BOB GARFIELD: Members of the New York Sports media received a surprising offer this summer. The National Football League's New York Jets invited reporters to take part in an unprecedented day long seminar in order to: enhance your understanding of the game of football. In addition to the usual notebooks, cameras and microphones, they were told to bring sneakers, shorts and workout gear.
On the Media's John Solomon reports on what the press learned off the field and if they survived on it.
JOHN SOLOMON: It's 9:30 a.m. and a new professor tries to bring the class to order.
HERMAN EDWARDS: We'll get started and there'll be a few stragglers probably. They won't get fined today, but-- [LAUGHTER] the first thing I'd like to welcome everybody here today. I think it's going to be an exciting day--
JOHN SOLOMON: New York Jets head coach Herman Edwards normally would be lecturing to his players. But today the green padded seats at the Jets training facility at Hofstra University are filled with 40 reporters. This is not Football 101. It's more like a graduate course with some familiar grammar school subjects: math, taught by Mike Tannenbaum, Jets' vice president of contract administration--
MIKE TANNENBAUM: If we have to give Gary Meyers a pay cut and just give him a 5 million dollar bonus for 5 year deal, the way we're going to count that for the cap would be a million dollars a year per year; you're going to take the signing bonus and you're going to divide by the number of years.
JOHN SOLOMON: Geography, with offensive coordinator Paul Hackett--
PAUL HACKETT: As of today, we're no longer going to call it the West Coast office. It's now the East Coast office. [LAUGHTER]
JOHN SOLOMON: And even a pop quiz from running backs coach Bishop Harris--
BISHOP HARRIS: All right 15 [bod] - now we know what 15 means, right? Fifteen means the tailback is [...?...] where?
REPORTERS: Left.
BISHOP HARRIS: Left! Through what area? [Right here!]
REPORTER: Right.
BISHOP HARRIS: Bear with me folks! [LAUGHTER]
JOHN SOLOMON: At lunch period, students compare notes from the morning classes. Most are pleased with the Jets' new gridiron glasnost -- a sharp contrast to the media stonewalling of former head coach Bill Parcells. New York Times columnist George Vecsey remembers the perils of querying Parcells on strategy.
GEORGE VECSEY: If you were to ask a Bill Parcells a question like that, he would just sneer at you and tell you, you know, you're an idiot for even asking that kind of question. Why should we share that with you?
JOHN SOLOMON: Football is often viewed solely as a physical and instinctual game -- basically gigantic men chasing after a smaller faster man with the ball. But it's actually the most strategically complex of the four major sports involving the most preparation before and during a game.
The problem for journalists is it is both the most detailed and the most secretive. Coach Edwards sees the media less as adversaries than as pupils. For today anyway. Coach Edwards.
HERMAN EDWARDS: Well I don't think they understand all the details of it. I think they understand you know a lot of it, but I don't think -- I think today will, will reinforce that there's a lot of, there's a lot of coaching going on. You know, it's more than just lining [LAUGHS] up and hiking the ball and guys running all over the place.
JOHN SOLOMON: Before the reporters begin running all over the place, the Jets have asked them to sign a tryout agreement waiver acknowledging that quote "participation involves risk of physical injury and death." Indemnified, the press pack jogs on to the practice field where the coaches are waiting to run them through a series of drills.
BOB SUTTON: Good football position-- [LAUGHTER] just go slow as you gotta go, but keep your eyes up.
JOHN SOLOMON: Linebackers coach Bob Sutton shows how to pursue and attack a ball carrier.
BOB SUTTON: Remember we're getting ready to tackle. Here comes Marshall Faulk in one of these holes now, okay?
JOHN SOLOMON: Special teams coach Mike Westoff teaches punt catching by shooting footballs high in the air from a machine 40 yards away.
MIKE WESTOFF: We have it set reasonable. You're going to catch it. We're not trying to get someone killed. We'll just shoot one; we'll show you where it's going to come down approximately. Now -- let your hands and just bring it in to you. Let your hands suck it in. Go ahead, Chris. Just -- believe that it's going to go a little left-- Good job. Good job. Nice catch. [APPLAUSE]
JOHN SOLOMON: Coach Bishop Harris demonstrates handoffs.
BISHOP HARRIS: Toes on the white. Hands on your knees or thighs. Hands on your knees or thighs! Get with your - lead with your right foot -- all your mental weight now is on your left foot -saaaaaay hut! Perfect step-- ah--ah--ah--ah--ah--ah-- you gotta straddle this. Okay, don't worry now it's not your fault. No, it's -- I gotta do a better job coaching! Saaaaay hut!! [WHISTLE BLOWS]
JOHN SOLOMON: Of the 40 reporters who began the workout, an hour later, only 20 are left. Luckily there are only minor injuries among the press corps. The finger of the New York Post's Mark Cannizzaro jammed while trying to catch one of those high-flying machine-propelled punts has blown up to the size of a pear. He will have to type the next day's story with one hand. The New York Times' George Vecsey is applying ice to the hamstring he strained, also in the punting drill. He says that the good feelings engendered here does not mean that they'll be cheering in the press box when the Jets score this season. Still--
GEORGE VECSEY: You can't help if you know people, you identify with them a little bit more, and I don't mean rooting; I just mean on a - on a human level. I'm going to look at a football game a little bit different. I will watch things and I'll say yeah, that's what they were talking about! That drop back -- was that a 3-step drop back or a 5-step or a 7? Was that a hook or a slant? I might actually remember one thing out of 10 by the time I see my first game.
JOHN SOLOMON: Luckily for him, Professor Edwards was grading the journalists on a curve. From Hempstead, New York, this is John Solomon for On the Media.
MAN: Think you're gonna make the team, Dave?
MAN: Oh, sure!
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