Nah the OTAs are just fine; it gives the rookies some time to learn the new system without the physical contact and time for the veterans to go off and do football camps and charity work. Plus it gives unhappy players a way to make known their contract disputes. If the NFL changed them to official practices I suppose they would involve mandatory participation and scrimages with pads and violence, if anything this would lead to more injuries like what happened to Roethlisberger.

So the best comment the WP can find to post is from a snob who describes football as "brutality masked as a sport?" What a load of crap...

They're grown men who get paid millions of dollars a year to play a game. If they want to practice off season that's their choice. BTW, is it me or does Ben get injured every off season? He's better off playing football 24-7.

A practice is a practice. Who cares what it's called. The NFL is getting overrun by attorneys and will lose its audience if it doesn't drop the BS.