I found this tidbit bit from Brad Biggs at the Chicago Tribune to be interesting. He notes that Braxton Jones had a tendency to wear down over the course of games last year as he came back from injury:
“I think the joint practices were both stepping stones in the right direction,” Jones said. “From a year ago to now, I’m proud of myself for having better practices and just feeling better after the practices.
“(Tennessee) was a big confidence block in building toward the season and being in alignment with what the whole team wants, finishing and being strong toward the end. It was big for myself realizing I can do a lot of things that I probably couldn’t a year ago. Both practices were very positive. I’m grateful to go out there and execute on a higher level than I did a year ago.”
Those practices in the heat in Tennessee probably really helped the Bears.
I may fairly big rugby fan, and one of the things that coaches will do in that sport is drive athletic performance under adverse conditions, for instance, in the heat of an afternoon practice the day before a warm-up game. This forces athletes to practice perform mentally under adverse conditions both in the practice and during the game the following day when they are tired, and when performance would ordinarily degrade.
The practices in Tennessee probably really helped Bears players in this regard. Forcing the players to concentrate in high heat in a competitive practice against an opponent other than themselves will stand them in good stead during the season in games when exhaustion might ordinarily result in lapses in concentration. It seems that Jones in particular benefited from these conditions.