New England's deep playoff runs mean extra practice -- a lot of it
— -- There was a long silence on the other end of the line while an NFL coach processed a chart showing just how many additional practices the New England Patriots have conducted over the past five seasons. The total is 22 percent higher for New England than for much of the league, an eye-opening differential in an era of sharply reduced practice opportunities.
"Having that many more is a substantial advantage," the coach finally said.
To the NFL's losers go higher draft choices. To its victors go additional opportunities to practice, meet with players, review game video and generally better themselves. New England's matchup Sunday against Denver in the AFC Championship Game will be the Patriots' league-leading 92nd regular-season or postseason game since the 2011 collective bargaining agreement imposed restrictions on practices. Ten teams have played the minimum 80 games, but that is only part of the story. The advantage becomes exponential and potentially self-sustaining when one considers the related benefits.
The raw numbers
The numbers for New England add up quickly. Eighty regular-season games plus five regular-season bye weeks plus 12 playoff game weeks plus five wild-card bye weeks plus two Super Bowl bye weeks equals 104 practice weeks. Teams typically practice three times per week, which means the Patriots have had roughly 312 practice sessions over the past five seasons, compared with the minimum 255 for 10 teams, including each of New England's AFC East rivals.
The chart below is the one referenced in the opening paragraph above. It ranks NFL teams by estimated in-season practice opportunities over the past five seasons, assuming three practices per week.
The Patriots (92 games) and Seattle Seahawks (90) lead the league in games played over the past five seasons. The San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay Packers, Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens have all played 88 games over that span. That's an additional half-season over the 80-game totals for the Tennessee Titans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, St. Louis Rams, Oakland Raiders, New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears and Buffalo Bills. As the chart shows, those additional game opportunities come with varying numbers of practice weeks.
A competitive advantage
There might be no advantage in New England greater than the one Tom Brady provides, but that only affirms the obvious. Seattle wasn't a threat before Russell Wilson. Denver became a contender when Peyton Manning arrived. Dallas without Tony Romo struggled to win a game this season. Arizona's coach and general manager have earned national awards, but with Ryan Lindley instead of Carson Palmer in the lineup last postseason, the Cardinals were one-and-done. That's the way of the NFL world.
Teams with quarterbacks and rosters good enough to contend are the ones in position to leverage whatever smaller advantages are available to them. As one executive put it, the Patriots are good enough to both cause and exploit their divisional rivals' missteps and instability. Averaging a dozen more practices per season than a third of the league is one of those advantages.
Coaches and executives around the league thought teams during a typical postseason week focused too hard on their upcoming opponents to worry about developing players.
"The biggest benefit for young players at this time is mentally," a general manager said. "They see and feel the level of football and begin to develop a thirst for it. Nothing trumps experience."
Practices become shorter and crisper during the postseason. Coaches scale back individual work. Younger players become more apt to "run cards," which means executing scout-team plays illustrated on signs held aloft by coaches at the line of scrimmage.
"At that point, everything is focused on winning and getting everything right," a personnel director said. "A lot of guys added to the practice squad from Thanksgiving on, you have some interest in them, but there are churn guys and you have more of those on every team."
Thirty-nine players finished the 2011 through 2014 seasons on the Patriots' practice squad. Fullback James Develin, now on injured reserve, is the only one with the team at present.
With so much focus on the next opponent during the postseason, coaches and evaluators thought playoff bye weeks provided the best opportunity for player development. During those weeks, teams do not yet know their divisional-round opponents, allowing coaches to turn their focus inward.
Five consecutive years of bye-week playoff practices under the current labor agreement have provided New England with 15 of these opponent-free practice sessions. The Broncos have had 12 of these sessions over the same period. No other team has had more than six.
"Do 15 practices spread over five years make a difference in development?" a veteran coach asked. "Intuitively, you say no. There are 14 spring OTAs, between 30 and 40 camp practices, so you are asking whether less than one-half of camp spread over five seasons is critical. Not for Tom Brady, but if you do it two years in a row and have developmental guys, it could make a difference.
"Or, if all you do is develop your situational script, that makes a difference. The odd special-teams period goes from 10 minutes to 15 without feeling the pressure of time. The coach says to take the time you need. Now, you get to the Super Bowl and you might do better with it."
Rules limit teams to 14 padded practices during the regular season, including three in the final six weeks. The Patriots and Carolina Panthers held padded practices during their wild-card bye weeks, rare opportunities to work on the physical side of the game.
The Patriots this season are developing young offensive linemen. Undrafted rookie center David Andrews has become a key backup after starting the first 10 games of the season. Drafted rookies Shaq Mason and Tre' Jackson are starting. Mason is making the transition from a triple-option offense at Georgia Tech, so every practice rep and opportunity for video review could be additionally important for him.
The next time someone asks Patriots coach Bill Belichick about the additional physical and mental grind associated with extended seasons, consider the flip side. While rival teams perpetually attempt to make up ground by hiring new coaches and general managers, the Patriots and other successful teams are indulging in an increasingly scarce luxury: actual practice time.
"People have opportunity periods after practice with just young guys and if you are with a team three, four or five years, you could be getting 30 more practices of catching deep balls or defending them or punting," a coach said. "It's a nice way to get your skill development up. You get three more weeks with the young guys, maybe you get to make the play like [Malcolm] Butler made in the Super Bowl."
Related Stories
ABC News Live