No Matter What Fans Think, The Preseason Is Important

Many fans loathe preseason football. The starters play few minutes, don't try their hardest, and it's a time when second and third-stringers get the opportunity to play most of the games. Each team plays four preseason games, which many feel is too many games. And in the case of the two teams that play in the annual Hall of Fame Game, they have 5 preseason games to work with. Tomorrow, the preseason fully gets underway. four games will be played, with the Arizona Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers being the highlight of the night as it will be shown live on ESPN. Fans will certainly watch, but many will tune out after the first couple of series, when the first-string players are relegated to the bench as everyone else gets playing time. Many fans are opposed to the preseason and think that it should be reduced to 2 games for each team, but a number of things go into these games, making each one important. The preseason is an extremely valuable time for NFL teams. For the first-string players, it really isn't all that necessary, but it is a good chance to get involved with the game again and get back into the groove of playing actual games after a long season of OTAs and minicamps. It especially benefits new players who will be starting, because it gives them a chance to familiarize themselves with new teammates and get a feel for how they play in game situations. Second and third-string players are on the ones that need these games the most, as many are fighting for roster spots. The competition for jobs cannot be won on the practice field. General managers and coaches need to see how players do in real games, with pads and against opposing players. Watching them work against teammates in practice isn't a good gauge of their progress.  It's a chance for these players to showcase their abilities and prove that they have earned the right to remain on the roster. And if they are going to get cut, it also works out as being an audition for all the teams around the league that are monitoring the games. Coaches and general managers are the ones who get the most out of these games. For coaches, it is the chance to test a new scheme, watch it play out for the time against real competition and see how the players execute it. That is something that surely can't be fulfilled from a practice. New coaches truly need these games, because they undoubtedly have new schemes that need to be practiced in game situations, and they also need to get a feel for their team as a whole. It's a dress rehearsal for new coaches, as they can go through the game-day procedures and also see for the first time what works and what doesn't when it comes to preparation. General mangers also benefit from these games, because they work with the coaches to make roster cuts, and that's the biggest value that comes from preseason games. Cutting a substantial amount players after simply watching training camp doesn't seem fair and it certainly doesn't make much football sense. These games are where players will either rise to the occasion and perform well or crumble under the bright lights of NFL football. Remember, training camp rosters have 80 players, but gameday rosters have 53.  That means that 27 players are going to be gone from the team come early September. Seven players can be designated to the practice squad, so coaches and GMs have to see which seven they would like to keep in that form. Each and every player has to be fully evaluated, and that's what the preseason is for. Every decision is big, because which players a team settles on is the group that will go forward and try to win a championship. Position battles are a staple of training camp, and a starter is typically named during the preseason. The Cleveland Browns, for example, have a quarterback competition going between Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson. According to coach Eric Mangini, a starter will be named by the third preseason game. That will give the coaching staff significant evaluation time, and the next game can be used to watch the starter work with the first-unit for most of the game rather than having to work with the second-unit, which is what can happen when two players are engaged in a competition. Now, why the need for four games? That is always the question that fans want answered. Does it really take 4 games to evaluate all of the players and see which ones to keep and which to cut? Coaches and GMs will say yes, for a variety of reasons. Each preseason game is different in how it is run by most teams. The first two preseason games are used to get starters back into the swing of things and then begin the evaluation of second and third-stringers. The third game is usually when all of the starters have been named and coaches have a good grasp of how the team will look for the first regular season game. The starters play the most minutes in this game because it serves a great tune-up for the regular season. Then there's the fourth game, which is used for final evaluations of second and third-stringers. Starters typically don't play in this game, because coaches don't want to see injuries happen to key players so close to the season. And when it comes to the preseason, don't forget about the money involved. Look, it's not something most people want to hear, but the NFL makes a great profit off of these four games. The two home games that each team gets are added onto the season ticket packages and games are usually sold out, meaning that the league and team turn a solid profit. The preseason doesn't necessarily have the best football being played, but it is a very important time for everyone involved. Fans may not like it, but things would be much more difficult for teams without these games.