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What the heck is an OTA?

So I realized the other day that it’s OTA season…but no one ever really explains what an OTA is. We’re going to take care of that today!

OTA stands for Organized Team Activity. While it sounds like a fancy phrase for a field trip, OTAs are actually really important to a team’s preparation for the new season. OTAs are also riddled with rules about what can and can’t be done so that offseason practices are equal for every team and conducive to player safety. Here are the basics:

OTAs are voluntary. But this is by no means a free pass for extra vacation time – it’s not like cutting class on the Friday before break. Aside from the physical conditioning that happens at practices, new schemes and systems are also installed during OTAs, and players can miss out on a lot of necessary training if they decide to skip out. Usually, the only reasons why a player wouldn’t attend OTAs is due to family emergency, injury, or contract holdout. (The latter is currently taking place between the Giants and wide receiver Victor Cruz.)
OTAs and minicamps are two different things. First and foremost, OTAs are much shorter – no more than 2 hours on the field, no more than 6 hours total (per OTA) – whereas minicamps are multi-day, all-day affairs. Minicamps are also different in that teams are allowed to have one mandatory minicamp for veterans. Teams with new coaches are also allowed an additional voluntary minicamp for veterans, and everyone is allowed as many voluntary rookie minicamps as they want, though most teams only have a single voluntary rookie minicamp.
OTAs occur in the final phase of the offseason program, which is a 9-week program with three phases (strength and conditioning, individual instruction and installations, OTAs and mandatory minicamp).
Reading the rules for what is and is not allowed during OTAs may transport you back to 5th grade when word problems lurked around every corner: “Phase Three consists of four weeks, during which a total of 10 days of “Organized Team Activities” may be conducted. A maximum of three OTA days may be conducted per week during the first two weeks of Phase Three, and four OTA days may be conducted in the third or fourth week, with the mandatory minicamp scheduled for the other week. (In weeks with three OTA days, a Phase Two day may be conducted on the fourth day.) Helmets may be worn, but no other pads.” (Whew – Thanks to Mike Florio at Pro Football Talk for a great explanation!)
No direct contact is allowed during OTAs, and players only wear helmets – no shells or pads. One-on-one drills (receivers against defensive backs, for example) are also not allowed.

Wondering when your team is scheduled for OTAs? You can check out the full list here.

Wondering how exactly players and coaches benefit from OTAs? Tune in tomorrow to be filled in by Coach Billick!

News and Notes : 5.31.13

A short and sweet Five on Friday this week with a bunch of inconsequential news because it’s never a bad idea to end the week on a light note:

RGIII says he wants to continue beating teams with his mind…which makes me feel like he’s been honing his Jedi mind tricks in the offseason.
Nike is selling this. Thoughts? (Personally, I think it’s kind of awesome.)
Quarterbacks are getting skinny! JaMarcus Russell dropped 50, Cam’s down 12, and Tebow is reportedly back to his pre-Jets weight.
Cam must be bummed out about dieting woes (Cam, we understand) because he looks pretty miserable in this video. Luckily, his offensive lineman Jordan Gross is ready to help a brother out with a photobomb appearance. Nicely done, Jordan.
And just in case you had a need to unite your love of the National Spelling Bee with your love of football, the NFL has your back with this feature: 25 hard-to-spell NFL names.

There are other more serious things going on, but again: Friday. Let’s go have a good one.

Film Room Answers : Players Revealed!

Welcome back! Let’s dive right in and reveal the answers to yesterday’s film room questions. We’ll break each question down using the three identifiers we’ve been talking about this week: number, context, and roster.

Question 1: Identify the following players and their position: 84 (Falcons), and 43 (Panthers)

Number: Let’s start with 84 for the Falcons. From his number alone, we know that 84 on offense is either a tight end or a wide receiver. Since defensive backs wear numbers between 20-49, we can be nearly 100% certain that 43 for the Panthers is a defensive back.

Context: 84 is aligned on the outside of the formation and runs way down the field to catch the ball. All signs point to him being a wide receiver. 43 is in the mix with the receiver trying to break up the pass, further proof that he is indeed a defensive back.

Roster: To double check our work, all we have to do is double check the roster for both teams in 2012.Roddy White, 84, is a wide receiver for the Falcons, and Haruki Nakamura, 43, is a free safety for the Panthers.

Question 2: Identify the following players and their positions: 39 (Patriots), 25 (Broncos)

Number: This is a case in which both numbers only have a single option: 39 is within the range for running backs, and 25 is within the range for defensive backs. It doesn’t get much easier than that! But let’s take a closer look just to test ourselves further.

Context: We see 39 come out of the backfield and run the ball. He’s wearing a number that only defines running backs. It’d be a pretty far stretch to say that this guy is anything other than a running back. As for 25, we see him lined up at the far side of the formation at the start of the play and move across the field to the ball to make a tackle. His uniform number and method of pursuit make a pretty good case for defensive back.

Roster: The roster confirms it! Danny Woodhead, 39, is a running back for the Patriots, and Chris Harris, 25, is a cornerback for the Broncos.

That one was way too easy. So I gave you a challenge with this next one.

Question 3: Identify the following players and their positions: 75 (Packers), and 99 (Texans)

Number: 75 on offense is either an offensive lineman or possibly a center. 99 on defense is either a lineman or a linebacker. Tricky, tricky!

Context: Here’s the litmus test: does 75 snap the ball? No. So he’s not the center. He’s aligned two spaces to the right of the center, which would make him the right tackle. Let’s take a look at 99. He’s on the defensive line, but he’s not on the outside edge and he’s not in a two-point stance – two defining factors of linebackers. Since he’s of larger build and he’s an outer defensive lineman, all clues point to him being a defensive end. There’s also a tell-tale jump as the ball is being thrown that may give you a hint as to which player this is…

Roster: Bryan Bulaga, 75, is an offensive tackle for the Packers. And J.J. Watt, aka “J.J. Swatt,” is 99, a defensive end for the Houston Texans. J.J. has earned his nickname – if he knows he’s not going to get to the quarterback, he does a great job of distracting him while he throws, often knocking the ball off-course with his huge hands and feared jump.

Question 4: Identify the following players and their positions: 44 (Bucs), and 50 (Saints)

Number: 44 on offense could either be a tight end or a running back. 50 on defense could either be a center or a linebacker.

Context: I kind of feel bad for 44 that we have to watch him take these hits; he runs into a wall of Saints every single down. His responsibility on all 4 downs is to block, not run, and he’s not aligned in the backfield on any play. Those signs point to him being a tight end, not a running back. As for 50, let’s go back to our previous litmus test: does he snap the ball? Nope! So he’s not a center; he’s a linebacker.

Roster: Roster says…Dallas Clark, 44, is a tight end for the Bucs, and Curtis Lofton, 50, is a linebacker for the Saints.

So how’d we do, gang? Any problems? Do you feel more than ready to tackle the regular season once it finally arrives?!?!

Film Room : Name That Player

We’re going back in time in today’s film room post to further break down film we’ve already broken down. Because we’re just that intense! We’ll be taking a closer look at the first four weeks of film and identifying two players in each big play using the lessons we learned in Monday’s fundamentals post.

And because it’s been far too long since we’ve had a good old fashioned quiz around here, we’re going to up the ante and do questions today, answers tomorrow.

Gazelle-like intensity, I tell ya.

Ok peeps, here we go. In each video, I’m going to ask you to identify a specific player on the offense and defense. Use the workflow we talked about on Monday to figure it out: uniform number, context, roster. Watch the video, jot down your answers to the question, and check back tomorrow to see if your answers are correct.

In our first film room post we learned how the Falcons worked together to create Roddy White’s phenomenal catch against the Panthers.

Question 1: Identify the following players and their position: 84 (Falcons), and 43 (Panthers)

The following week we moved on to the Patriots vs. Broncos and saw the Patriots do what they do: turn a 3rd and 17 into a first down.

Question 2: Identify the following players and their positions: 39 (Patriots), 25 (Broncos)

Next, we moved onto my favorite film room week: the big Packers victory over the Texans on Sunday Night in Week 6.

Question 3: Identify the following players and their positions: 75 (Packers), and 99 (Texans)

Finally, we went back to the Creamsicle game.

I’m sorry.

Question 4: Identify the following players and their positions: 44 (Bucs), and 50 (Saints)

Ok, gang! Hop to it! See you all back here tomorrow for the answers.

(You’ll all be 4 for 4, I’m sure!)

Fundamentals : How to Use Uniform Numbers

You might have read that title and thought it was a typo…or just a weird post about repurposing old jerseys. But it’s so not! Your life is about to get so much easier, all thanks to the magic of uniform numbers.

Really.

So remember last week when we talked about the single high safety and how to find him on the field? That one was pretty simple, because you know that the one guy hanging out up top is the single high safety. It’s as close to self-explanatory as you’ll get in the NFL.

But what if you’re trying to figure out where the rest of the defensive backs are and you’re just not sure based on the formation alone?

That’s the beauty of uniform numbers.

In the NFL, players must to adhere to specific rules when it comes to picking their number. They have to select a number that is within the range for their position.

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Each position in the NFL is identified by a specific range of uniform numbers.

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What are those numbers and ranges? I made you a printable for you so you’ll have them handy all season long! (Just click the “Print Me!” icon below. A new window will open up and you can print the image by selecting File>Print in your browser. Enjoy!)

[ilink url=”http://www.footballfornormalgirls.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Pocket-Guide-to-NFL-Uniform-Numbers.jpg” style=”download”]Print Me![/ilink]

Ok, so how do we infuse this newfound knowledge into game day?

Let’s take a look at one of the screen shots from last Wednesday’s post.

It’s fairly obvious that this is Cover 1. We see Earl (hi, Earl!) hanging out up top. Also, he’s circled and the text beneath him says, “single high safety.”

I aim to please here, people.

So we know where Earl is – but where are the rest of the defensive backs? Are the three players in the second level linebackers? Which of the players on the defensive line are actually defensive linemen?

If you know your team well, you might know just based on what personnel your team usually fields. You know the players on the field. But if you don’t know the team, you can use three clues – uniform number, context, and the roster – to know who is on the field even if you don’t actually know who is on the field.

Let’s take a look at this play from a different angle and use our first clue to determine who’s on the field.

Uniform Number

Using a combination of the screenshot and the video, we can see everyone’s jersey and determine their position based on their number. Let’s work left to right across each level in the formation:

25: Defensive back

57: Linebacker

69: Defensive lineman

92: Defensive lineman or linebacker

79: Defensive lineman

50: Linebacker

39 (not shown): Defensive back

56: Linebacker

54: Linebacker

31: Defensive back

29: Defensive back

It’s pretty cut and dry just from a survey of the uniform numbers. The only question is 92 – is he a linebacker or a lineman? We can figure that out by looking onto Clue 2.

Context

Let’s take a look at this situation: 92 is in between two other defensive linemen. He’s in a 3-point stance, and a quick Google search tells us that he’s 300+ lbs – much too big for the typical linebacker. From the context we can tell that he’s more than likely a defensive tackle, which would make the other d-linemen next to him defensive ends. But to be sure we can always move to Clue 3, which is almost always* the golden ticket.

*Almost always – because a player can report as a different position than his uniform number indicates. We’ll be talking about that more next week!

Roster

We can be 100% sure of who’s on the field by using the Seahawks 2012 Roster.

25: Cornerback (Richard Sherman)

57: Linebacker (Michael Morgan)

69: Defensive end (Clinton McDonald)

92: Defensive tackle (Brandon Mebane)

79: Defensive end (Red Bryant)

50: Linebacker (K.J. Wright)

39: Cornerback (Brandon Browner)

56: Linebacker (Leroy Hill)

54: Linebacker (Bobby Wagner)

31: Safety (Kam Chancellor)

29: Safety (Earl Thomas)

When we match the players to their positions to their jerseys, the whole picture makes a lot more sense than it might have initially:

It makes sense that the corners are on the edges, that there are three down linemen, that the linebackers are coming up front as pass rushers, and that the strong safety is in the second level playing zone. Adding all of the pieces together makes an effective whole, and also teaches us a lot more about what the defense was going for on this play. From this look, it seems like the defense was probably expecting a running play, since they’ve stuffed so many guys in the box.

Now, realistically, are you going to have time to do this level of breakdown before the snap of every play? Probably not. The game happens – and changes! – much too quickly for that. You might not have time to figure out every player at every position, but you’ll more than likely be able to spot that one player who made a difference on the last play and figure out who he is by using the workflow you learned today – number, context, roster – and by knowing all of the basics you’ve learned so far.

Because you’re just that good!

But just in case you need a little extra practice, we’ll be going over this again in Wednesday’s film room post. Let’s consider it our OTA for the week. See you then!

News and Notes : 5.24.13

The long weekend is so close! Here’s this week’s Five on Friday to tide you over until then:

1. We get to look forward to 3 more weeks of draft projections next year. The draft will be May 15-17, 2014. It’s essentially the league’s attempt to elongate NFL hype into one big event per month in the offseason…but really, how much more can the draft possibly be talked about before people start to lose it? Other changes: the league awarded Super Bowls to cities this week…but failed to award dates. They’ve asked the venues to leave the first three weekends in February open. Now, this causes one to wonder…why, Roger? Why? The Super Bowl has always been on the first weekend in February. But the winds of change are blowing in the NFL, and this latest move seems like it’s blowing in the direction of 18 game seasons. (And for the record – I’m not at all in favor of this. Even though it means more football! It’s just too much wear and tear on the players, and too much greed by the NFL.)

2. The two Super Bowls that were awarded: San Fran and Houston. San Francisco gets to have an anniversary bowl – the 50th Super Bowl – in their new Santa Clara stadium (the aforementioned Field of Jeans).

3. Also aforementioned: our veterans have all made decisions for next season. Dwight Freeney is a Charger, Charles Woodson is going back from whence he came as a Raider, and Brian Urlacher is calling it a career after 13 phenomenal seasons with the Bears. No doubt he’ll walk right into the Hall in 5 years.

4. Unfortunate news for the Niners this week: Michael Crabtree tore his achilles during OTAs and is likely to miss the whole season. Ouch, literally.

5. RG3 was back on the field yesterday, taking snaps at Redskins team OTAs. He’s way ahead of schedule for recovery…but who’s surprised by that? Both he and the team are shooting for an opening day return. Let’s hope he makes a strong comeback!

Have a great Memorial Day weekend, everyone! See you Monday!