Could Cowboys & NFL Scrap Entire Offseason?
The Dallas Cowboys, like every NFL team, had to change the dynamics of their playbook installation and team meetings dramatically due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
If NFL Players Association president JC Tretter has anything to say about it, some of those changes will be permanent.
Tretter, who plays center for the Cleveland Browns, wrote a post on the union’s home site, nflpa.com, in which he called for the end of offseason workouts and organized team activities (otherwise known as OTAs) starting in 2021.
Tretter wrote that because of the COVID-19 pandemic there were no offseason workouts this year. Based on the product on the field, he wrote, there is proof those workouts are no longer necessary.
“After experiencing that change, there is no reason for us to ever return to the previous offseason program,” Tretter wrote.
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He went on to highlight what the changes have meant to the 2020 season.
“I believe the changes implemented this season have demonstrated that we can put an entertaining product out on the field while further reducing wear and tear on our players’ bodies,” Tretter wrote. “Sloppy play would usually be evident with low-scoring games, a high number of penalties and more missed tackles — all things that have historically been attributed to insufficient practice time to hone our fundamentals. But we have seen the exact opposite this year, with points per game at an all-time high, a decreased number of penalties and even fewer missed tackles compared to last year.”
Tretter is referring to the league-mandated changes to practice time due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which included no offseason practices, fewer training camp practices and no preseason games.
The Cowboys, who hired a new coach and a new defensive coordinator, had to install their new scheme this offseason via Zoom sessions to adhere to league guidelines. The Cowboys defense was one of the worst units in the league in the first half of the season, but has overall picked up their play in the second half to keep the Cowboys in the hunt for the NFC East title.
In reality, practice time for players has dipped for nearly a decade. Tretter pointed out that the 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement did away with two-a-day workouts, formerly a staple of NFL training camps, and padded practices have all but been eliminated once training camp ends.
Tretter wrote that once the season is complete, “we will have to take a hard look at what forced and temporary changes should be made permanent.”
