To understand whether a bye week is needed let’s look at what we do during the bye week.  Monday, the players will go through all of their normal meetings, and then hit the field for a very short practice that will consist of mostly individual position specific drill.  This practice is used to get back to the fundamentals that sometimes are forgotten as we prepare for specific opponents.

Tuesday, the practice will again be short, but will have more time allocated to the team, than individual work.  The team will have one-on-ones, whereas the offensive line go against the defensive linemen and the receivers run routes against the DB’s.  Again, this practice is focused on refreshing and getting back to the fundamentals. (Fundamentals include: stance, footwork, positioning, pad level, running precise routes, timing, reads, and last but not least, having fun.)

Wednesday is normally in shells or full pads and is again focused on improving the individual’s play, but the teams will be playing against each other. This practice is more intense and competitive than the previous two, as players’ bodies begin to feel recovered from Saturday’s game.  None of the drills will be full contact except for a couple of very short segments or situations that the coaching staff would like to work on (goal line, 3rd and long, 2 minute drill, etc.).  These segments may have more contact, but there will still be a very quick whistle to insure that no one is lost to injury.

Thursday is their last day of practice and will be the first day that the team starts to prepare for the upcoming opponent.  It is a normal Monday practice with individual time, special teams, and then a short team segment with the scout teams.  This practice should be clean and crisp with the players having had time to clean up their techniques so they again look and feel good on the field.  You’d be surprised to learn that during the year a players fundamentals have a tendency to be forgotten as a deeper comfort level is reached on the game day. When I was playing, I had a few bad habits that, left unchecked, could have left the defense susceptible to offensive plays. Having a week to go back through my film and refresh my mind helped form good habits that led to success during the home stretch of the season.

Friday is off, that is to say we don’t have practice or meetings, although we have a lift that has to be attended…that’s something that reports normally leave out.  At the beginning of the season, players are very fit and strong, but as the season drags on, players bodies become weaker and weaker.  The coaching staff tries everything they can to insure the players’ strength is maintained for as long as possible.  Still, it’s inevitable that muscles will shrink and strength will lessen.  The human body can only take so much.  It can’t get beat up during the week, especially on Saturday, and then be expected to lift heavy weights to stay strong.  Players would end up injured if they tried to lift like they did all summer and then add Saturdays game to the schedule. The bye week is a time where you can afford to get sore again, you can afford to lift harder and regain some of the muscle mass that has been lost during camp and the first four games. For me, it was extremely important to lift during the week, and especially during the bye week.  If I didn’t, I would end up looking….well….let’s just say worse than normal. I was never the physical specimen the coaches wanted, but I made tackles and correct calls, so they had to deal with my skinny arms and shapely figure.

So, yes, a bye week is needed this early in the season. The break comes after four games, and with eight more to go, you have to remember that these guys have been eating, drinking and sleeping football since July.  A weekend break to catch their breath is needed to refocus and become excited to get back on the practice field, preparing for the next game. I always looked forward to getting back on the field after a bye week, it really is amazing what a couple of days can do for your body and spirit. Enjoy it, Cougars, because the road games are a coming.