(8/2) NYTimes' daily lame NYJ camp article: it's hot outside

[Sperm Edwards]

No Letup From the Heat, or Mangini, at Jets Camp

By DAVID PICKER

Published: August 2, 2006

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y., Aug. 1 —How hot was it at the Jets’ practice facility Tuesday?

It was so hot that at midday the team closed Jets Fest, the theme park next to its field.

But it was not too hot to practice — in pads and helmets.

Eric Mangini, the Jets’ first-year coach, held an early-morning practice session that lasted 2 hours 32 minutes. The Jets practiced again, for 2 hours 43 minutes, in the late afternoon and early evening.

According to weather.com, the temperature was 93 degrees, with the humidity making it feel like 104, when the Jets finished their morning session.

Mangini is attempting to turn around a team that finished 4-12 last season. Several players said that the morning session was as grueling as earlier camp practices. Players who made errors were still expected to run a lap around the field.

“I was very careful,” said the 330-pound offensive lineman Ed Blanton, who at 6 feet 9 inches is the tallest player on the Jets’ roster. “I don’t want to run any more than I have to in this heat.”

Blanton said he probably lost five or six pounds during the morning session.

Offensive tackle Adrian Jones, who weighs 296 pounds, said he probably drank a few gallons of water during the session.

Many players prepared for heat the night before.

“You drink right before you go to bed,” said defensive tackle Kimo von Oelhoffen, who weighs 299 pounds. He said that if a player got up during the night, “you drink again.”

On Aug. 1, 2001, Korey Stringer, an offensive lineman with the Minnesota Vikings, died after suffering heatstroke during a practice at training camp the day before.

Lawyers for the Vikings, responding to a $100 million wrongful-death lawsuit against the team by Stringer’s widow, said ephedra, a stimulant commonly used to aid weight loss and increase athletic performance, was linked to his death. A judge threw out most of the claims against the team. The N.F.L. banned ephedra in September 2001.

Stringer, who was 27 and weighed 335 pounds, had the attack on a day in which the heat index was 110 degrees.

Mangini said that none of his players had been sidelined because of heat-related problems. But other teams have dealt with heat-related problems in recent days. A Buffalo Bills player was dehydrated and a Tennessee Titans player need intravenous fluids for cramping.

The heat is a topic of discussion for the N.F.L. every summer, said Greg Aiello, a league spokesman. The N.F.L. supplies teams with a set of guidelines for how to handle playing in the heat.

“It’s their responsibility to administer those procedures properly, in consultation with their medicals staffs,” Aiello said.

Hydration is stressed. The Jets instruct their players to drink fluids during team meetings and even before they begin to feel thirsty. They often practice on FieldTurf, a surface of rubber and sand that traps heat.

“We added some extra breaks today,” Mangini said. “We hit the players again with the importance of hydrating, and we’re really focused on making sure that we’re monitoring that very closely. With the weigh-ins and weigh-outs before and post practice, that’s also been an effective tool for us to monitor fluid weight loss.”

Mangini said the Jets, who will play most of their games in cold-weather cities this season, often practiced in the early morning and late afternoon to avoid the hottest time of the day. Asked if he would change the time of Wednesday’s practice if the heat index is, as predicted, around 110 at 2 p.m., Mangini said he would discuss the situation with his medical staff.

Some teams, including the Vikings and the Philadelphia Eagles, have used ingestible sensors to measure their players’ core temperatures. The sensors, which pass through the digestive system, enable medical staffs to monitor the temperatures using hand-held devices from the sidelines.

The Jets do not use the technology, known as the Core Temp Ingestible Core Body Temperature Sensor, said Ron Colangelo, the Jets’ vice president for public relations.

The Jets’ heaviest player, defensive tackle Tui Alailefaleula, 350 pounds, missed practice for undisclosed reasons.

“I’ve never really thought about dying because of the heat,” Blanton said. “I don’t know anything about Korey Stringer’s case. It’s a tragedy. But you have to stay hydrated. We have a training staff that’s really aware.”

EXTRA POINTS

The Jets on Tuesday signed defensive back Jovon Johnson and waived the rookie linebacker Will Thompson.

[mbn007]

I don't care how much you drink, it's hot out there. And dangerous.