Preseason does not indicate success for regular season
Anyone who feels concern over their team’s National Football League pre-season performances should just relax and remember that these games will not determine how their team will play this year. Nothing is known until the regular season starts.
Some silly examples of how much importance is being placed on the pre-season include Cowboys fans doubting the potency of their team’s offence. Dallas only scored 25 points over their first two games and fans are already questioning the team. Some fans now hold concern over the Indianapolis Colts as the 49ers scored 34 unanswered points against them en route to a 37-17 victory. Don’t worry, the Colts are fine. The Saints lost in a tight 27-24 game against the Patriots and some are already ready to label the Saints as a team with a Super Bowl hangover. Huh?
Let’s get one thing straight; wins and losses do not count in a preseason. In no way does it determine how a team will fare during the season. As proof of this, look no further than the 2008 Detroit Lions. We remember that team, although Lions fans want to forget them. We all know they went 0-16 and were the worst team of all time. Does anyone remember their preseason record? Well, it wasn’t a futile 0-4; it was a perfect, a flawless 4-0. That’s right those Lions won four straight games. Their defence was stellar in the preseason, only giving up 32 points in four games, averaging eight points allowed per game. That defence then went on to be the worst in the league, averaging 32.2 points allowed per game in their 16 regular season games. The offence wasn’t much better, averaging 16.8 points scored per game, 27th of 32 in the NFL.
There are reasons why a team doesn’t look the same in the preseason that they will in the regular season. First and foremost, the players you’ll actually see on the team throughout the season barely play in the preseason. You see the starters take the field for a series, maybe two if you’re lucky. The rest of a preseason game will be for backups to get their reps in and for rookies to show what they can do for their coaches and avoid getting cut for another week. Preseason is primarily to give backups some active work and for rookies to earn a spot on the final roster. At best starters can shake off some rust.
Even from the short time we see starters on the field, the unit can’t be judged from what they do in the five to 10 minutes they’re playing. Not all teams score on their first possession in every single game and some teams take some time in games to build a rhythm and get going. If Peyton Manning doesn’t lead the Colts to a touchdown in the first series of a game, it’s certain he’ll do it at some point. If Andre Johnson drops a pass in pre-season, you know that’s a one in a thousand situation.
On to a mental level, starters know they’re making a team and there’s no need to kill themselves in preseason. If you ask most veterans around the league what they think about pre-season, you’d probably find out most players find it useless for them and would elect to sit on the sidelines until the regular season starts. Just ask Brett Favre.
Too often, we see season-ending injuries in exhibition games and that should not happen. It’s a shame when it happens and there’s no need to put players in such a risky situation. For rookies and guys trying to earn a spot on the depth chart, by all means they have something to play for. They have to show they’re capable of playing at the professional level which is why preseason is needed for some players. It just shouldn’t be used as a measuring stick as to how a team will do in the upcoming season. Nothing is ever certain in the NFL, much less in preseason.
You can go 4-0 or 0-4 in preseason and it makes no difference. Nobody remembers it, and it doesn’t add to your regular season success, or your chances at a Super Bowl. With all the injuries that are suffered before a season really begins, all you should really be concerned about are injuries. Key injuries can jeopardize a team’s season and is all that can really affect a team. If your team suffers several key injuries in a preseason, that’s bad news and your team could have some problems. If a team makes it through preseason with no serious injuries, then that is a perfect preseason. That is what will help in the regular season, having a healthy roster set to play 16 brutal, physical games through the fall and winter.
Tags: