Following three false starts on the first day of Eagles’ training camp, Jordan Mailata personally led the offensive line in a set of gassers. It was a telling scene, one that clearly illustrated the team’s fierce new commitment to conditioning.
That intensity isn’t exclusive to one side of the ball. The linebackers were seen running to the end zone after several plays during Monday’s practice, prompting one player to reveal just how serious the Eagles are to staying in tip-top shape in 2024. They added four new reps to the conditioning test, according to Nakobe Dean.
“We added four reps to the conditioning test this year,” Dean told reporters. “You see us running to the end zone after plays … it’s been everything, you can turn around right now, and you’ll see guys getting in extra work on the field so it’s been a high increase in conditioning. Bigger emphasis on conditioning.”
Head coach Nick Sirianni talked about the importance of playing with “relentless effort and with great toughness and with great detail” when the topic turned to conditioning. All those things are part of those core values he has preached from day one.
“You can’t play with relentless effort without being in great shape,” Sirianni said. “You can’t play with great detail without being in great shape. You can’t have population to the football on defense where they’re constantly running to the football without being in great shape.”
Sirianni divulged that he is borrowing concepts for his new conditioning program from something his high school wrestling team did. Gassers are fine and dandy, but the real challenge is keeping cardio up. That’s why the Eagles have been doing period work, similar to a line change in hockey. The first-team offense will take a rep against the first-team defense, then stay on to take another rep versus the second-team defense, then another one against the third-team defense. These rapid-fire battles are happening consecutively, forcing guys to take deep breaths and get back in their stances.
“Conditioning doesn’t have to look like gassers, right? Where they’re just lining up on the line and running back and forth,” Sirianni said. “It can look different ways, whether that’s in periods, like you see some of the periods that we’re doing. I actually got the idea for the period that we’re doing from my buddy from high school that he used to do in wrestling.”
Eagles HC Nick Sirianni: My Product, My Responsibility
The decision to ratchet up the conditioning program wasn’t made on an island. Sirianni had collaborative talks with everybody on his staff, from the athletic trainers to the sports science department. They wanted to challenge the players without exhausting them. The results?
“The guys killed the conditioning test. They crushed it,” Sirianni said. “They came back at the right weights. So, we felt like we’re in a good place right now to be able to push them.”
Pushing them, but not bullying them. Sometimes it can be a delicate balance. For example, Sirianni said he can see in the players’ eyes when they might not be enthusiastic about a drill. The head coach listens to everyone’s opinion, encourages positive and negative feedback, then makes the final decision.
“You take all the information you’re going to get, but at the end of the day I have to make the decisions,” Sirianni said. “It’s like anything, any product that’s out on the field, my name is on it, and that’s my responsibility.”
AP Photo/Matt Slocum
