Strength And Conditioning

At the end of the day football is an athletic contest. I believe that the team that is in the best physical shape has the edge at the end of the game when you have to reach down for that extra ounce of strength and pump that extra bit of oxygen into your lungs. Has anybody ever tried to evaluate strength and conditioning coaches especially in regards to the performance of their teams in the 4th quarter? I've felt whoever is in charge of the Panthers has generally sucked and I know there's been more than one of them. Year in and year out the Panthers are always worn down in the 4th Quarter. <rant>

 

Interesting question. Certainly some teams seem to be in better physical condition than others.

 

I've heard it's a game of inches.

There are as many schools of thought of working out as their are on eating right and dieting. And everyone is different. As a player at this level I would think you know how your body responds and a good strength coach will work with you to adapt a workout that's most beneficial. And also be there to push you and make it less boring.

 

Wasn't that Al Davis's draft strategy. Though there is certainly something to be said for strength and conditioning, football is also a game of strategy and technique. Not that it isn't important, especially late in the game, but there is more to the game than just that.

 

Don't over-think it, the teams with the elite QB's win and a few others hang around. The Packers, Patriots and NO's can't play defense. Peyton never had a D.

It's a passing league and it's no secret that the elite teams have elite QB's.

 

I think conditioning is a factor with us, mainly because so many of our best players are injured (and does conditioning factor into the injuries in the first place?). We just don't have the depth to compete in the 4th quarter. I think our guys are tired. As an aside, it was interesting to hear the guys on ESPN discuss how Tebow seems to gain energy and strength in the 4th quarter.

 

There's truth to this.

 

That's only true for the regular season. I've been collecting some data lately and there seems to be no correlation whatsoever between being top 5 in QB rating or passing touchdowns and then winning playoff games.

 

Well, Brady, Peyton Manning, Roethlisberger, Brees and Rodgers have combined to win 8 of the last 10 Superbowls, so I'll stick by my earlier statement.