Rueben Bain is wasting his time?

Welcome back to another Leech Letter,

In case you missed it, Rugby Strength Coach did what he does best on Twitter this week and stirred the pot. He shared a clip of Tampa Bay first round pick Rueben Bain drilling on a pop-up bag after practice and said it won't make any difference for him.

Call me Keir (@RUGBY_STR_COACH), quoting a clip from @UnderdogNFL ("Bucs rookie Rueben Bain Jr. working alone over a half hour after practice ended"):

"Imagine making it all the way to an NFL preseason and thinking that the difference between getting picked up or not is reps against an inert sled that can't fight back. Unless its just to be seen to be working. Either way go rest my guy. You have a game this weekend." (the post)

Here's the thing people have a hard time hearing. He's more right than wrong.

Everyone immediately assumes he's saying extra work is bad or bag drills are stupid. He's not saying either.

For Rueben Bain (first round pick, stud in college, potential ROTY), this drill is not making him better at football. It's a pass rush rep against a static object. Something he's done thousands of times in his life. There's nothing to react to. No read to make off the tackle's set or punch. He may be greasing "muscle memory," but he's not preparing for real competition.

And if the argument is conditioning, I'd side with Keir there too. There are better ways to train energy systems than this. He just finished a full NFL practice in the Florida heat. An extra 30 to 60 minutes in the sun doing drills you can do in your sleep is not the best use of his time.

But people love to argue on Twitter without providing solutions. So here are mine:

1. Convince Tristan Wirfs (when healthy) to stick around and give you real looks in post-practice 1v1s. Train with the best to beat the best.

2. Can't get the OL to stay? Grab a coach and have him give a pass set with options. Short set, hit this. Overset, work the inside rush. Early punch or tight hands, counter. Football is an open, reactive environment. You win the rep by picking the right tool in the moment.

3. Grinding one specific move? Still grab a coach or a teammate to give you an actual set. The changing looks are what turn a move into mastery.

Here's why those don't happen. They're taxing. They take more intensity than a bag. They require asking teammates and coaches to stay late, and maybe the rookie doesn't want to bother anybody. And sometimes it just feels good to do the thing you've done your whole life.

If Steph Curry wanted to get better at shooting, 1v1s against a teammate and closeout situations would beat putting up shots 100 times over. But sometimes it's easier to just put up shots.

Comfortable reps feel like work. They just don't count like work.

What are your thoughts? Am I wrong on this one? Reply and let me know. I answer every email.

Keep the Fire Burning,

Leech

P.S. - Check out this Free Inseason Team Talk Builder I created. Over 188 speeches to give your team, for 27 different situations you could be in this season. Let me know what you think!