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Bye weeks break the rhythm

Sporting News, The, Nov 8, 2004 by Brian Baldinger

Football players are creatures of habit. They play on Sunday, get treatment on Monday, take Tuesday off. They practice and learn the game plan on Wednesday, practice again on Thursday and Friday, travel and/or practice in light pads on Saturday. Then it's back to Sunday.

It's a seven-day rhythm. Bill Muir, my old offensive line coach who now is with the Bucs, used to call us fruit flies because he said the life span of a fruit fly was seven days. I'm not sure he was right about that, but we got the point--we lived in a brief, measurable cycle. That seven-day rhythm was not something to trifle with.

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Which is why it doesn't surprise me when I see teams are 9-11 coming out of their bye week this season. Everybody thinks the bye is wonderful because it gives injured players a chance to heal and everyone a chance to rest. Though there's some truth to that, those gains are offset by the disruption to the team's normal rhythm.

I can't overstate the importance of rhythm, Football is all about execution. On any play, 11 players have a specific job to do. If each one executes his responsibilities properly, the play should work. That's why teams run plays over and over in practice--to establish a rhythm. When they go almost two weeks without playing a game, that rhythm is broken. Then they face a team that spent the previous week sharpening its skills, correcting its weaknesses, maintaining its rhythm. No wonder so many teams lose after a week off.

It's mental as well as physical. During a bye week, players scatter and forget about football for a few days. That's not good. Players who have been mentally focused are allowed to check out, and often it's hard to get locked back in.

I saw this last Sunday when the Redskins, coming off their bye week, spotted the Packers a big early lead. Their defense wasn't ready to play after the time off. Meanwhile, the Giants pounded Minnesota a week after losing to Detroit following their bye week. It took the Giants a week to regain the sharpness they had developed during a 4-1 start.

The Packers got back to .500 on Sunday with their third straight win. They're on a roll, and the last thing they need is a week off. Unfortunately for them, that's what they have.

Brian Baldinger, an offensive lineman for 12 NFL seasons, can be heard on Sporting News Radio and seen on FOX Sports. Listen online at radio.sportingnews.com.

Bye weeks break the rhythm

Sporting News, The, Nov 8, 2004 by Brian Baldinger

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