By Tom Krasniqi
Many NFL head coaches will incorporate a conditioning test at the start of training camp and Greg Schiano is no different. Schiano may be a 1st year NFL coach but according to the players, his conditioning test was no picnic. With the first training camp practice coming tomorrow morning, Schiano put his entire team through the test to gauge who’s in shape and who needs more work.
So what exactly is the conditioning test? It amounts to 16 sprints of 110 yards with about 45-seconds of rest in between. Throw in the heat and the humidity and torture comes to mind. Ouch. “It’s rough but it’s necessary”, says Pro Bowl guard Davin Joseph who passed the test.
“It was a very good conditioning test…I challenge anybody in here to go out and try it”, joked Ronde Barber, who’s entering his 17th season in the league. Barber hasn’t seen many conditioning tests since he’s been in the league. Barber says that Tony Dungy always threatened to use it but never did and neither did Jon Gruden.
If Schiano wants to get his team’s attention on the eve of training camp, mission accomplished. “He’s done a really good job of presenting his message, his clear vision of what he wants out of this football team”, says Barber.
Players reported to camp on Thursday and Schiano stressed the importance of his conditioning test. “You play your way into football shape once you get to training camp but you need to have a base level of cardiovascular conditioning”, says Schiano. “You have to train for it or you’re not going to pass it”.
Some players, like Barber and Joseph were able to pass it. Some players apparently did not. Schiano would not specify which players failed the test and says it’s not uncommon for some players to fail the test right out of the gate. “Any team that has a conditioning test, very rarely do they show up and everybody passes it….that’s the way it is….Am I disappointed? Sure. But again, it’s all about learning the way we do things now”.
Schiano promises a physical training camp and being in great shape will go a long way in accomplishing what this Bucs team wants to be. On offense, they want to play smash-mouth football that pounds teams into submission with a physical running game. On defense, they want to fly around the ball and be aggressive with constant blitzing. The heat and humidity will also work in the team’s favor when opposing teams visit Raymond James Stadium in September and October.
Training camp is hard enough as it is. When you’re not in shape, it makes things tougher. Schiano says there will be “consequences” for those players who failed the run. Those players who don’t buy into the system will not survive. It appears surviving the conditioning test is a great start heading into camp.
News & Notes:
- QB Josh Freeman reported to camp at around 237 pounds. Last year at this time, Freeman checked into camp at 257 pounds. Freeman says he dropped 20 pounds by drastically changing his diet and his workouts in the offseason included playing soccer. “I feel physically great”, says Freeman.
- Bad news: Left tackle Donald Penn strained his calf with working out in California and will miss the first couple of weeks of camp, according to Schiano.
- I asked defensive front seven coach Bryan Cox about DT Gerald McCoy possibly breaking through this season: “He has to believe he can make that next step and that’s the most important thing…He has the athletic ability and the explosiveness”. Bucs fans sure hope so.
- The first training camp practice is Friday morning from 8:45am-11:30am. Gates open at 7:30am and no ticket is required. Parking and admission are free. Fans are being urged to enter the parking lots from Himes Avenue.
- The Sports Page and Ron Diaz will broadcast live from training camp on Friday morning beginning at 6am on 620 WDAE. Bucs GM Mark Dominik will join the Sports Page at 8:05 and Coach Schiano will hop on with Diaz when practice is over at around 11:30am. For the latest training camp coverage, keep it locked on 620 WDAE, your home for the best Bucs coverage and 620WDAE.com.
