With a pair of teams opening their offseason program today and 30 to come, it makes sense to dust off one of our past posts regarding the three phases of the annual April-to-June workout sessions.
Phase One of the program, two weeks in duration, includes strength, condition, and rehab exercises only. Strength and conditioning coaches can participate in the sessions, but no other members of the staff can be directly involved. Footballs can be used for kicking and punting only (but not for punting-and-skeet-shooting). Quarterbacks can throw to receivers, as long as those receivers aren’t covered.
During Phase One, the head coach and other members of the staff can be involved in up to two hours of classroom work and film study; however, no player can be at the facility for more than four hours per day.
Phase Two last for three full weeks, and it includes offensive and defensive plays -- as long as there’s not an opposing offense or defense on the field at the time. Helmets are forbidden.
Next comes the four-week Phase Three of the process, which feature 10 OTA sessions. Live contact is forbidden (and it used to be rampant). Team drills (7-on-7, 9-on-9, 11-on-11) are permitted. There can be no one-on-one offense vs. defense drills, and no one-on-one special teams drills.
Teams are limited to 90 minutes of daily field time, and during the first two phases the four-hours-per-day-in-the-building limit applies. Also, players can be at the facility a maximum of four days per week for each week of the program.
In addition to the three phases of the voluntary program, each team can have a mandatory three-day minicamp. Teams with new coaches can have a second three-day minicamp, but it can’t be mandatory.
It wasn’t mandatory that you read all of this, but if you did you perhaps know a little more about the offseason workout rules than you previously did. And if you read it again next year, you’ll likely re-remember some things you had previously known, but had forgotten.