Routine in Football

[North Buffalo]

I was listening this morning to Keyshawn and Freddy Coleman... Coleman is awesome btw, and they were talking about travel and how it upsets football players routines... seriously? Key went through the routine: you watch film Monday, practice lightly on Tuesday little more on Wednesday...          I am sorry I just dont get it... is this a thing or are football players spoiled... I get long travel is a pain but short trips say from Cleveland to Pittsburgh, Buffalo to NYC etc... how much is this really a problem. Heck hockey players often play 3 road games in a week... Was just thinking these guys are really catered... and boo hoo if you have to travel... or I could be wrong... debate:

Edited September 22, 2022 by North Buffalo

[Don Otreply]

What’s that Canadian bar food got to do with any of this?

[LeGOATski]

I guess we can debate the merits of their concern, but I don't see the point. People like routines, for sure. I think the most well-run teams do all they can to make the road routine consistent. They have a home routine and a road routine.

[JoPoy88]

32 minutes ago, North Buffalo said:

I was listening this morning to Keyshawn and Freddy Coleman... Coleman is awesome btw, and they were talking about travel and how it upsets football players routines... seriously? Key went through the routine: you watch film Monday, practice lightly on Tuesday little more on Wednesday...          I am sorry I just dont get it... is this a thing or are football players spoiled... I get long travel is a pain but short trips say from Cleveland to Pittsburgh, Buffalo to NYC etc... how much is this really a problem. Heck hockey players often play 3 road games in a week... Was just thinking these guys are really catered... and boo hoo if you have to travel... or I could be wrong... debate:

no comment on the topic just came to 👍👍 freddie coleman is awesome

[billsfanmiamioh]

Coleman sucks albeit less than Keyshawn.

[HOUSE]

The old 1960s Bills took the bus almost everywhere. 

Todays Youts are soft.

[Matt_In_NH]

Are they spoiled?  Yes as are NHL players.   Are they human and susceptible to being thrown off by travel?  Yes  Are hockey players tougher?  No

 

Statistically NHL and NFL trips across the country show a bias towards the home teams.

[Mango]

It is a real problem for some guys. Like very real. 

I have won a handful of National Championships, and I did not travel well for a long time. I needed to really dial in my travel routine in order to perform. I would show up to race the heats and regularly get my teeth kicked in and have no idea why, then win every other progression of the program handily. Some had a lot more than me trouble getting their travel routines right.
 

For me it was sort of like how Emmitt Smith used to say he needed to take that first hit to get into the game. But some people I knew could never get into their groove if they botched their travel routine. 

[Billsatlastin2018]

Here’s what I do know.

 

if you’re great enough to play in the Thursday Opening Night game, that is a HUGE advantage! Everyone is fresh, rested, unhurt. To follow that up with MNF?

 

✔️👍

 

Buuuut, you gotta be great to get that slot.

[ddaryl]

Jet lag, sleeping in a hotel room bed.

those 2 things thrown me off when I travel. 

its a game of inches and being just off by miliseconds can be a diffence maker

Edited September 22, 2022 by ddaryl

[WotAGuy]

1 hour ago, HOUSE said:

The old 1960s Bills took the bus almost everywhere. 

Todays Youts are soft.

AND they had to practice on the bus during those long 5 day trips to the west coast. That’s why Dubenion only ran streaks. 

[Herc11]

Humans are creatures of habit. Not only that, but think about people with ritualistic OCD as well. While I dont think upsetting the routine as a huge role, I do believe it can throw a player off for a game from time to time.

 

If this wasn't the case, teams wouldn't go to extreme lengths to normalize players schedules on the road.

Edited September 22, 2022 by Herc11

[Dan Darragh]

Once in the 1970s I took a flight from Washington to Boston that stopped in Islip and again in New Haven (a "puddle jumper" from that bygone era).  In Washington I noticed that they were loading a bunch of identical bags with Washington Capitals logos on them and sure enough the Caps were on my flight, flying up to Islip to play the Islanders.

 

I can't imagine what a pain it must have been flying commercial on a crappy old propeller plane for those guys, for 40 or so road games a year.  These days the players have it much easier, which BTW doesn't bother me at all.  

 

As Harry Doyle said in Major League, the guys suffered from propeller lag.

https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/eb840479-37e6-4e3f-8a01-5162b91f0a21

Edited September 22, 2022 by Dan Darragh

[djp14150]

2 hours ago, North Buffalo said:

I was listening this morning to Keyshawn and Freddy Coleman... Coleman is awesome btw, and they were talking about travel and how it upsets football players routines... seriously? Key went through the routine: you watch film Monday, practice lightly on Tuesday little more on Wednesday...          I am sorry I just dont get it... is this a thing or are football players spoiled... I get long travel is a pain but short trips say from Cleveland to Pittsburgh, Buffalo to NYC etc... how much is this really a problem. Heck hockey players often play 3 road games in a week... Was just thinking these guys are really catered... and boo hoo if you have to travel... or I could be wrong... debate:

 

it’s tied to the issue of jet lag stuff.

 

most east coast teams play at 1 or 4.  It’s not a big deal if they play out west with a 1 pm local stsrt (4 on their clocks)

 

for w east coast teams going east a 2 pm kick off is a 10am start on their body clocks.

 

 

uou run into the problem on return trip for east teams.  It messes their schedule if they fly on Monday.

 

in baseball you will never have a west coast site game on one day and the next day the team is playing a game n eastern time. It’s always a travel/ off day fir the team.  Under scheduling rules, the farthest the teams playing on the west coast can go the next day are to crntral time zone citues with the game an afternoon game.

 

if a team played in Seattle with a 1230 start, game over by4, teams shower et all and thry are on a plane by 530 pm thry can travel to central time zone cities snd land before 1am.  Play next day in the evening  at 7 pm local time.

[BritBill]

1 hour ago, ddaryl said:

Jet lag, sleeping in a hotel room bed.

those 2 things thrown me off when I travel. 

its a game of inches and being just off by miliseconds can be a diffence maker

I’ve just read an excellent book about Barcelona soccer club and it this it mentions away travel and how sleeping one night in an unfamiliar place really mashes the brain and therefore induces a lack of sleep. Sleep is so important to everyone but an athlete not getting the right sleep must impact their performance. 

[Big Turk]

2 hours ago, North Buffalo said:

I was listening this morning to Keyshawn and Freddy Coleman... Coleman is awesome btw, and they were talking about travel and how it upsets football players routines... seriously? Key went through the routine: you watch film Monday, practice lightly on Tuesday little more on Wednesday...          I am sorry I just dont get it... is this a thing or are football players spoiled... I get long travel is a pain but short trips say from Cleveland to Pittsburgh, Buffalo to NYC etc... how much is this really a problem. Heck hockey players often play 3 road games in a week... Was just thinking these guys are really catered... and boo hoo if you have to travel... or I could be wrong... debate:

 

It's more like when you are used to doing one thing every week and then you have to do something different it throws off everything else as well. 

Hockey players have far different routines tho and when they are playing that many games during a week, many times they don't even practice.

Additionally, part of their routines are that things are changing up more than football players so they are used to it.

 

When you play one game a week and only 17 games in a season, every game counts more. Each football game counts the same in the standings as nearly 5 hockey games.

 

[SoCal Deek]

Travel within the same time zone should have almost zero impact on these guys. 

[Ralonzo]

The reminded me of how even coaches get screwed up if they mess up their routine.

[Dirtbag]

i misread this thread. thought you had a hot take about poutine and football.

[Ethan in Cleveland]

On 9/22/2022 at 7:58 AM, Matt_In_NH said:

Are they spoiled?  Yes as are NHL players.   Are they human and susceptible to being thrown off by travel?  Yes  Are hockey players tougher?  No

 

Statistically NHL and NFL trips across the country show a bias towards the home teams.

I thought that bias was mostly driven by west coast teams flying east and playing for them 10am games. Obviously a million other variables to consider.