Preseason length...
With us creeping up on that part of the year we lament the lengthy NFL preseason schedule, I had an epiphany.
I propose a 16 game preseason that begins in April and concludes in August with a newly created Preseason Super Bowl!
... no need to thank me; you are welcome!
id be fine with a preseason that was the B leauge prior to the nfl season.
The NFL Summer Training League. B)
16 games and a Super Bowl was just a rib on the recent calls i've read (not here) for shortening the preseason; I actually do appreciate the access 4 games gives the coaching staff with a 90 man roster. I wouldn't oppose extending it; making a "league" of it would help differentiate "preseason" from "regular" season. Make the rosters double a normal 53 (106 man) and call it 6 games like it was in the old days, and obviously don't play your starters outside a set number of reps or series. Let the young guys develop, let the coaches find talent that fits, get more tape for the rest of the league to study, and help the fans and media stop prematurely celebrating "the start" of the NFL season...
I've read calls for preseason being shortened to 2 games... 3 games... no games. I just don't understand it. The common complaints are the games suck and the injury risk is high; basically, it just feels like people are overly excited for the NFL season to begin. Hardcore fans yell "football is back!" as soon as the Hall of Fame game. A bandwagon effect takes place as excitement bubbles... and it crashes during the game once the stars exit and the game gets sloppy... I guess I feel a sense of impatience overall. We know what preseason entails - a lot of us have been together talking Vikings for a long time - it's always the same thing. The coaches balance reps and injury risk and pull players out for Week 1... i dunno. Injuries happen... these games hopefully allow teams to be prepared.
Week 4 is a big test for backups and players who won't make the 53. I wouldn't be opposed the having 2 more "Week 4" type matchups earlier in the year. End of July. Have the first 2 weeks be just UDFA or PS eligible types until the rest of the roster reports for Camp. Maybe for 2 early weeks, some media folks would treat these games like the "practice games" that they are.
Bigger issue I see is the lack of time coaches have with players once the season ends. I'd relax some of that (let em coach up a bit without the hitting even) and cut back pre-season by 1 game to start with.
that'll go over with with NFLPA and Owners I'm sure.
Actually I believe that if we shortened the length of the preseason you would see a drop off in quality of the game. When we talk about the preseason we do it in context of the players and their potential health risks. But there is a LOT that goes into putting together an NFL game. For the teams there is getting all of their ducks in a row as far as getting plays in, getting their personnel packages together on the sidelines and in on the right packages. Not to mention all the systems and processes that need to be worked out that are ancillary to the game itself.
The quality of the game is worth the wait. Every year there are new coaching staffs in place, or even shakeups within existing coaching staffs. There are changes to systems that bring us the game via broadcast, new stadiums, all sorts of things that take more than a couple games to get worked out.
I suffer along with everyone else in waiting for the season to begin and bite my nails over players possibly getting hurt as well. But in the end I think we would have the first quarter of the season littered with issues if we didn't have these dress rehearsals for not just the players but everything around the game.
Cut it to 3 pre season games but give them two weeks from the last game to reg season to allow them to work on packages and iron out the kinks in their game.
The preseason helps work the kinks out and helps coaches evaluate players. Also if we are wanting an OL to have time to gel, that's where training camp and preseason come in. You can't expect them to be ready for the first game without the prep time. It's an unreasonable and unrealistic expectation. I am as excited as anyone for the season to begin but we have to have some preseason. Plus it's kind of fun to see those players on the bubble fighting for a spot. That's a good you make PF about the coaching. The coaches and players need that time.
I fucking hate preseason. Its nothing more than an injury fest for all teams. Garbage football with zero value.
@"StickyBun" said: I fucking hate preseason. Its nothing more than an injury fest for all teams. Garbage football with zero value.I hate it too. Hold our collective breath time no doubt. It's also so necessary for the players. I dont know what the solution is -- probably nothing exists that doesnt have some concern with it.
@"StickyBun" said: I fucking hate preseason. Its nothing more than an injury fest for all teams. Garbage football with zero value.
I agree. I wish more teams would just scrimmage with one another like the Vikes did with the Jags. The old Cheeseleague (all the teams with camps in WI and MN) would scrimmage more in the old days.
I hate pre-season as well. I still watch it. I just wish they had 1 or 2 fewer games that didn't matter and maybe 1 or 2 more that did.
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