What do NFL players do during Super Bowl halftime show?

Football fans normally do not worry what NFL players do during halftime.

Some of the world’s greatest athletes rest, drink water, have a quick snack or receive coaching before the second half of a game begins.

But in the Super Bowl with an extended halftime break and sports fans across the globe focusing on music superstars such as Usher, Lady Gaga, U2 or Bruce Springsteen on stage?

Not only are halftime breaks longer than normal during the Super Bowl, but players can easily become distracted by the extra delay or see their finely tuned bodies become injury liabilties.

While the average length of a Super Bowl halftime performance is 12 to 15 minutes, Rihanna’s show in Super Bowl LVII lasted almost 20 minutes.

Factor in walking off and back on the field, and that’s a lot of downtime for quarterbacks and wide receivers normally used to rapid-fire plays and constant action.

The entire halftime break during a Super Bowl doubles a standard game break, leaving NFL players and coaches an extended period to think alone, meet up in groups, stretch or run through collective team adjustments.

Marching bands used to carry halftime shows during the Super Bowl’s early days.

Now, some of the bigget musical artists in the world perform on elaborate stages — and many TV watchers only tune in for the halftime show.

Some NFL teams have begun practicing for the Super Bowl by simulating the extended halftime break during the two-week build up to the game.

Part of that practice involves relaxing without coaching for an extended period, allowing players to take a mental break from the stress and energy of the game.

New Kids on the Block, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross and Paul McCartney led to The Rolling Stones, Prince, Tom Petty and The Who as the NFL’s Super Bowl halftime performances became bigger and bigger over the decades.

That’s led to more downtime and lingering questions about what exactly professional athletes do while Lady Gaga is twirling down from the roof of a massive stadium.

Players stretch, watch video, chat and prepare for the second half.

They also rest while millions tune in to watch one of the biggest spectacles in the world — one that doesn’t include football being played on the field for up to 30 minutes.