Offseason Break

The football offseason is supposed to be a football break. There really is no break from football. Even during the offseason. If there is break from football during the offseason, it's about now. The Minnesota Vikings broke up this year's break with their spectacular stadium plans. It's a beauty. There are some mini-camps popping up and those will continue through much of June. There are still some talented free agents on the market like John Abraham, Dwight Freeney, and Charles Woodson. There's an owners meeting coming up soon. There's draft picks to sign. There's always roster moves being made. Despite some things here and there, this is about as slow as the workings of the NFL ever get.

Over half of the time between one season and the next is building toward the draft. There's some mad action during the first week or so of free agency but the draft is the big offseason destination. It's like the buildup to Christmas. Then there's a flurry of pretty paper, some fine food, better laughs and "poof", it's done. The draft is the final step of a very long road traveled by all of the scouts throughout the league. We've all heard about the long hours put in by football coaches. Working late into the night and up early in the morning to start it all again. The scouts might get more sleep but it's rarely at home. They are on the road, non-stop for 8-10 months of the year. They have their regions but they are everywhere in that region. Wherever a ball is thrown an NFL scout is there. If anyone needs a break after the draft, it's the NFL scouts. If for no other reason but to reintroduce themselves to their family.

There's always work to be done in the NFL. Even before the bow is put on the Super Bowl, teams start the process of putting together next year's team. First, they find the players. Then, they fit those players together. Like an always evolving puzzle. There's always next season so there's always work to do. As the NFL became a huge business, the process of putting a team on the field became a year-round event. Most of it is televised! There really is no break. The months that we're in now are as close as it gets.