The latest issue of ESPN The Magazine features a well-written, well-reported article by David Fleming arguing the merits of the Oklahoma drill. The title reads: "Is the Oklahoma drill a rite of passage or everything to fear about football?"
In case you're unfamiliar with the Oklahoma drill - and if you are, how did you get here? - see it performed by its namesake program below.
Speaking from personal experience, I side firmly with Group A. The Oklahoma drill is a rite of passage in football. Beyond that, the drill is football itself. As Andy Staples succinctly said Wednesday afternoon, there is no football without an Oklahoma drill.
To go one step further, I would argue coaches who don't introduce the Oklahoma drill or something similar at some point during training camp do their players a disservice. A 1-on-1, hit-or-be-hit situation awaits every player who steps on the field, and for many it's an every-play occurrence. Again, it's football in its simplest form.
Not everyone feels that way, though.
"Everybody's better off if nobody does it," former Harvard defensive tackle and Sports Legacy Institute co-founder Chris Nowinski told Fleming. "What we should be doing is rewarding and respecting coaches who say, 'We don't have to destroy each other in order to be men.'"
What do you think? I suspected the vast majority of the audience is in agreement, but perhaps not. Is football better off without the Oklahoma drill?