Good news for reporters, fans and fantasy freaks

[Randall]

By JOSEPH WHITE

ASHBURN, Va. (AP) -Unable to find an open receiver, Jason Campbell scrambled a few yards for a touchdown. When he returned to the huddle, he pounded fists with assistant coach Al Saunders, who greeted the quarterback with the words: "Outstanding, outstanding."

 

And it all happened in full view of seven journalists.

 

The scoop of the century? Hardly. It was, however, a noteworthy moment in professional football reporting. Under a new rule announced this week, the Redskins and all NFL teams have to open at least one-third of their spring practices - officially known as "organized team activities" - to reporters.

 

It was a bit of an adjustment for Joe Gibbs, who freely admits to being paranoid when it comes to exposing any part of his game plan to outsiders. After all, this is a coach who once said he would have to change the entire plan for a minicamp practice if reporters were going to be watching.

 

"It is a tough thing to balance," Gibbs said. "You've got a lot of people in committees and they're coming up with new rules, and they want to have as much open access as you can. As a coach, obviously lots of times you like everybody to really concentrate, so you like having times when you're by yourself."

 

The league tweaks its media policy every year, but the latest changes are extensive. They include more access to assistant coaches, an overhaul of the weekly in-season injury reports and even a deadline for teams arriving for the Super Bowl. The rules are designed to lift a veil of secrecy surrounding some teams while giving the league even more exposure.

 

In a memo that accompanied the new policy, commissioner Roger Goodell told the teams that the changes will help "ensure that information from the people most directly involved in the game, the players and coaches, is widely available to our fans." The commissioner added that the changes are aimed to getting all 32 clubs to "cooperate with the media at the same high level."

 

"It's very gratifying that commissioner Goodell understands the importance of access for all media and is following through on his promise to open practices, training camp and the locker rooms on a more consistent basis," said David Elfin of the Washington Times, who led the fight for more access during his recent term as president of the Professional Football Writers of America.

 

The changes will affect several teams more than they will the Redskins. Coaches notorious for keeping the tightest possible control on the press - including New England's Bill Belichick, the New York Giants' Tom Coughlin and the New York Jets' Eric Mangini - will be required to make their assistant coaches available on a regular basis for the first time. Mangini will have to start publishing a legitimate depth chart, making it clear who are his starters and who are his backups.

 

Gibbs said he doesn't have restrictions on his assistant coaches, although some have been less eager to talk than others. Defensive line coach Greg Blache, who is both colorful and blunt when assessing players, essentially stopped speaking to reporters a year ago, so the media will be eagerly awaiting his verdict on how the line will rebound after last year's difficult season.

 

As for Thursday's practice, there wasn't much riveting action. The spring practices, conducted without pads, are essentially used to teach the players the game plan that will be refined and revised once training camp begins in late July. Saunders spent as much time explaining the plays to the offense as his players did running them.

 

There's also a long-held understanding that not everything seen can be reported, especially anything that might give away a team's strategy. It's OK to tell the world about Campbell making a nice scramble, but it would be taboo, for example, to describe a sequence in which the quarterback lined up as a tight end and caught a pass as part of a trick play. (No, that didn't actually happen.)

 

Even so, Gibbs remains cautious. Once the regular season comes, it's unlikely he'll allow reporters to watch anything much more than the calisthenics and individual drills at the start of each practice. He also feels that more people watching leads to more distractions for the players, which is one reason he didn't allow cameras at Thursday's practice - as was his prerogative under the new rules.

 

The practice also happened to fall on a wonderfully sunny spring day when it was tempting to go do something other than watch offseason football. That led Gibbs to make a few jokes about the new guidelines after he walked off the field.

 

"It's going to be a real downer for you guys," he said with a big laugh. "I have to be out here every day - you guys are kind of stupid. If you keep pushing for more open stuff, you're going to be here all day long, all night."

[Chavez]

"I have to be out here every day - you guys are kind of stupid. If you keep pushing for more open stuff, you're going to be here all day long, all night."

 

Ever notice that when reporters question tactics, play-calling, game-planning, etc, a LOT of coaches snap back with the whole "you don't understand the first thing about what the thought process is out there, what we're trying to do, etc"...

 

...but then these same coaches who jump all over guys for not really knowing about the intricacies of the game are afraid that they'll dissect their gameplans and print it all in the paper?

 

Make up your minds, guys.

[DMD]

I keep thinking back to the 49ers of the 80's who were the powerhouse team of the decade and they always had completely open training camps. Free of charge, I used to go up there (it was only about 15 miles from my house at the time) and you could watch them practice just like it was your local high school team, except you were watching Jerry Rice, Steve Young, etc. walk right past you. I brought my young son with me and pointed out all the guys he would see on TV in a few weeks. Granted, we neither wore blue and silver to those practices.

 

Didn't seem to bother their success at all.

[Randall]

I keep thinking back to the 49ers of the 80's who were the powerhouse team of the decade and they always had completely open training camps. Free of charge, I used to go up there (it was only about 15 miles from my house at the time) and you could watch them practice just like it was your local high school team, except you were watching Jerry Rice, Steve Young, etc. walk right past you. I brought my young son with me and pointed out all the guys he would see on TV in a few weeks. Granted, we neither wore blue and silver to those practices.

 

Didn't seem to bother their success at all.

 

 

 

 

The Packers do the same thing(unless it's raining and they go inside). Late in training camp they put a cover along the chain link fence surroundig the practice field, but for several weeks it is open. They have seats there too.

 

After practice they walk across the parking lot to the showers and are very accessible to fans and kids. I took my son Mike Holmgren's first year and he got a football signed by virtually everyone.

 

More teams should make players accessible.

[Chavez]

It's not as if teams are installing intricate game plans during TC anyway - they're just getting everyone on the same page as far as their bread-and-butter stuff goes, and trying to figure out which new guys should replace which veterans.

[DMD]

It's not as if teams are installing intricate game plans during TC anyway - they're just getting everyone on the same page as far as their bread-and-butter stuff goes, and trying to figure out which new guys should replace which veterans.

 

 

That's what I saw - just pretty basic plays and lots of drills. Mostly you see all the rookie and free agent acquisitions that are making the team trying to catch passes from Young, running backs showing their stuff, etc. Every so often they would run the real first team and have Rice catch a TD just to wow the crowd. And all the players there were pretty good about signing stuff after practice. Some of the most well known players would even walk over to the stands (it was on a Junior College football field with stands) and chat with the people in the crowd. I was thoroughly impressed with them. It was kind of surreal to sit there and have Jerry Rice walk by a few feet away from you. Or Roger Craig, Young, etc.

 

I thought it had to be wonderful PR for them. It was all free, easy to park, easy to see, very cool. Now it is all about the money for many teams that actually charge you to watch, if they allow anyone to watch.

[The Wolf]

All of your points are understood and well taken. Allow me to play Devil's Advocate for a moment.

 

Coaches are paranoid; some moreso than others. How many NFL head coaching jobs are there in the world? 32. In the NFL, more so than in any other sport, a team can go from the bottom to the top in one season. The parity the league strives for makes it difficult to win, and even more difficult to repeat. Coaches will look for ANY edge they can get, so if keeping practices closed to media is what they want, I don't see the big reason why they should not.

 

As for what was written above, you're all fans. Not media. You watch and are enthralled by seeing the players and looking to see how they're meshing in the system, what rookies look solid, who wins a position battle. You go to practice and have a good time and maybe tell a few friends. It ends there.

 

Someone from the media, however, will put their observations in print. As FF players, we read the newspapers from all 32 cities to learn info on our players; don't you think each team does the same to learn about their opponents/division rivals?

 

That's all I am saying...coaches are paranoid these days and any perceived loss in secrecy drives them nuts.

[Randall]

All of your points are understood and well taken. Allow me to play Devil's Advocate for a moment.

 

Coaches are paranoid; ...

 

That's all I am saying...coaches are paranoid these days and any perceived loss in secrecy drives them nuts.

 

That's why the Packers close practices at about the 3rd pre-season game, at a time when the real plays are put in. I thik you can protect yourself and give fans and the media some access.

[BeeR]

Thanks for not letting us know this thread was a Skins homer thread. My fault though, briefly I somehow forgot how it's almost always a waste of time to click on threads w/such boneheaded vague titles.