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Players don’t mind Thursday night games, if coaches give them rest
Posted by Michael David Smith on July 17, 2014
Many NFL players have spoken out against Thursday night games, saying the short week doesn’t give them enough time to recover after playing on Sunday. But the NFL Players Association says it’s a little more complicated than that.
According to NFLPA spokesman George Atallah, the key is that coaches need to give their players enough time off to recover from Sunday. When coaches take it easy at practice during a short work week, players feel ready to go on Thursday night. When coaches don’t, players don’t.
“Frankly, we don’t have a comprehensive data set yet,” Atallah told the Hollywood Reporter. “But here’s anecdotally what we’ve heard from our members: Players who have good coaches don’t mind the Thursday night games because the coaches give them enough time to rest from the Sunday games. And players who have bad coaches don’t like Thursday night games because they are not able to recover physically.”
If Atallah is right, this issue should eventually take care of itself. Coaches will learn not to push it during a short work week because they’ll see that players who have been overworked struggle on Thursday nights. Smart coaches already know that.
RG3: Players are concerned about Thursday Night Football
BY SI WIRE
Thursday Night Football is a highly sought-after television package thanks to its prime advertising airtime, but Robert Griffin III isn't sure that players feel it's the best choice for the NFL.
"There are a lot of players out there who feel like there's not enough days in the week for us to be playing on Thursdays," Griffin told the Hollywood Reporter. "It's something that the NFL is going to have to address to keep players safe while also trying to maximize revenue."
Thursday night games mean a team must make a quick turnaround after playing on Sunday, which has led to questions about whether it makes players more susceptible to injury. The NFL has said the injury rate for Thursday games is not greater than the one on Saturday, Sunday or Monday, but George Atallah of the NFL Players Association countered by saying there's no comprehensive data set yet for those numbers.
Griffin said the flip side to a quick turnaround is having extra time off after a Thursday night game, which is something a team can take advantage of.
Posted by Michael David Smith on July 17, 2014
Many NFL players have spoken out against Thursday night games, saying the short week doesn’t give them enough time to recover after playing on Sunday. But the NFL Players Association says it’s a little more complicated than that.
According to NFLPA spokesman George Atallah, the key is that coaches need to give their players enough time off to recover from Sunday. When coaches take it easy at practice during a short work week, players feel ready to go on Thursday night. When coaches don’t, players don’t.
“Frankly, we don’t have a comprehensive data set yet,” Atallah told the Hollywood Reporter. “But here’s anecdotally what we’ve heard from our members: Players who have good coaches don’t mind the Thursday night games because the coaches give them enough time to rest from the Sunday games. And players who have bad coaches don’t like Thursday night games because they are not able to recover physically.”
If Atallah is right, this issue should eventually take care of itself. Coaches will learn not to push it during a short work week because they’ll see that players who have been overworked struggle on Thursday nights. Smart coaches already know that.
RG3: Players are concerned about Thursday Night Football
BY SI WIRE
Thursday Night Football is a highly sought-after television package thanks to its prime advertising airtime, but Robert Griffin III isn't sure that players feel it's the best choice for the NFL.
"There are a lot of players out there who feel like there's not enough days in the week for us to be playing on Thursdays," Griffin told the Hollywood Reporter. "It's something that the NFL is going to have to address to keep players safe while also trying to maximize revenue."
Thursday night games mean a team must make a quick turnaround after playing on Sunday, which has led to questions about whether it makes players more susceptible to injury. The NFL has said the injury rate for Thursday games is not greater than the one on Saturday, Sunday or Monday, but George Atallah of the NFL Players Association countered by saying there's no comprehensive data set yet for those numbers.
Griffin said the flip side to a quick turnaround is having extra time off after a Thursday night game, which is something a team can take advantage of.
"At the same time, when we get those games on Sunday and Thursday, then we're off for an extended period of time," he said. "Sometimes we look at it as an extra bye week."
After spending its first several years of existence on the NFL Network, Thursday Night Football will be moving to CBS this season. The station was awarded the eight-game package by the NFL after a $275 million bid.
- Jack Jorgensen
After spending its first several years of existence on the NFL Network, Thursday Night Football will be moving to CBS this season. The station was awarded the eight-game package by the NFL after a $275 million bid.
- Jack Jorgensen