McNabb Invites Receivers to “h**l Week”
Washington’s quarterback Donovan McNabb invited offensive teammates to his annual "h**l Week," which features a series of workouts at Fischer Sports near his home in Phoenix.
Consider McNabb's "h**l Week," as Gordon Ramsey’s h**l Kitchen, but for football players. There is no better way to describe it.
Imagine a week of hard-core workouts and grueling football drills with McNabb’s trainer Bret Fischer’s 20,000-square foot workout facility- the location where McNabb trains at during the offseason.
All this takes place under a hot Arizona sun.The temperature in the desert is going to be sweltering and temperatures are expected to top 110 degrees this week.
"It's a different mindset," McNabb said. "I prepare guys the way I prepare."
McNabb, who was traded by Philadelphia in April, invited Redskins receivers, tight ends and running backs to the camp to which will feature daily routines focusing on the athlete's core, abdominals, the lower back and hips. The camp also involves everything from traditional weights to resistance bands.
McNabb will be joined by teammates for voluntary workouts, including Santana Moss, Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly.
McNabb insists that the week he has planned will be tough, but at the same time it will help the quarterback and teammates prepare for training camp which begins July 29.
As much as it prepares McNabb and his receivers a little for training camp, it serves as a good bonding experience and that’s going to be important for the offense to click early in Washington.
"I think it's important for the specialists on the offense to have that chemistry, to have that bond, where they can trust me and I can trust them," he said.
Kelly and Thomas are former second-round draft picks that have yet to step forward and there are questions whether or not the team has enough talent at the receiver position for McNabb.
“Nothing but good come out of the situation when you go out and work out with your quarterback before the season starts," Thomas told Maese. "It's a great time to build that chemistry without the coaches being there. You just get a little of that extra bonding time to lead into training camp.”
Quarterback Colt Brennan also added his name to the list and is no stranger to Fischer Sports as he attended a series of workout drills back in January, several weeks before he and McNabb would share the same locker room at Redskins Park.
Brennan and McNabb have been working out together at Fischer Sports, studying the playbook, going through the same sets of drills. And that will continue this week at "h**l Week."
This is Brennan's first off season working out with Fischer. Early in the process, Brennan felt some discomfort in his right knee and had minor arthroscopic surgery.
Now entering just his third year in the National Football League, Brennan has had scopes on his right hip, left hip, right knee and left knee.
Despite all the nagging injuries surrounding the third year quarterback, we're hearing that Brennan feels as healthy as he has since college, and Fischer reports that the quarterback's recent workouts show no signs of pain or injury.
"He's really working hard to take his game to the next level," Fischer said. "He looks great.
While the weeks that lead up to training camp are generally treated as down time across the NFL, the Redskins quarterback is setting the bar high for himself and for those who attend his boot camp.
"For them [McNabb’s teammates], I think it's an eye-opener what we're doing," said Fischer, "I think it's an eye opener for them, comparing themselves with their quarterback, with how hard he's working out here.To me, it's him telling them, 'Hey, I'm taking this thing seriously to the next level. Let's go to the next level. '"
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