How much stock do you put into preseason games?

Question

Have you ever noticed a history of players playing particularly well in the preseason games end up having great regular season following? Do you find the preseason to be at all meaningful?

Answer 1

The pre saeson is meaningful in the sense it helps teams set their depth. It is a perfect time to see the 2nd and 3rd teamers go up against different players than in practice and make sure they understand and accomplish their given role. As for the starters, for the bad teams there is great meaning in preseason....they try to establish a winning mentality (this is why you generally see the worst teams leaving starters on the field far longer than competitive teams). And on occasion a guy emerges (see Ray Rice...if I were Willis McGahee I would get healthy real soon). As for the good teams, it gets them in a few reps against guys they grow to hate hitting day after day but honestly it has almost no meaning to the better teams.

On occasion you do see a guy parlay preseason game action into proving they might be worth a gamble. Matt Schuab was not a starter in Atlanta but became a hot commodity with a couple strong preseason showings. Ray Rice like I mentioned earlier is proving to be a very good option and a few years ago Clinton Portis had a big rookie preseason and eventually earned the starting gig...that worked out okay for him. It does happen but I would rather see an 18 game schedule and 2 preseason games than the 4 they play now (plus it is BS that teams charge regular season prices to watch mostly scrubs during the preseason, not to mention basic play calling).

Answer 2

It is meaningful, but its so lopsided because top teams don't really play their starters. When Mid/low caliber teams are playing eachother, the first quarter is definitely something to analyze but as a whole I wouldn't put that much "stock" into preseason games

Answer 3

I put very little stock in preseason after the first half.

In my Free Football Picks system I weight the team performance statistics in the preseason as follows:

First game: first quarter stats only.

Second game: first half stats only.

Third game: first half and third quarter stats only

Fourth game: Game stats.

These statistics, along with my other statistical porbability analysis, computer handicapper polling, and public and private picks are then used to predict the forst regular season game.

For more information you can go to http://www.football-free-picks.com and see how it works.

I have seen more players have a great preseason, then fizzle in the regular season than the other way around. The preseason super standouts that often seem to do well in the regular season are generally picked to play, and then the plays are designed to use their talents. this helps a lot, I suspect.  

Answer 4

A bit, I just want to see if the starters are rusty, then they put in the second, third, and fourth stringers, so it's really them that win or lose the game. The thing that concerns me the most is if any of the starters get injured, then I try to remember if the guy sitting on the bench behind them was halfway decent.

That's my 2 for 2.

Answer 5

Not overly. A lot of the players who stand out during preseason tend to be playing against 2nd/3rd offenses and defenses. There are exceptions within that, but preseason tends to be used mainly for roster spots and getting rookies practice.

Answer 6

It's meaningful in that it gives guys some game speed time before going in to the regular season and it allows you to go at it with other teams.  It also gives teams an idea of what young players and new vets are going to be capable of and how they fit in their system.  I don't think it needs to be four games long but that's how they do it.

College programs basically do the same thing except the cupcakes they schedule count.

Answer 7

No, most teams run very basic plays as to not show anything. Pre season is more for talent evaluation than anything else.

Answer 8

None,zilch,zero,goose egg,nada,preseason games are a joke,anyone that gets excited about preseason should look at past history,as soon as the real games begin,everyone will forget about the preseason records

Answer 9

ok...for me....all the preseason is for is one thing....getting into shape, finding out your teams weaknesses, see who's gonna make the team and most important of all...keeping your key players healthy..

other than that the outcomes don't mean nothing...

my cowboys are 1-2...do i care?...not a bit, because i know they will answer the bell when the season starts.