No one seemed to take it more seriously than Cassel. He approached this not in a cobbled-together, temporary way. He parlayed his observations from six NFL seasons into making this production a reality. Security guards lined a fence. Cassel called out offensive plays, drawn up in a morning meeting with other veteran players. Substitutions ran in and out of the huddle before it broke. Players held 45-minute meetings in which they discussed the alignments and formations they would use on this day. There was even a makeshift public-relations man who sent out a news release about the practices on Tuesday.

"It all started with Matt," center Rudy Niswanger said.

No, this wasn't what players are used to, but stripped down, it was similar. Players said it helped to live the life again - rudimentary as it was. Offensive lineman Ryan Lilja said he felt rejuvenated about the team's workout, which resembled a walkthrough, with players wearing T-shirts and shorts and running basic plays.

"Dusting off the playbook really helps out," Lilja said. "It just felt crisp to me."