Adams: Ex-players need update on current events : govolsxtra.com

In sports, the players are perceived as the experts. So are the ex-players.

They played the game. Hence, they know the game.

And their opinions are treated accordingly.

It's one thing for a sports columnist to second-guess a quarterback's read or a cornerback's technique. But when a former player offers the same critique, the average fan is more apt to embrace it.

Maybe that's why Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer felt compelled to respond to John Pennington's column in his post-game press conference last Saturday. This wasn't just some columnist casting aspersions on his football program. Instead, the criticism came from former UT players, who were quoted anonymously in the column, which ran in Saturday's News Sentinel.

And maybe that's why UT strength and conditioning coach Johnny Long isn't sold on the expertise of former players.

Former players quoted in the column said the off-season conditioning program isn't as intense, competitive or challenging as the one they experienced.

They don't have a clue, according to Long. That's not how he puts it. He's too diplomatic for that. He simply points out they aren't aware of what's going on in his program.

They're right about one thing. The weight room isn't what it used to be - not just at UT, but almost everywhere else on the college landscape. It has changed since the 1990s. It has changed since 2005.

Some of the changes have been mandated by NCAA rules. Other changes have come with improved technology.

"We used to have 12 weeks (for the off-season conditioning program before preseason practice)," Long said. "We get eight weeks now (under NCAA rules)."

There's also less time for conditioning between the end of football season and the beginning of spring practice. So "maxing out" on weights is riskier than ever.

"You can't max out," said Long, who has been UT's head strength and conditioning coach since 2001. "You don't want to risk injury. Which is more important, getting them to max out or getting them ready for spring football?"

"When you could go 12 weeks (in the summer), you could max out every fourth week, because you had time to recover. It's kind of like war. There are casualties. It's going to happen."

Long measures the risks in weeks and months. A pectoral strain could cost a player five or six weeks. A hamstring pull could take as long as eight months to heal.

Less maxing out doesn't equate to less working out, according to Long. Any former player who thinks otherwise is welcome to give it a shot.

"I challenge them to come back through our workouts," Long said of the anonymous critics.

Former UT linebacker Eddie Moore, who captained the 2002 team, has given those workouts a try between NFL seasons. The results were humbling.

"I've never completed a summer workout without these guys," said Moore, who is rehabbing an injured knee in hopes of making an NFL comeback. "I had to go to the side and take a breather. It's way harder than what I had."

You think the 1998 national champions had it tough? They had to run 16 110s when they reported for preseason football camp, according to Long. This year's team had to run 30 110s on the first day of summer workouts, he said.

As for the former players who say workouts have become less competitive, Long questions whether any of them ever witnessed a Friday morning off-season workout.

"We start at 5:30," Long said. "We divide the team into miniature teams. We have agility contests, tug-of-war, sled pulls. You name it. I throw it at them. The only ex-players I've ever seen there are my former NFL guys."

NFL players returning to UT for off-season conditioning are a testament to Long's work. So are UT's current players, who held up splendidly during a brutally hot training camp.

You can find plenty of problems when a program as successful as UT's loses two of its first three games. Player development probably would top my short list. Strength and conditioning wouldn't even make my long list.

But what do I know? I'm not a former player.

Sports editor John Adams may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knews.com.