Souhan: Zimmer open to altering practice routine if Vikings need to

The Green Bay Packers will arrive in Minnesota looking uncannily quick and athletic. More than halfway through a brutal NFL season, they look almost refreshed. They have scored 50 points in consecutive games, and 38 points or more in five of their past six.

There may be a hidden reason for their success, but it's not a mystery to the Vikings, who have adopted similar methods in an attempt to similarly evolve.

The Packers, like the Philadelphia Eagles and innovative coach Chip Kelly, have altered their regimens and schedules this year to energize players.

In training camp, the Packers took frequent water breaks, while handing out energy bars or jells.

During the season, the Packers have altered the traditional NFL workweek. Consider their schedule during a week in which they play Sunday.

On Friday, when most teams hold their last full practice of the week, the Packers instead hold meetings and have their players undergo deep tissue massages. On Saturday, when most teams hold literally-named walk-throughs, the Packers, like the Eagles, practice, hoping the activity will rev their players' muscles for game day.

The Packers still bring their players in on Monday, the day after the game, and schedule Tuesday as a day off, while the Eagles make Monday a day off and begin game week on Tuesday.

"Matter of fact, I got their schedules from the last couple of games in a row and tried to evaluate it, and talked to a couple of guys to see if it was helping them,'' Zimmer said. "I thought about doing it, and almost did it, and then we got back to playing good, so I left things alone.

"Yeah, I'm always trying to look for something better than what we're doing, and looking to change, if we need it.''

Kelly embraces the role of innovator. He calls practices "training'' and tries to distance himself from outdated football thinking.

Zimmer, like Packers coach Mike McCarthy, would have looked at home on Lombardi's sideline. They talk like old-school coaches, but think in terms of modernity.

Asked if he favored traditional or advanced methodology, McCarthy said: "I don't think it's one or the other anymore. I think you have to be able to be in touch with the traditions, because this game was founded and played in a certain way for a lot of good reasons. And those components of training for your football team have to be in place …

Zimmer is 58. His most obvious coaching mentor was Bill Parcells, the stereotypical blue-collar, hard-cussing leader. Zimmer could lean on methods that won Super Bowls in the '80s and '90s, when pushing players through physical practices was en vogue. Instead …

"I'm trying to give the players as much time off as I can,'' he said. "They've got meetings after practice, and I try to get them out of here early. And as the season goes on, I may try to get them out of here even earlier, just so they can get through the grind a little bit. I'm sure there's quite a few things schedulewise that we will change.''

Zimmer said he'll re-evaluate his schedule this offseason.

The Packers favor deep-tissue massages that promote healing. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, in the midst of a brilliant season at age 30, has altered his diet and adopted hot yoga to increase flexibility. In a story with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Lori Nickels, he said he no longer plans to retire in his mid-30s. He feels so rejuvenated he plans to play into his 40s.

"Our guys get those massages, too,'' Zimmer said. "I've seen all of the articles and done research on this. Now, different guys have different methods. Some of them get in the steam room, some of them get massages. We discuss all of that.''