Conditioned: The Role of Availability in OTA’s
The question if players should attend OTAs raises the concern of if every member of the team is dedicated to culture. Krebs’ latest Monday NFL Column explores NFL training camp and the importance of availability in an NFL locker room.
People are who they are, and teams can only control what they can control. Voluntary offensive workouts, commonly known as OTA’s, is the start of the road of a fruitful NFL season. But, when distractions occur in the sense of contract, or personal issues, teams depend on the players who showed up in the building since day one and prepared for the NFL season over those who are not there. Conditioning players for the upcoming season, both physically and mentally, requires steady focus from every person in the building to devote themselves to a common goal regardless of the circumstances.
Some throw out the importance of OTA’s due to the expectation that players will stay in shape during the off-season or the rise of circumstances that detract from a player’s ability to buy into the team culture. The stigma around OTA’s was amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic, in which physical workouts were done virtually and zoom meetings centered around instilling the playbook to players. Whether or not this contributed to a choppier 2020-2021 season from an injury and on-field perspective is not entirely known, but the continued impact of the pandemic raises the question of if said workouts were of absolute importance.
No matter how players see OTA’s, whether as an extension of their offseason regimen or a chance to return to football caliber shape, teams and teammates know who appears and who does not. Players built into an established culture know how crucial developing bonds in the present can make waves in the future. Leadership’s connection with availability is essential to create an atmosphere where thoughts and opinions are healthily encouraged in places where the players expect the best from everyone.
Team players settle disputes during the offseason to create a culture that flows and stands tall when adversity inevitably happens. Raising personal issues over attending team-related workouts is a sign that some may not be fully bought in to a culture and not the right fit for the team. Character culture stands strong in places with proven winners, where every single player is as important to the team as any other.
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