Definitely does help the team start with an edge, though. But you're right in that the end result matters far more than simply the first drive of the game.
You forgot to say something about millenials hanging out on your lawn and forgot to mention how you walked a mile to school uphill with a napkin on a stick as your backpack.
3 and out on the first series = good field position for opponent and momentum for them early. Miami's offence and defence weren't good enough to take the momentum back = down by 10-20 pts at half
Let's not forget that today's players have to carry 50-70 pounds more than their counterparts from the Shula era. It's a lot easier for a 270 pound lineman to run in the Florida heat than a lineman that weighs 320.
Ok Ok the 2-days were eliminated or toned down to prevent injuries especially for the veteran players. The downside a young team rookies can use the reps etc. Times have changed too there are all kind of sub packages now which means specialization more and also players in more cases dont require the endurance factor of their older counterparts. So point taken a 320 pounder is going to suffer more in the heat but if course a 320 pounder would not be 320 pounds if he was practicing in the heat twice a day. As far as the practice bubble thats was created so we could still practice in the summer during our frequency rain storms.
Remember these otas are more about teaching opportunities than conditioning. Most people will tell you students who are in a comfortable inviorment learn better than those in harsh surroundings. I mean a geology professor at University of Miami would prefer to hold class in an air conditioned room than outside in 100 degrees or a driving rain.
Interesting data from Pro-Football Reference on 2016 opening drives: https://www.pro-football-reference....d_quarter[]=2&tr_gtlt=lt&minutes=15&seconds=0 Shows a few things: 1. Opening drive scoring success was bottom third of the league. 2. Average starting field position was near the bottom of the league. 3. Average point differential when starting their first drive was near the bottom of the league. 4. Yards gained was closer to the middle of the league. 5. Opening drive success (at least for 2016) was not a good predictor of team success. Falcons and Patriots had the highest success on their first drives and made it to the SB, but Chargers, Bengals, Colts, and Eagles were nearly as successful and all missed the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Texans, Dolphins, Raiders, Giants, and Seahawks had limited success on their first drives and all made the playoffs.
