No drill in training camp created as much excitement as “Oklahoma,” a pad-cracking, man vs. man battle that epitomizes what football is all about: toughness. But the high-contract drill soon could become a thing of the past.
The Division I Football Oversight Committee has recommended a number of changes to preseason practices to protect the health and safety of players. And one of those recommendations is eliminating straight-line contact drills like "Oklahoma."
“Like everybody, I love football and I think there's certain things you have to do to prepare your team to get ready to play,” Purdue coach Jeff Brohm told GoldandBlack.com. “You want to make sure that everyone is physically ready to play, has had enough practice. At the same time, I’m for the safety of our players and the well-being of our players. The times have changed.”
The agent for change is information gathered from NCAA conferences, the NCAA injury surveillance program and the NCAA Department of Defense Concussion Assessment, Research and Education Consortium. The NCAA Division I Council will consider the following Football Oversight Committee recommended changes on May 19:
• Prohibiting drills that create unneeded contact, particularly straight-line contact that is not common to the game.
• Reducing the maximum number of contact practices from 21 to 8, requiring at least seven helmet-only days (with optional spider pads) and restricting full-pads days to nine.
• Increasing the acclimatization period from five to seven days.
• Additional limits on full-contact practices, including no more than two consecutive full-contact practices, a total of no more than 75 minutes of full contact within any practice session and no more than two scrimmages in the preseason.
“There are experts coming out saying that we need to lower the amount of padded practices and full-contact hitting," said Brohm. "I'm in favor of it.
“The old-school thought that you have to hit and tackle and do all this, all the time ... But even way back when I played with the 49ers in the Super Bowl and playoff hey-day, really, in camp, we probably didn't hit in a scrimmage as much as you think. And then once the season started, we were not in pads the entire year. So, you know, I've been on the other side of it. And it worked pretty effectively.”
Brohm doesn’t think having reduced contact in August camp would impact his ability to get his team ready. Purdue is slated to open the season at home on Sept. 4 vs. Oregon State.
“You always want to make sure you've tackled enough and that your defense is prepared to tackle in space and to rally and run to the football, get guys to the ground,” said Brohm. “At the same time, you got to make sure some of your offensive guys are used to getting hit, and that they're not hesitant to go across the middle or lower the pads and strike.
“But I still think that you're going to be allowed scrimmages, you're gonna be allowed contact practices. It's just a little bit less of it and a little more protective on the side of the player. So, I'm definitely willing to go that route.”
Training camp regiment has been altered often in recent years. In 2017, the NCAA got rid of two-a-day practices. In 2018, the number of camp practices was cut from 29 to 25.
August camps in 2021 will feature the same 25 practices over 29 days, but it’s the type of practices that will be adjusted. A 9-8-8 model has been proposed: a minimum of nine padless practices, eight practices in shells and a maximum of eight practices in full pads with full contact.
“Well, I actually don't have a problem with it,” said Brohm. “And I think if you truly ask some coaches, at least after getting some polls, initial reports from our conference, even though there's a few that are very strong against it, there's probably at least half that are, in my opinion, perfectly fine with change.
“I think in today's age of concussions and injuries, these guys have studied it. I think if you probably look at the NFL, they're not having as many contact practices and full scrimmages as you think. So, you want to get the work in, but I do think that while that's going to be an adjustment, I think everyone will just be fine.”
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