Virtual Offseasons to Continue, the Impact of Tom Brady
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell had his traditional press conference ahead of the Super Bowl and many of the questions focused on the upcoming offseason with the pandemic ongoing. When asked about the offseason, Goodell suggested that virtual offseasons will likely continue for the foreseeable future, which will force the Cleveland Browns to adjust accordingly.
The pandemic plays a role for this season, but there is an increasing appetite, especially from players to continue this type of approach as the new standard.
Coaches love having control, particularly when it comes to ensuring players are in their building. Forced to go to a more virtual approach, teams were more productive than they anticipated, creating a path to the change becoming permanent.
Not only does this potentially allow players to avoid some wear and tear on their bodies in some of the spring activities, but they have more geographic freedom, a huge deal for both players and coaches. The improvement of player specific training in the last ten years has also convinced some coaches to loosen their control on the roster, allow players to own their development.
There is still a teambuilding aspect, but the Browns in particular found a way to clear that hurdle without being in person this past season.
The other notable difference between last year's offseason and this one is going to be the fact the Browns aren't changing coaches or schemes. Last season was absolutely brutal in terms of trying to install new systems while distanced. Not having the opportunity get critical reps was a significant handicap for teams that hired new coaches. The Browns won 11 games, but the next highest number of wins by a first time head coach was Washington with seven.
After signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tom Brady drew a significant amount of attention, both positive and negative, for running what amounted to be offensive practices during the pandemic. Some applauded his leadership and determination to win while others found it reckless for a team to be practicing while a pandemic was occurring.
Regardless of how people felt at the time, Brady is set to play in his tenth Super Bowl. Teams will undoubtedly copy his approach this offseason. Teams may not be running official practices, but players will hold their own, particularly offenses working on the passing game.
Potential vaccinations could play a role, but whether it's trying to capitalize on opportunities to maximize potential contracts or win the Super Bowl, players will almost certainly push themselves harder than they did last year.
A year wiser about the pandemic, it should prove easier to avoid contracting the virus as long as players aren't reckless. Even if players aren't vaccinated, people around them will be, which will help lower the risk, but players have demonstrated the ability to distance themselves from the public to train and improve.
Once again, the Browns benefit from having learned the systems last year. The offenses and defenses will continue to evolve and add tweaks to the playbook, but from terminology to the base concepts, Baker Mayfield and the receivers in particular will work from a far greater base of knowledge.
Odell Beckham is ahead of schedule on his rehab, but he may still not be ready to fully rep with the rest of the group. If he does, it will be later on in the summer. Donovan Peoples-Jones did not work with Mayfield last season, but that's likely to change this year. Jones stayed in Jupiter, Florida, where he was training with Jarvis Landry, who was unable to go as he rehabbed from offseason hip surgery.
With Brady setting the tone for other quarterbacks, it will likely result in a domino effect. Mayfield is primed to sign a lucrative contract extension in addition to the fact the Browns are in position to compete for the Super Bowl, so he may want to do more than the two weeks he has done at his home the past few seasons.
In a future where the pandemic is officially a thing of the past, this will likely only increase. Players are always looking for an edge and while they may not want to operate within the framework of OTAs or minicamps, they are still hyper competitive. Peer pressure from teammates to work is also where standards are set, cultures are forged.
The offseason calendars will be altered, likely permanently, but that won't fundamentally change the norm in terms of what the offseason has become within the NFL. As Brady demonstrated, it's still about hard work and putting in the work. How teams and individual players adapt to this new normal will be worth watching because there are no rules on this front.
READ MORE: Browns Players That Can Do More Without Fundamentally Changing Anything
