NFL Off Season Programs Set For New Head Coaches - A Dos and Dont’s Primer
New head coaches, John Fox - Chicago Bears; Gary Kubiak - Denver Broncos; Jack Del Rio - Oakland Raiders; Dan Quinn - Atlanta Falcons; Jim Tomsula - San Francisco 49’ers; Rex Ryan - Buffalo Bills; Todd Bowles - New York Jets - are all set to begin their off season programs on April 6th. Teams with new head coaches are permitted by the league to start their programs early to get their team adapted with new systems. The rest of the league will open up their off season programs April 20th.
For those of you unfamiliar with the NFL off season Dos and Don’ts, here’s the rules from phase-one all the way up until mini-camp, as part of the 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
GENERAL
- Workouts Cannot Begin Prior To The First Monday In April For Clubs With A New Head Coach Or The Third Monday In April For All Other Clubs
- WORKOUTS ARE STRICTLY VOLUNTARY; Club Officials Cannot Indicate Workouts Are Anything Other Than Voluntary
- Maximum 4 W/O Per Week (No Weekends), With One Week Being The Mandatory Minicamp (Not Permitted On Weekends)
- CONTACT WORK IS PROHIBITED IN ALL WORKOUTS (E.G. “Live” Blocking, Tackling, Pass Rushing, Bump-And-Run, Etc.)
- INTENSITY AND TEMPO OF DRILLS SHOULD BE AT A LEVEL CONDUCIVE TO LEARNING, With Player Safety As The Highest Priority
PHASE ONE | 4 HOURS A DAY
- Two Weeks | Limited To Strength And Conditioning Activities (“Dead Ball”); Only Strength And Conditioning Coaches Allowed On Field
- 90 Minute Max On The Field
- Clubs Can Only Specify 2 Hours For Players To Be At Facility
- Players Choose The Other 2 Hours For Weights, Etc
PHASE TWO | 4 HOURS A DAY
Three Weeks | Same Rules As Phase One Except:
- All Coaches Allowed On The Field
- Individual And “Perfect Play” Drills Allowed
- No Offense Vs. Defense, No One V. One, No Helmets
PHASE THREE | 6 HOURS A DAY
- 4 Weeks For 10 OTA’s
- A Maximum Of Three OTA’s Each Week For The First 2 Weeks
- During Weeks 1&2 A 4th Non OTA Workout Is Allowed But Phase Two Rules Apply. A Maximum Of 4 OTA’s For The 3rd Or 4th Week, With The Other Week Being The Mandatory Minicamp
OTA’S | 6 HOURS
- 4 Weeks Total
- 3 Weeks For 10 Total OTA’s
- A Maximum Of 3 OTA’s Each Week For The First 2 Weeks
- During Weeks 1 & 2 A 4th Non OTA Workout Is Allowed But Phase Two Rules Apply
- A Maximum Of 4 OTA’s For The 3rd Or 4th Week
- One Week For Mini Camp
- No Pads Except Protective Knee And Elbow Pads, Helmets Are Permitted
- No Live Contract
- 7 On 7, 9 On 7 And 11 On 11 Drills Will Be Permitted Provided No Live Contact Takes Place
MINICAMP | 10 HOURS A DAY
- Physicals On Monday But No Practice
- Practices Tuesday-Thursday, With A Day Off On Friday
- Allowed Two Practices Totaling 3 ½ Hours On The Field Per Day
- Second Practice Limited To Walk Through Activities Only
