Associated Press
Football is back. NFL players are on the field.
Not at team facilities ó thatís banned by the lockout. Instead, led by such veterans as Drew Brees, LaDainian Tomlinson and Tony Romo, players are holding workouts across the map.
Some have been open to the public, others more clandestine. None has the intensity of a minicamp, which most teams would be holding right about now if not for the work stoppage.
ěThis is just the nature of what weíve been placed in,î said Houston tackle Eric Winston, the Texansí alternate player representative. ěIt is frustrating, but at the same time, this isnít the path that we wanted to go down. But this is where we are, and we have to be professionals and do what we have to do to stay ready.î
That means getting together on college campuses, at high schools, even at a golf course to stretch, lift weights, run through plays, and prepare as if a return to real football is just ahead.
Some of the workouts have been highly attended, including about 40 Saints at Tulane University earlier this week.
The Texans made use of facilities at Rice University, less than 5 miles from their Reliant Stadium home, where a dozen or so players have participated, but no drafted players. That seems to be a trend for many of the workouts, in part because those players could have insurance and health coverage issues.
But Jets draftees Jeremy Kerley and Scotty McKnight, both wide receivers, attended Mark Sanchezís Jets West camp in Mission Viejo, Calif. It was staged on a high school field, and the Jetsí local rivals, the Giants, held something similar Thursday in Hoboken, N.J.
At one point, a truck from the Hoboken fire department pulled up about a block behind the artificial turf field, set up its ladder, and firefighters climbed to the roof of a storage company. They stood on the edge of the roof and watched practice for about 10 minutes.
Among the Giants on hand were quarterback Eli Manning, tight end Kevin Boss and receiver Hakeem Nicks. Manning and backup Sage Rosenfels simulated snaps, dropped back, rolled out and threw an assortment of passes. Some throws were held up by a brisk wind.
ěWeíre getting our timing back down the first week, making up a little bit,î Nicks said. ěI think guys are trying to get back in that groove and get that connection back.î
While thereís a disconnect between the league and the players as the labor dispute goes through court proceedings, hundreds of players are doing everything from tossing balls to running routes to discussing playbooks.