Players refer to the long weekend as a mini-bye. That’s the upside to playing on Thursday. The downside is everything that comes before it.

“The PA [Players Association] is not super-huge on Thursday games,” said Phillips, the Vikings player representative in the union. “From a personal standpoint I do like the mini-bye. Yes, you’re going to have a day of absolute [pain]. But you try to be mentally strong and you overcome that one grind day, then you get a mini-bye on the back end.”

Their mini-bye comes two weeks after their real bye, which is not exactly ideal. A little more space between those two would have been better.

“If any of you guys know the NFL schedulers,” Phillips joked, “we can talk to them about it.”

Players realize that every team deals with a short week at some point, so they put all their energy and attention on preparation.

Phillips arrived at the facility four hours before the first team meeting Monday to start treatment. He overheard younger players seeking advice from veterans about their routines for this unique week.