WP: Washington Redskins hurt by lack of indoor practice facility (only cold weather team with no indoor facility)

[SkinsHokieFan]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...121605581.html

It is no longer the 1960s or 70s. You need an indoor practice facility to get through your reps, get your timing down and make sure everyone is on the same page. These are high tech precise offenses that NFL teams utilize now.

Not having one has been a major disadvantage

A real good facility would cost between 35 and 50 million dollars to build. In other words, the guaranteed money paid to Haynesworth, Lloyd and Archuelta.

Washington Redskins hurt by lack of indoor practice facility
By Amy Shipley and Rick Maese
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, December 16, 2010; 9:55 PM

Despite the free-spending ways of Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder, Redskins players frequently find themselves out in the cold. Or the rain. Or the snow.

Or, as was the case Thursday, scrambling for their cars.

The Redskins are the only cold-weather NFL team that lacks an indoor practice facility or bubble-covered field for use when the weather turns nasty. The occasional inconvenience has been an obvious irritant to the coaching staff; when snow fell Thursday, players were forced to drive themselves to an off-site fitness center because the team couldn't charter buses in time. And it may be a sore spot given the team's recent history of late-season struggles.

Fourteen of the NFL's 32 franchises own and operate indoor practice facilities with regulation fields inside. Seven others have practice bubbles, two occasionally train in their domed stadiums and four have rental agreements with nearby facilities. Only four other franchises have no readily available indoor training options, but all are located in California or Florida.

"Any time you can have a full practice, and go through it full speed and run, it's better than walk-throughs" in a gymnasium, cornerback Carlos Rogers said Thursday. "Walk-throughs [are] more mental and getting things down.

"You can be tough and say, 'It's Redskins weather.' But to have that full practice, I think that's better than anything."

Six times this season, the Redskins have postponed practice or changed venues because of inclement weather. On Wednesday, the team moved practice to its rarely used, hard, artificial turf field at Redskins Park in Ashburn because the team's grass fields were frozen solid. "The choices were limited," Coach Mike Shanahan said.

They were even more limited Thursday when it snowed and the team didn't have enough time to charter buses to a nearby fitness facility. Equipment managers shoved bags of balls and cameras for filming practice into the backs of SUVs.

Earlier this month, rain forced the Redskins to practice on indoor basketball courts. In September and October, players were bused to an empty airport hangar at Dulles International Airport. In August, practice was delayed five hours by rain. Each time the team went indoors, Shanahan described the practices as little more than "jog-throughs."

On other days, the team has trained outside regardless of the temperature, but its cold-weather production in recent years has been dismal. Washington is 5-17 in games in November, December and January since 2008, including its 1-4 mark this season.

Click link for rest

[DieselPwr44]

On other days, the team has trained outside regardless of the temperature, but its cold-weather production in recent years has been dismal. Washington is 5-17 in games in November, December and January since 2008, including its 1-4 mark this season.

That has more to do with the talent base here than it does because of lack of an indoor facility.

Some say the Pats have the best offense in the league right now and they practice outside,in the elements.

The game hasn't changed.

If your in an outdoor stadium above the NC state line, you're going to play in the elements and you have to deal with it.

Hell, we don't have the talent to compete on a 70 degree sunny day, so what the hell do you think will happen in the rain,wind and snow?

[SkinsHokieFan]

That has more to do with the talent base here than it does because of lack of an indoor facility.

Some say the Pats have the best offense in the league right now and they practice outside,in the elements.

The game hasn't changed.

If your in an outdoor stadium above the NC state line, you're going to play in the elements and you have to deal with it.

Hell, we don't have the talent to compete on a 70 degree sunny day, so what the hell do you think will happen in the rain,wind and snow?

The Pats also have an indoor facility. They also have been in the same offense for a decade now with a top 10 NFL QB

You gotta be able to actually get through your reps and practice the game plan. Vermiel figured it out in KC late in his time there. The Giants and Eagles have this figured out

Why don't we?

From the Patriots website

Training Facility
The Patriots opened a new 80,000 square foot indoor practice facility in 2003 and now utilize four practice fields in addition to the Gillette Stadium game field for their year-round training. The Patriots' year-round training facility is over 40,000 square feet and includes a state-of-the-art weight room, locker room, team auditorium and training room, complete with full rehabilitation facilities.




Read more at: http://www.patriots.com/stadium/inde...c=factchart&cp

2003 also happens to be the year that the Patriots offense, and Brady's career really took off. He wasn't quite the QB in 2001-2002 that he was 2003 beyond.





The Caption below this pic on the AP website

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady tosses the ball during NFL football training camp in the team's indoor practice facility in Foxborough, Mass. , Sunday, Aug. 2, 2009

http://www.daylife.com/photo/0aYI8lKbngcjx

[TD_washingtonredskins]

I love the rumor that's been circulating today about how the Pats practice in the elements every day...thanks for dispelling that SHF. I tried to show that in the other thread and it was just ignored.

The New England Patriots practice indoors sometimes too. It doesn't make you soft or cause you to struggle in weather games...it simply allows you to actually install a game plan and not have your schedule or timing impacted by the weather. If ever there was a need to practice in the elements for a game, that option is still available.

[Chiefinonhaze]

I may be in the minority, but I'm not in favor of an indoor practice facility. If we're going to play in the cold and rainy weather, I want us practicing in that weather as well.

I also beleve people who can withstand cold temperatures are generally tougher. For example, Brett Favre is known for playing well in extremely cold weather. He also holds the record for most consecutive Games started. He's a tough mother trucker.

I also believe our team benefited from practicing outdoors in the 2005 and 2007 playoff runs, as we played Gibbs style football and established the power running game. I don't think we should be blaming this franchise's misfortunes on a lack of an indoor facility. Our problems run much deeper than that

[SkinsHokieFan]

I love the rumor that's been circulating today about how the Pats practice in the elements every day...thanks for dispelling that SHF. I tried to show that in the other thread and it was just ignored.

The New England Patriots practice indoors sometimes too. It doesn't make you soft or cause you to struggle in weather games...it simply allows you to actually install a game plan and not have your schedule or timing impacted by the weather. If ever there was a need to practice in the elements for a game, that option is still available.

Exactly.

ASF has a great thread down below from 2003 talking about this issue and the impact it had on the team. If you can't get your reps in, get the muscle memory, the timing down, you will struggle on Sunday

A day like today they couldn't get out on the field at all. The offense is going to look even sloppier in Dallas

---------- Post added December-16th-2010 at 11:04 PM ----------

I also beleve people who can withstand cold temperatures are generally tougher. For example, Brett Favre is known for playing well in extremely cold weather. He also holds the record for most consecutive Games started. He's a tough mother trucker.

The Vikings, Jets and Packers all have indoor facilities

And so do the Giants, who have for the last 7 times we have played them physically beat us up. Yet they practice indoors

Taking full advantage of their new indoor practice facility, with a high roof and a full-length football field, offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride dusted off the big-play, deep-pass offense (you know, the one they’re not supposed to have now that Plaxico Burress is gone). Now, keep in mind that the quarterbacks are throwing with no real pass rush and it’s still all non-contact, but the offense - especially the receivers - did look very, very good.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/gia...#ixzz18L2jQNWd

[TD_washingtonredskins]

You can still practice in the cold when it's appropriate. An indoor facility just gives you the option of taking things indoors during extreme weather. The weather we had earlier this month, for example, when it was raining sideways with wind gusts in the 40 MPH range...I just don't see what you'd accomplish outside there. This time of year, they only practice a couple days per week, so it's very important to get something out of those practices.

If there's every a time when you need to practice in a shower or the cold because you'll be playing in such conditions, you can still do that. What's the harm of having the option of going inside?

[Crazy Levi]

I may be in the minority, but I'm not in favor of an indoor practice facility. If we're going to play in the cold and rainy weather, I want us practicing in that weather as well.

It doesn't seem that you read the article.

The Skins don't always practice in the rain. Sometimes, they go to a nearby basketball gym, stand around, and do "walk throughs." I used to do this in high school when the weather was bad. It's BS, it's not really football practice at all.

Not having an indoor facility nearby is a huge disadvantage for this team. It's obviously NOT working - notice how the Skins are last place every year?

[MattFancy]

We need an indoor facility badly. And we need to get rid of the astroturf field. No one even has that anymore.

[TD_washingtonredskins]

We need an indoor facility badly. And we need to get rid of the astroturf field. No one even has that anymore.

Competent football people have only been here for a year. I have a feeling these are all things in the works now that Allen and Shanahan are making these types of decisions.

[SkinsHokieFan]

Competent football people have only been here for a year. I have a feeling these are all things in the works now that Allen and Shanahan are making these types of decisions.

And there is plenty of "marketing" opportunity with an indoor facility

I think Snyder said he wants a Redskins HOF. Build a big facility with the HOF in it and you can get people to the facility

[Duckus]

It seems like Shanahan and Allen gets it, which makes me think change is coming.

With the salary cap, money can't buy you a talented roster. Having a big money owner is not an advantage in that sense really. But what money can buy you is small advantages - like a state of the art training facility, training staff, scouting, etc.

There is absolutely no reason we practice as a DII level facility. Redskins Park is not good enough.

[chipwhich]

Well if you listened to AM 980, the word on the street was they may be looking to move Redskins park, and won't build the new facility until the determine their new location

[SkinsHokieFan]

Well if you listened to AM 980, the word on the street was they may be looking to move Redskins park, and won't build the new facility until the determine their new location

That to me would be a worthwhile investment

As Duckus said above, where can Snyder leverage his money to give the team the biggest advantage? Infrastructure such as 21st century practice facility. There is no reason the Redskins shouldn't have the best practice facility in the NFL

[bishtw]

If we get one or not, need one or not, it seems like for the last forever we are always looking for something to blame. I can't wait till we have a franchise we can be proud of instead of always looking for the next thing to blame as the reason we are an embarrassment.