they got to this level in the first place. By missing tackles and needing extra tutoring in college? These players, whom are or once were young players, have risen to this level BECAUSE they did it better. BECAUSE they mastered the fundamentals. BECAUSE they were quicker, smarter and stronger and faster and tougher than the other guys. They wanted it more and got it. They worked harder, longer. They are/were committed, not just interested. [you know the old 'chicken vs pig joke, right?]

You are insulting professionals by saying that they don’t know the fundamentals. You are insulting professional coaches by saying that inordinate amounts of time must be spent on fundamentals.

I love it when people comment here about what players ‘would do’ or what coaches ‘do’ or ‘would do’ or ‘probably upsets coaches most’ or what owners “Do”. How the hell do you know? Are you one of those people?

I appreciate your agreeing with my point re the 18 game season, but otherwise your belly must feel better after getting rid of all that gas.

The ironic part is that because of a lack of practices pads and whatnot, you may see a lot more crap-a$$ tackles (Antoine Winfield the exception) and misdirected tackles that may bring some serious fines..oh how that would make me laugh.

Football is VERY unique sport due to the ease of significant injury.

Think – how many players…including star players…. get hurt during practice, even lost for the balance of a season.

Reasonably… reasonably…. restricting full-contact/padded practices may actually help keep teams healthy longer.

At the end of last season, before this mess ever started, I heard Jerry Richardson say that all he had heard from the players the last two years was that they wanted more money and to work less. I didn’t understand what he was saying. There are 20 games (preseason and season) and no one was suggesting fewer games.

Now, I understand what he was saying.

As Lombardi said: “Practice doesn’t make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect.” I may wish James Harrison would put a sock in it sometimes, but I trust him, Tomlin, and the other Steelers to turn perfect practices no matter what the rules are. I know they want to win.