Some backlash recently with the hiring of a Navy Seal conditioning coach. Some coaches were wondering if the NFL stands for Navy Fitness League and it looks like Chip Kelly would have benefited from reading the excellent post on the Navy Seal Delusion. The trend that having a military expert come in and change things is popular right now, and the question is it working? I joked two years ago that the military is now glorified personal training and personal training is all about bootcamps. It looks like Jimmy Radcliffe, the legendary strength coach is not joining the staff, a overlooked variable to the success of the team.
Sport Science is much needed, but the Navy Seals are frankly prepared to be killers. Dodging bullets and dodging linebackers are not the same. My fear is that with all the advancements in technology and science we are no longer better prepared than the 1980s. When athletes were playing Atari and lifted weights that was to pass the time, now we are playing Call of Duty to prepare for practice? Were the camo pants of the Raven’s team a secret underground military project to deal with the void of Ray Lewis? Of course they are sponsored by Under Armour!
I need to be a fly on the wall with more General Mangers when they hire people. Do they even watch a training session to see what is good and what is bad? I like the fact that the Eagles created a role, an important one, to their team. This is a major step forward but are we marching to the right drummer? A lot of things to think about. What are the metrics being recorded by the stats director some coaches asked with sarcasm? Does one measure the rate of vomiting during hell week or the log run speed by the offensive linemen? I am not judging until three years from now, but if early evidence shows failure expect year two to be the last as the NFL really stands for Not For Long.