What you should watch for before the 2018 NFL season

The countdown is upon us: 100 days until the NFL season opener in Philadelphia, home of the Super Bowl champion Eagles. While 100 days seems far away, and with your attention turned toward the NBA Finals gearing up, the Stanley Cup Final just starting, Major League Baseball chugging along and more sports to entertain us, football should always be in the back of your minds.

No news is actually great news for your favorite team, but things are still happening in the NFL world. Here’s what you should be watching for from now until the first kickoff between the Eagles and Falcons.

This is the time of the year where organized team activities, commonly known as OTAs, are in full swing. They are six-hour days where NFL teams meet to install the playbook, spend time in the weight room, take the practice field to see those new installs in person, and get some light practice reps in before training camp. They are “light” practice reps because they are without shoulder pads and pants, in just helmets and shorts.

Contact is supposed to be limited (LOL). It is limited, but in the trenches, we still make more contact than is needed and the older you are, the less contact is required. These practices are quick and to the point, with short individual periods and mostly team reps. Also, no one-on-one reps between OL and DL are allowed.

The ultimate goal of the OTAs, and this is geared toward the younger players, is taking what you’ve learned in the classroom to the field. That’s what coaches want to see.

So when I say no news is good news, that especially means no injury news. OTAs are at a tempo where injuries shouldn’t happen — at least no injuries occurring from contact. Unfortunately, we have already had a couple of major injuries. Chargers tight end Hunter Henry tore his ACL on a non-contact play, while Eagles linebacker Paul Worrilow also tore his ACL.

Worrilow’s happened when he ran into a teammate. That’s the exception this time of year, when non-contact injuries tend to happen more often than those from collisions. It’s unclear if non-contact injuries have increased since the new CBA cut time at the facility, but it seems that way — and that’s a discussion for another day, anyway. The bottom line: Injuries happen this time of year too, and every time they are unfortunate.

With injury news brings news that potential free agents might be filling those roles left open by injuries. There are quality starters still on the street and when players get hurt, those guys can often fill those holes on the roster. However, being that it is late May, most of these veterans aren’t in a rush to sign a contract, as they typically have had a chance to sign a deal already but the money wasn’t what they wanted. It’s not unheard of, though — Brandon Marshall just signed with the Seahawks, after all.

Also, the teams have time to work with the depth on their rosters before turning to those street free agents. You draft and acquire talent for depth and this is a perfect time of the season to see that depth in action. If they don’t cut it, then teams can sign a free agent who has proven experience.

A positive, or sometimes a negative this time of the offseason, is the process of injured players in rehab, working themselves back for training camp. I know this feeling all too well, as I’ve spent at least three offseasons rehabbing instead of being with my teammates on the field.

This is something that’s often missed when we discuss rehab and I try to hammer this point: Rehab is the process of getting your injured body as close to 100 percent as possible to train at near full speed. When you’re rehabbing, you’re not training at 100 percent.

I had surgery on my ankle in December 2014. I wasn’t completely healthy (sometimes you just aren’t completely healthy anyway) until almost the end of June. That delayed my ability to squat, clean, etc, at somewhere close to 100 percent. This is a main reason why it sometimes takes longer than a year to get back to full strength. After you play the season directly after your injury without training like usual, that year tends to be a down season. The following offseason, with a full training regiment, that player is back to normal.

Two great examples from last season were Derek Carr and Marcus Mariota. Both quarterbacks had down years after late-season ankle surgeries, and I look for them bounce back this season.

People, including myself, sometimes rush to judgment about the status of an injured player, like Andrew Luck. He’s progressing but not throwing, and I have to remind myself that we are 100 days away, and Luck must just be ready for camp. Nonetheless, any news of progress this time of the year, or if players get back on the field for individual drills, is a positive.

Lastly, from a player’s mindset, Memorial Day feels like a good reminder that the season is nearing. Playbook install is nearing complete, OTAs are wrapping up soon, minicamp to follow, then the short summer break.

The weather is turning too hot, and people will turn their attention back to football after the NBA and NHL playoffs are done. The season will be here before we know it!