Hey I’m 64 and remember the “good old days”. NFL Football and football in general was a lot more physical “back in the day”. Sometimes “the good old days” aren’t so good.
With all we’ve learned about brain injuries, the importance of hydration during practices and the importance of getting better rest in maximizing performance, the “good old days” are not so good when it comes to football.
In my brief days as a football player as a schoolboy, we practiced two a days in extreme heat with no water, were issued salt tablets to “replace the salt you sweated out”, and had full on padded practices almost all week before games. Coaches called players wimps (or worse) for needing water.
We know now from research that is a very foolish and dangerous way to prepare football players.
This time of year, we see lots of fans calling for the Cowboys to play our starters in some pre-season game action to “get the reps” and to “work on timing”. I disagree. In fact, I see that as some of the “old school” thinking we need to get away from. Modern players don’t need the same preparation rituals we used in the 60s through the early 2000s.
The calls for Dak and other key performers to play this ps is not smart IMO. Last year Dak did not take a single snap in a ps game and came out on opening night and threw for 400 yards and 3 TDs. We should have won the game if we had had a kicker who could make XPs.
I say let’s remember the “good ol days” fondly. But also move on into the modern era.
