During the season, athletes have far less social time than anyone may anticipate. Three days a week, most players arrive at the facility around 6:30 a.m. and leave dog-tired around 7:00 p.m. Six days a week, they spend their time to film studies, meetings, team events, and philanthropic or community involvement. The only time they have off is during training camps when they go home every night.
They work so hard that it's no wonder they need some time away from everything that's going on in their lives. If you want to know what NFL players do during the season, they play ball.
Teams frequently practice for 90 minutes in the morning or early afternoon, then return to practice for up to two hours in the evening. Most teams take a day off between games; those that don't can be tired, but not too tired to play.
Many professional athletes work out extensively before each season starts to ensure that they're at their best when the games start. Football players usually report to camp around mid-July and typically stay until late in August or early September. They work out daily, sometimes twice per day.
Some camps are more rigorous than others. In the NFL, only about 20 percent of players make it through training camp. Of those that do, nearly all will be on a roster by the end of the preseason games. The other 80 percent are cut during these games or during the regular season if they're starters for their teams.
Training camp is time for coaches to evaluate new players who might have been overlooked during the offseason, as well as try out different things with the existing team. It also gives them an opportunity to fix any problems that might have arisen during the off-season. For example, if a player failed a drug test during the offseason, he would probably won't be allowed to play in the first few days of camp.
Depending on the week's games, they practice about 5 times per week. They repose on the second and sixth days of the week. They workout for 4-5 hours every day on average and adhere to a stringent nutrition regimen.
In addition to their daily practices, some games require more attention than others. If a game is important to a team's season chances, they will prepare harder for it. For example, if you were to ask someone at random off the street what game was being played in Dallas on Sunday, March 24th, 2012 and they didn't know, you could probably assume that no one in Texas was watching football that day.
Sometimes coaches will have the players work out during the week so they are not worn down by the weekend's games. This is called "training camp."
Coaches usually meet with the media after each weekly practice. These are often called "post-practice interviews" or "post-practice news conferences."
There are several reasons why coaches do these interviews. First of all, it gets the information out quickly after the fact. The media is busy too and needs to get its facts straight. Secondly, the press likes them because they're open and honest with reporters. Finally, coaches like doing them because it gives them a chance to talk about everything that went on during practice that day.
After the season, NFL players often take 3–4 weeks off. That time, though, is not spent lying on the sofa. It is spent mostly on "active recovery." That just involves keeping active and undergoing therapy for any injuries you sustained during the season.
Some players may need more time than others, but as a rule of thumb, everyone should be ready to go by mid-January.
Check with your favorite player if they have a website or Facebook page. If they do, look for some kind of update about their post-season rest period.
Otherwise, call their agent or coach to find out when they expect their client to be back at work.
The bulk of games are played on Sunday, with most games beginning at 1:00 PM (ET) and some late afternoon games beginning at 4:05 or 4:25 PM (ET). Every week, at 8:20 p.m., one Sunday night game is played (ET). The last game of the season is typically played on Monday night.
There are three types of schedules in the NFL: a regular schedule, a condensed schedule, and an 11-game schedule. On its regular schedule, which starts after the conclusion of the previous season and runs through the end of the current one, each team plays every other team once; this happens regardless of whether there are any tiebreakers needed to determine who plays whom. For example, if two teams are tied for first place in their division and have identical records against each other's remaining opponents, then both those games will be made up as part of a single tiebreaker process. If that division title race comes down to a head-to-head finale, each team will get one more chance to prove they're best team during the playoffs.
On the condensed schedule, which starts at the end of the previous season and runs through the end of the second season from when it begins, each team plays only its remaining opponents twice; any remaining games not covered by this pattern are ignored for purposes of determining seeding in the playoffs and winners of certain other awards.
Some teams will flip on Monday and Tuesday, but the general rule is to complete the video study when everything is still fresh. As a result, most teams get their day off on a Tuesday. Their time is their own, therefore while they may choose to participate in football activities as a team, position group, or individual player, it is entirely optional. The only requirement for a player is that they must be available to the media after the game.
After the game, players can do whatever they want with their free time (provided they are not getting arrested). Some people like to hang out with family and friends, while others love to stay active with sports or games of skill. Either way, the post-game period is an opportunity for players to relax and have some fun before they return to work the next morning.
Most players head home right after the game. However, if they are playing close games or if they have important stats to protect (such as rushing yards), then they might stick around to help their team win in any way possible.
Players are usually back at the facility by mid-afternoon on weekdays, unless there is a public event scheduled for later in the evening. On weekends, they may stay in town until late afternoon or early evening depending on the weather and how much rest they need after a long week of football activity.
There are no set rules about what players have to do after games.
Most DI football players spend a significant portion (if not all) of their summer vacation on campus. They keep in condition by taking summer school classes, working out, and playing 7-on-7 games throughout this period. The most difficult obstacle to overcome in DI sports is time management. Since there are no season tournaments, there's no reason for schools to limit the amount of practice or game play their athletes can receive.
Players learn different techniques through training camps and clinics held during the summer months. These seminars cover topics such as footwork, agility drills, three-cone drills, and field goal kicking. Many coaches believe that young players benefit from these experiences because they get to see how practices are conducted at a high level by experienced coaches who have been hired for their skills and knowledge rather than just because they're alumni. Training camps often attract top college football prospects who want to get a jump on their competition.
Some colleges hold open workouts during the summer when any athlete can show up and try out for the team. This is usually done in conjunction with the NFL draft. At these events, teams give official recruitment speeches to show their interest in specific players. There is also usually a cocktail party where each prospect gets to meet everyone else on the roster. This gives them a good idea of what it would be like to play for that particular team.
After the workout or party, only those who make the team will be notified.
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