Ideas for Making TC and Pre-season Better

[Bobhaze]

Ok, I confess that I don’t particularly enjoy pre-season football. I can’t wait for Sept. 9th when some real football starts. Usually by late July, most of us Cowboys fans are starving for some football. Then training camp starts and although it technically is football, for people like me it’s just a 6 week grind of over analyzing or obsessing over mostly backup players.

Yes, I will be watching the ‘Boys Thurs night against SF in the preseason “opener”, but frankly I could do without a sloppy game of mostly players who will never play a meaningful down of NFL football. Not to mention hoping and praying that a guy we are counting on doesn’t get a knee blown out in a freak accident.

So here’s some ideas to make TC and preseason more meaningful and less of a beating for fans like me:

1. Do away with pre-season exhibition games. Totally. They could be replaced with 3-4 controlled scrimmages against nearby training camp opponents. The owners could charge low prices for fans attending and get some TV cash for the right to broadcast them. Coaches can still evaluate young players in these situations along with TC practices. College football doesn’t have “exhibition games” and neither should the pros.

2. Expand the rosters from 53 to 65 players until Oct.1. After Oct. 1, rosters could be reduced to 55 players. This would give the coaches an extra month to evaluate those bubble players trying to make the final roster and not need ps games to evaluate them. The 12 players cut after Oct 1 could become the practice squad players.

3. Another way the owners could make up the revenue loss of ps games is by charging for TC coverage and scrimmages. You can’t tell me a guy like Jerry couldn’t come up with some tantalizing “package” for fans who love TC to buy. (See #4)

4. Make Cowboys TC be held at the Star in Frisco. Currently, only 14 of the 32 NFL teams hold TC away from their home base. It costs a ton of cash to hold TC in California. A lot of things I’ve read over the years from players is they hate TC because they are away from their homes and families. Why not just keep it at the Star where Jerry already has the facilities to handle it? And, he can surely find ways to get revenue from a home TC, instead of ripping off fans for fraud pre-season games where they charge full price for a game to mostly watch scrubs play sloppy football.

I know these ideas probably won’t happen, but a fan can dream right?
What ideas do you have to make pre-season better?

 

[Diehardblues]

Training Camp is partially held in Frisco. No excuse not to go especially for locals. It’s free!!

 

[Bobhaze]

Training Camp is partially held in Frisco. No excuse not to go especially for locals. It’s free!!

So what do think about doing away with ps games Greggo?

 

[AdamJT13]

It would cost teams a lot of money to do most of those things. No. 2 alone would cost every team $23 million even if every one of the 12 extra players was a rookie. That's almost 13 percent of the salary cap.

 

[MarcusRock]

I hear you that preseason is not as compelling as the regular season but I still like it as an opportunity to see the youngins in real game situations against other youngins who won't take it easy on you because they're also trying to impress their coaches. Not to mention the UDFAs who finally get their shot. If you forget how 2016 ended, who wasn't more than a little hopeful when Dak shined in LA and Miami before Romo got hurt and we knew Dak had to take over? It tempered the doom and gloom and then totally eradicated it when the wins started coming. Those were great preseason moments for Dak that paved the way to the drama that would follow over that season. I think scrimmages would be even less compelling and the TV money probably wouldn't be there for it the way it is for preseason football that "looks real" to those starving for football action. I would like to see expanded rosters, period, but there's more drama in keeping it relatively exclusive to make an NFL team.

 

[Aviano90]

I think preseason games serve a valuable purpose in getting ready for the season and evaluating players to fill out the 53 man roster. I think fans have become consumed with preventing injuries, which are inevitable. They are going to occur, in OTAs, in practices, in preseason games, in regular season games, and in post season games. They will even occur in outside of football. You just have to deal with them. Use the preseason as a means to be prepared for week 1.

 

[T-RO]

Nice post, OP.

I won’t be surprised in the NFL goes to 18 games. Maybe you have 1 preseason game.

The NFL can’t make these schedule decisions unilaterally...need players union to buy in.

 

[Diehardblues]

So what do think about doing away with ps games Greggo?

I don’t have a problem with them. I like the opportunity to see some of the young talent in action that we otherwise wouldn’t.

I see them more as a live practice simulating a game as an exhibition like they were originally called. They’re basically just a more organized scrimmage.

Unless we’re going to add 4 games to the regular season why not have them?

 

[Reality]

1. Do away with pre-season exhibition games.

This will never happen. There's a lot of money made from exhibition games beyond just the gate fees.

2. Expand the rosters from 53 to 65 players until Oct.1.

This will never happen. It would cost teams too much money both in salaries and also expose them to veteran contracts that protect veterans who are on rosters in week 1.. and there is no way the NFLPA would agree to alter that policy given how every season we are seeing more veterans who can still play being replaced by younger more salary-cap friendly players.

3. Another way the owners could make up the revenue loss of ps games is

This will never happen. TV networks will not pay nearly the same for scrimmages as they would for full games, even pre-season games, and most fans would expect any streaming services of pre-season scrimmages to be free.

4. Make Cowboys TC be held at the Star in Frisco.

This might happen one day, but there is more to this than what you think. First, the team's coaches love the fact the players are isolated away from their friends and families so they can focus on football early on. That mindset gets put in place which helps keep it going once they return to Dallas. Second, California is a huge market for the Cowboys and they would be foolish to ignore that.

 

[Diehardblues]

My main complaint with preseason games is they are mostly during the week now . I’d prefer them all on Sat or Sun.

Thur at 9 pm is a horrible time for me. I’ll never stay up for all of that. Not unless I get a nap in.

 

[Point-of-the-Star]

Nice post, OP.

I won’t be surprised in the NFL goes to 18 games. Maybe you have 1 preseason game.

The NFL can’t make these schedule decisions unilaterally...need players union to buy in.

I like the 18 game schedule with 2 preseason games and maybe a controlled scrimmage.

As far as carrying the extra players the easy solution is the bottom 10 /12 salaries won't count against the cap. The cap will be calculated after the final cutdown to 55 or 53 (whatever). This will keep interest in the game at a higher level for a longer period.

I'm for it. 4 preseason games suck . I think TC is worthwhile though ... kinda like spring training in HS.

 

[Aviano90]

My main complaint with preseason games is they are mostly during the week now . I’d prefer them all on Sat or Sun.

Thur at 9 pm is a horrible time for me. I’ll never stay up for all of that.

DVR it and watch it on the weekend.

 

[Diehardblues]

DVR it and watch it on the weekend.

I will when I wake up but I enjoy watching all games live even these cause I recieve so many notifications Id have to turn my iPhone off not to have all the details .

 

[Ren]

Move tc to san antonio

 

[Bobhaze]

This will never happen. There's a lot of money made from exhibition games beyond just the gate fees.


This will never happen. It would cost teams too much money both in salaries and also expose them to veteran contracts that protect veterans who are on rosters in week 1.. and there is no way the NFLPA would agree to alter that policy given how every season we are seeing more veterans who can still play being replaced by younger more salary-cap friendly players.


This will never happen. TV networks will not pay nearly the same for scrimmages as they would for full games, even pre-season games, and most fans would expect any streaming services of pre-season scrimmages to be free.


This might happen one day, but there is more to this than what you think. First, the team's coaches love the fact the players are isolated away from their friends and families so they can focus on football early on. That mindset gets put in place which helps keep it going once they return to Dallas. Second, California is a huge market for the Cowboys and they would be foolish to ignore that.

Aside from “this will never happen”, what do you really think? Lol.

 

[Diehardblues]

I love training camps. I used to go for several days , when it was in Austin, San Antonio and even Witchita Falls.

San Antonio was best cause we could stay at same hotel as players like when we used to travel on the road with the team and practices were indoors.

I went to Frisco last year for a couple days. It was great being indoors but not the same as traveling and having opportunity to mingle with players, etc. away from practices.

 

[Bobhaze]

I like the 18 game schedule with 2 preseason games and maybe a controlled scrimmage.

As far as carrying the extra players the easy solution is the bottom 10 /12 salaries won't count against the cap. The cap will be calculated after the final cutdown to 55 or 53 (whatever). This will keep interest in the game at a higher level for a longer period.

I'm for it. 4 preseason games suck . I think TC is worthwhile though ... kinda like spring training in HS.

I like the idea of the bottom 10 players not counting against the cap. The owners used to want a developmental league, which they almost had for a while with NFL Europe. Cutting back on ps games is already something the NFLPA wants along with not wanting TC out of town. Dallas is one of only 14 teams that don’t do TC at their home facilities.

 

[Point-of-the-Star]

This will never happen. There's a lot of money made from exhibition games beyond just the gate fees.


This will never happen. It would cost teams too much money both in salaries and also expose them to veteran contracts that protect veterans who are on rosters in week 1.. and there is no way the NFLPA would agree to alter that policy given how every season we are seeing more veterans who can still play being replaced by younger more salary-cap friendly players.


This will never happen. TV networks will not pay nearly the same for scrimmages as they would for full games, even pre-season games, and most fans would expect any streaming services of pre-season scrimmages to be free.


This might happen one day, but there is more to this than what you think. First, the team's coaches love the fact the players are isolated away from their friends and families so they can focus on football early on. That mindset gets put in place which helps keep it going once they return to Dallas. Second, California is a huge market for the Cowboys and they would be foolish to ignore that.

Reality ... easily solved issues:

10 extra players ... at most $10 million ... these are rookie contracts and lower echelon players thus smaller salaries. That's chump change and they're paying more than that to hace camp out West. The number of contests remain the same ... drop 2 PS games and add 2 regular season games. Fans win. This would have to be a negotiation in the next NFLPA agreement ... including increased compensation.

Monies will be more as the networks get 2 more meaningful games. Like BH says then the owners charge a football starved community(s) for the scrimmages and TC via more in depth televising . This would also amp up interest in the upcoming RS. winning !!!

As far as the isolation, well only half the teams follow this philosophy. These are professionals ... focus is paid for via salaries. I don't live away from my family for a month and if I don't focus on my job people will die. Focusing is their job ... do they lose focus during the season?

I can't argue the Cali thing ... this is a good point by you. Maybe someone else can come up with an strong upside to staying in the Metromess thoughout all TC while abandoning Cali.. . we did it for a while after the Landry years.

 

[AdamJT13]

As far as carrying the extra players the easy solution is the bottom 10 /12 salaries won't count against the cap.

That's not a solution at all unless you say "the bottom 10 to 12 players don't get paid."

The owners would go for that, but the players never will.

 

[AdamJT13]

It would cost teams a lot of money to do most of those things. No. 2 alone would cost every team $23 million even if every one of the 12 extra players was a rookie. That's almost 13 percent of the salary cap.

Wow, my math was way off here. I started off figuring the cost league-wide and must have hit a wrong button. And now I can't edit it.

But still, NFL teams aren't going to want to pay an extra 12 players for a month unless the other players agree to a pay cut to cover it.