CFZ Why Practice is more important than pre-season games

[Shane612]

I’ve always found it interesting that neither college nor high school football requires pre-season games to prepare for their regular season start. In fact, on college and HS campuses right now all across our country, teams are preparing for their first regular season game the old fashioned way- in regular practices. Some HS’s will have one controlled scrimmage. But College football starts in 3 weeks without a single ps game.

Let me make clear, I don’t have a problem with our fans who love PS games. I get it- it’s football and we’ve all waited a half a year to see some kind of pigskin play. if you enjoy PS games, keep enjoying them because the owners fight tooth and nail to keep them for cash purposes. They aren’t going anywhere.

But I have evolved to the point where I would never play a single starter even one down in a meaningless pre-season game. Here are my reasons:

• Practices, not PS games are where teams really prepare for the games that matter.New offensive and defensive wrinkles and systems are not perfected in a PS game. It’s in practice.
  • PS games have no game planning, the absolute most vanilla of offensive plays and defensive alignments are called. Nothing big from the playbook is rolled out in PS games.
  • Opponents in PS games also usually only use their most vanilla play calls and don’t care who wins.
• PS games should be used to decide roster spots.
• PS games can showcase the potential of rookies or backups and how they handle competitive situations.
• PS games can decide kicker, punter, backup QB and many other (mostly backup) positions.
• Practice is where teams prepare for the real regular season games each week. That’s where the coaches game plan, learn about players strengths and weaknesses, etc.
• In today’s NFL with the veterans who are on big contracts in the cap era, it makes zero sense to risk a huge portion of your cap space in a meaningless pre-season game.

As I said at the beginning- IMO if college and HS football don’t need pre-season games to get ready for the regular season, NFL starters can get ready for the games that matter in practice too.

I would never risk a big portion of cap space in a meaningless game. I know that’s not a popular opinion with fans, but it makes the most sense the way the game is structured these days.

I don't pay that much attention to PS games, but I can see the value in them for decision making purposes.
I wouldn't care that much what they do with PS games, because whatever rule the NFL pass, it will apply to every team. And every team will face similar personnel decisions.
.
BTW, do they still have scrimmages against other teams? I remember the Cowboys and the Raiders holding scrimmages together....or with the Chargers

 

[MarcusRock]

Right…but those are regular season games, not ps games. Stats and records count and they count toward state rankings. So in that sense they aren’t ps games. The UIL counts them as regular season games.

Came to say the same thing. That school's record is listed as 12-3, plus they played a non-district game in the middle of playing district games. Not a pre-season in the NFL sense.

 

[America's Cowboy]

Came to say the same thing. That school's record is listed as 12-3, plus they played a non-district game in the middle of playing district games. Not a pre-season in the NFL sense.

1980s high school football in Texas. We would have 2-3 scrimmages in August. Followed by the 3 non-district games in September, followed by district games. Same "preseason" concept.

 

[stilltheguru]

Yes that is very true but we're not talking about the guys trying to make rosters we're talking about not playing the main starters the core players... There are a lot of camp heroes that turn into nothing and live games but it's still necessary to see them in preseason, yes..

Obviously we don't need to see dak and lamb.the thread doesn't even make sense. Of course practice fir starters is more important than 3 series in the preseason. Wth

 

[kskboys]

Different strokes, I don't hate them but I don't watch them, any of them. When I played Fantasy, we called them Fool's Gold because every year some stud rookie shows up in preseason, you draft him and wait....and wait.

There is no real game planning because no HC is spilling his popcorn in the lobby and the level of competition can be all over the place.

Absolutely. And the reason to have them is to evaluate the rookies. For the coaches, not us.

Preseason is not for the fans, although the idiots in charge decided to charge full price for them. That is the problem, it's not the games themselves,

 

[kskboys]

Will this still be your stance after Dak sits out all pre-season, and looks terrible in week one, losing a very important divisional game?

This isn't about Dak. Duh.

 

[kskboys]

Right…but those are regular season games, not ps games. Stats and records count and they count toward state rankings. So in that sense they aren’t ps games. The UIL counts them as regular season games.

Since they don't count them to make the playoffs, I'd say they don't count them, aside from some stats.

 

[kskboys]

The first article was written by stat experts at “fivethirtyeight.com” and they aren’t sports people. But they are experts on stats. The second article is from ESPN.

Kev we can certainly agree to disagree. As I said in the OP, I understand and support every fan who like PS games. I’m just not one of those fans. I wish the season started Sept 1st with real games. I would be in favor of 18 Reg season games and no ps games.

Then how are you proposing that the coaches evaluate the rooks/fringe players?

 

[kskboys]

Came to say the same thing. That school's record is listed as 12-3, plus they played a non-district game in the middle of playing district games. Not a pre-season in the NFL sense.

Since they don't count toward making the playoffs, they sort of are.

 

[LonnieElam]

This isn't about Dak. Duh.

Dak is on the team, so yes it's also about Dak. And if there's any position on the team, or any player that needs the practice it's QB/Dak.

 

[pansophy]

I just haven’t seen Dak play well in the opener without a lot of preseason game reps. Happy for that not to be true.

 

[stilltheguru]

I just haven’t seen Dak play well in the opener without a lot of preseason game reps. Happy for that not to be true.

That was because Tampas defense was on point. I don't think dak was rusty, he just got his butt kicked. I don't think the giants have defensive personnel like Tampa did to start last year

 

[5Stars]

Well, just read that Payton in Denver is going to play his starters in preseason including Wilson.

 

[CouchCoach]

Then how are you proposing that the coaches evaluate the rooks/fringe players?

Same way the high schools and colleges do it, practice. The difference is they control the situation at practice. If they want to get better work out of Gallup, they'll put Diggs or Gilmore on him. They use Parsons to evaluate the young OL.

If they need it, they can run the same play again and that is not going to happen in a real game. Oh, maybe the occasional playoff game.

These coaches don't really get verification until they get their guys up against superior talent in real games that matter.

Most people don't care whether they win or lose pretend games as we have all been conditioned that these are not real games. Pretend games are for players that are not going to be playing in the fall to play in the summer.

And anyone that ever sat in TS on an August night with no wind watching a bunch of forklift operators in the 4Q has the right to hate pretend games.

 

[nalam]

The problem is some of those training camp stars never translates to field, when that happens coaches evaluation will be tricky .

 

[CouchCoach]

The problem is some of those training camp stars never translates to field, when that happens coaches evaluation will be tricky .

But they will translate because of pretend games?

 

[Whirlwin]

Preseason is for the NFL to make money. I’m not sure many of the players even want to do it. You’re constantly changing the players. It’s an evaluation. I can see someone’s attitude, temperament performance better in camp.

 

[Whirlwin]

The problem is some of those training camp stars never translates to field, when that happens coaches evaluation will be tricky .

Usually the training camp stars , are ones trying to make the roster. And it’s usually the fan saying they’re going to be a star not the coaches.

 

[Whirlwin]

The problem is some of those training camp stars never translates to field, when that happens coaches evaluation will be tricky .

Usually the training camp stars , are ones trying to make the roster. And it’s usually the fan saying they’re going to be a star not the coaches

 

[plymkr]

I understand your point, but I just have one question. If Dak and Pollard get hurt in week 1, does that make it any better? At some point before week 1 they have to get to game speed. In practice I guess? You can't wait for week one to do that. That's how you get injured.

But I do like your suggestion.

No it doesn’t make it any better but at least they would be hurt in a game that counts. As a fan I feel it would be easier to stomach losing them in a game that affects the season as opposed to a game that doesn’t count.