The first thing most players look for when the NFL schedule comes out is the bye week. The opponents? The prime-time games? That stuff can wait. Man, tell us when we get a break. One thing to realize: NFL players are not robots and the grind of the season is real, so guys cherish their time away.

Jump on a plane and get out of town -- even if only for a day or two. A weekend trip to Manhattan is nice. So are college football tailgates. And you should always try to get back home to see Mom. Grab one of those home-cooked meals and drink a beer with the old man, too.

That's really all it takes for NFL players to feel normal again.

The physical toll of the game is one thing. We all understand football is going to beat you up, and everyone is hurt this time of the year. So the bye week allows players to grab some extra treatment and take a Sunday off.

But what I've always felt, and experienced as a player during my travels around the league to four different cities, is that the mental break is even more important.

"NFL players are not robots and the grind of the season is real, so guys cherish their time away."

People forget: A lot more goes into playing this game than what you see on Sundays. There's a new playbook install to ingrain ... every week. New scouting reports to study ... every week. New film to digest ... every week. New personnel packages to run through ... every week. New call sheets to draw up ... every week.

And then you add in the meetings and the practices and the walk-throughs and the lifting and the treatment. Like I said, it's a grind. By the time midseason rolls around, players almost become robotic.

And when rookies hit the wall come mid-November, it's more of a mental thing than a physical thing. These young cats can run all day. They aren't beat up like eight-year vets yet. Heck, most of these guys are still built like rubber bands. But some aren't used to the demands of the job when it comes to the prep time, the game planning or the film study. That can be a major adjustment from the college game. And by this time of the season, that mental exhaustion starts to take its toll.

But even for the vets, the players who attack this daily routine like true pros, the time off is a beautiful thing. And it doesn't have to be some wild vacation.

For me, it was back to Iowa a couple of times on the bye week. Watch the Hawkeyes, drink some Busch Light, see old college teammates. I loved it. And I needed it. The same when I got older in the league. Back home to Chicago, over to New York, whatever.

Hey, take a two-day trip with your wife. Go watch the kids play a rec soccer game. Get to a warmer locale. Maybe a weekend in Miami for the young guys.

Really, it's not so much about what you do during the bye week, but what you don't do. And that means you get away from the game altogether. I know it doesn't sound like much, but you would be surprised how many players come back from this mini-break ready to play.

ESPN.com NFL analyst Matt Bowen played seven seasons as a defensive back in the NFL.