So Hot Playing the Football

The New York Jets players practice in the heat.

The New York Jets, for example, practiced twice on Friday, then had only one session on Saturday _ in 95-degree heat.

But what was scheduled to be a session of a little over two hours turned into three hours because Eric Mangini _ at 35, less than half Levy's age _ was dissatisfied with the practice. He kept having the offense rerun plays and twice had the teams run laps around the field _ something more common to high school coaches than those in the NFL.

"Yesterday I didn't think was very good. It was the hottest day that we've had in four years, according to our trainers. I think that it showed," Mangini said Sunday. "The heat is a good thing. I hope we get a lot of heat because as I've told the players we have got to learn to play in all the different elements."

Other coaches are well aware of the problems heat can cause _ especially those in hot climates.

"We give a test to all the guys that is muscle mass, body fat and hydration," Miami's Nick Saban said. "Almost 100 percent of the time when a guy has high body fat he has low hydration. That's not good for player safety in the climate we have to work in. We have structured programs to bring them down."

Man It is Hot! Time for some heat safety tips.