Photo: Charlie Riedel Associated Press
The head coach of the Chiefs in Kansas City, Andy Reid
Nobody really knew what they would be like the training camp until the NFL and its players union reach an agreement at the end of last week, which has radically altered the collective agreement in order to ensure the football in the era of the coronavirus.
Andy Reid would have been the first to propose a plan when the details have finally been decided.
The head coach of the Chiefs in Kansas City, champions of the Super Bowl, has always been a maniac of the planning. Maybe he is going to take a few weeks off once the season ended, but even with him in southern California during the off-season, he can’t help but think of the games and plan training sessions.
Thus, when the two parties have agreed to start the training camp with an acclimation period and have established a plan to intensify the pace in mid-August and decided to eliminate the games outside the competition — well, Reid probably had a plan accordingly.
“It really focuses on what you need to do and the right things to do, describes Rick Burkholder, the head of the physical fitness of the Chiefs, who followed Reid of the Eagles to the Chiefs seven years ago and which is very close to him. I’ve already said : his father was an artist. His mother was a doctor. It combines art and science like no other.
“I’ve had calls with medical staff, and I said : “I don’t know how we’re going to do it’,” said Burkholder. I called Andy and he said : “OK, we’re going to do it this way”. It is the art of the science. “
This is not to say that there has not been times these last few months where Reid has been frustrated by the situation — everyone has probably experienced it. Reid typically establishes a sort of plan of training camp in may, when the recruits show up for their mini-camp and training volunteers are just getting started.
This year, the teacher had to spend hours and hours in front of computer screens in his basement while he was conducting virtual meetings with the coaches, the players and staff while the NFL wondered how to proceed.
“He had to deal with the unknown on the part of the league, and I was getting information from the medical team before she speaks to the coaches, was described by Burkholder. We had conversations late into the night, we had hours ghosts. When all was said and done, it is returned to the city and showed me his iPad, and he had 20 different schedules. Each time they changed the protocol, he changed the schedule. “
The league has given to the Chiefs and the Texans, who play the opening match of the season on 10 September, the green light to host recruits, quarterbacks and veterans selected last week. But they have mainly spent testing the COVID-19, physical exams and took the time to put their equipment in order. Very little actual work will take place until this week, when the veterans arrive for their own testing.
The acclimation period will include training sessions of 60 minutes in the gym and training sessions of 60 minutes on the field, but with groups of up to 15 players at a time. Attendance day-to-day with a limited duration will also be allowed. After a few weeks, the camp will intensify, and players will be allowed a maximum of three and a half hours on the field each day.
“I appreciate the work done by the league and the union and I will then work on a plan where the football may continue in a safe manner and we can expect to play a season,” said Reid.
The Chiefs generally hold a training camp on the campus of the University of Missouri Western, but they are forced to keep to their training center because of the pandemic.
Recall that the guard in quebec Laurent Duvernay-Tardif has taken the decision not to play this season with the Chiefs due to the pandemic.
Laurent Duvernay-Tardif became the first NFL player to take advantage of the “escape clause” offered by the NFL players Association for the season 2020.
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