The Preseason Debate

if its gonna stay 4 weeks, then NO MORE 5 WEEKS for just the 'SKINS. WTF.

it should change. more camp or more reg. season, but less MEANINGLESS but THREATENING games!

Sixteen games is still the shortest pro season around. I hate losing players in the preseason, but this is the way the league has evolved its schedule, and it's the way the players and coaches have gotten used to preparing. I think four games is fine, five if you're picked for the HOF game. Remember, years when we didn't have five games, we always scrimaged someone like the Steelers, home and away. 5 weeks of preparation makes for good, exciting opening day football, not like thoe early season NBA or NHL games. And does anyone even watch baseball before the all-star break (or after it)?

People blow out their knees in practice as well. Should we stop practicing before the season?

As for the money stuff, the NFL will make every dollar it can. Nothing new there. :twocents:

5 games maybe too long. But 4 games in preseason is not. Am I in a room with a buncha pussies? Come on guys we're talking football. Millions of dollars and full contact. Don't change presean, but do something about 20 yr olds making millions without a snap.

rookie contracts are rewards/payment for college really, whether you agree with it or not.

Am I in a room with a buncha pussies? Come on guys we're talking football.

Actually, no. We just have a different opinion than you. And maybe we've read a little more about it. I am completely convinced that in 2 years, the NFL "pussy" players will be playing 2 preseason games and 18 regular season games. It gives them much higher revenue from the networks and 2 fewer "meaningless" games for their valuable merchandise to be damaged. And this is why the BYE week has not gone away even though there is no longer any need for it - they do not want to LOSE the extra week of TV revenue. THAT is what drives all NFL decisions, and is what will bring about this change. Being compared to female anatomy will have no effect.

It will never happen, but if I were the commissioner, here are a few changes that I would implement:

No overtime in preseason. If it ends in a tie, so what? And don't give me any crap about how important it is for players to get a feel for sudden-death. Once you're in a sudden-death overtime game in the regular season, by that time everyone should know how important it is. Why increase the chance for injury by extending a meaningless game?

Either shorten the games to just a half, or make it two preseason games tops. If you think about it, the starters -- the people everybody knows will make the roster -- are in for about a series or two, with the most extensive action seen in the third exhibition game. So the scrubs who are in for the majority of snaps in every other game can't possibly make it on the team. Essentially, the coaches are throwing guys out there as 'filler' just so they can field a team. 90% of those types of players aren't going to make the team anyway.

You can't tell me that 3rd and 4th string players are honestly getting evaluated with 5 minutes to go in the fourth quarter against a non-division opponent who's also lining up their 4th string. Most of the evaluation happens in camp and practices anyway.

I would also allow the final roster cuts much further into the regular season, say the 4th game. If player evaluation is so important, then extend the final roster cut deadline, and while you're at it, make it a sixty-man roster instead of 53.

No, I'm not a fan of preseason. And yes, injuries happen and they happen in many circumstances, not just an exhibition game. Anquan Boldin, David Boston and Jimmy Kennedy are good examples of guys who got hurt on the practice field. But try explaining that to fans of Michael Vick, Chad Pennington, or Jon Jansen. It's a money making scam that even the most knowledgeable NFL fans fall for hook, line and sinker. Until people stop paying attention, stop attending and stop watching nationally televised preseason games, the NFL and the team owners will never change anything.

I agree with the no OT idea. Call it a tie and call it a night.

Three pre-season games! No OT! Charge less for PS games!
18 Game season.
The idea is to evaluate back-up talent and not get starters hurt. That's why they are pulled out after a series or two in PS!

:dallas:

I think 4 preseason games is good, but 5 is too many. They should just make the HOF game the first pre-season game (out of 4) for the teams involved, a few days before the rest of the games and those two teams will just have a couple extra days in between games....similar to having the regular season kick-off game on Thursday like they do now.
I agree that OT in preseason is senseless. The games don't matter anyway.
As for injuries, they can happen anywhere...practice, games, etc. Jansen's injury happened with no one around him. That is not a good reason to cut the number of preseason games down. The 3rd and 4th stringer do get a good evaluation in the games rather than practice, even if they are going against othe 3rd and 4th stringers. The coaches can see how they react in a real game atmosphere against another team, which can not really be duplicated in a practice.
I think an 18 game season with a 3 game preseason would work well. If that happens, then the rosters should be increased to 60 with 55 active on game-day (from 53 and 48, respectively).

illdefined:

This is not a conspiracy against the Redskins by the evil geniuses in the NFL offices.

Every year, two teams are "invited" to play in the Hall of Fame Game. It becomes a 5th pre-season game for those two teams and the NFL tries to spread it around because some coaches find that extra game a big positive. Teams may decline the invitation; I dont' recall that any have ever done that.

When Carolina and Jax entgered the league, those two teams played in the Hall of Fame Game. That was purely a PR show. The league tries to have one NFC and one AFC team each year, but they do not always find a good storyline to put such a match-up together.

The Broncos being invited made sense because the NFL was "pretty sure" that John Elway would be an inductee to the HoF in this year - his first year of eligibility. So, Denver was a natural invitee. After the blockbuster trade of Portis for Bailey, the Redskins became the logical opponent for the game.

Just remember, Danny Boy and/or Joe Gibbs could have politely declined that invitation if they had chosen to do so.