CFZ Why Practice is more important than pre-season games

[MapleLeaf]

The way the league is structured now has made PS games not worth the risk to your best players. It’s just the way it is in the cap era.

Pre-Season games have a couple of purposes.

1. Most important it sets your roster through internal competition by allowing you to assess players against an opponent.

2. It also allows your team culture to establish itself on the sidelines with how players support each other and interact during a game. Team dynamics are not just only important in the locker room, but also just as important on the sideline.

If you don't believe in number two imagine how different the Antonio Brown situation would have been if the Bucs could have controlled his behaviour more and avoided the sideline antics when they were down 24-10. Better team sideline communication about how they would handle the targets and support each other on incentives could have gone a long way.

The Bucs were lucky it was the Jets and they ecked out a win, but I feel the PS games can help establish sideline communication and culture that doesn't translate well in the locker room which is protected space.

Sidelines are not protected, but public space and teams and new players need to learn how to operate in those environments before the bullets fly.

 

[InPhiltraitor]

I don’t view the preseason games to confirm our perennial starters mesh with incoming vets., that this guy is in shape and that guy isn’t and I don’t consider the organization profiting off of these games (I really don’t care), but I’m glued to them to watch the final pieces of our roster being set in place.

The practices are basically one step above the combine’s underwear olympics, with their walk-throughs and non-contact drills. Players know what their opponent is doing which leads to a level of content that’s disappears when the lights come on and the opposition doesn’t have a star on their helmet.

What are our kickers going to do in game situations? I want to see our LB depth play, who CAN play? And I’m very interested in the receiver battle. I used to have a house with a crawl space that had a higher ceiling than Fehoko, and I’d like a couple games to see others prove me correct. I want the low-level guys with tenure to prove they belong due to something other than being an incumbent.

Like many of you, I was a multi-sport athlete for many years, and I darn well know there are practice players and game players. This year in particular, with all the talent on this team, I want to see the bubble guys have an opportunity to state their case.

PS games – not for vets. and I don’t care if we win. This time should be used for player evaluation and preparation of the youth cuz some of these guys will be called upon this season.

 

[plymkr]

Is that player receiving their contract money? Then they should count. Managing injuries/depth is part of the cap challenge.

Right, exactly my point. I feel in this day and age with the salary cap playing preseason games is managing the salary cap. So to avoid in season dead money on the cap due to high contract players being on season ending IR then don’t play them in meaningless games. I believe the salary cap is more important than being rusty the 1st game.

Back on the pre salary cap era if your main guys went down you found their replacements and did your best. Now if your guys go down there’s no money to trade or pay someone as a replacement. This cripples the team. So IMO unless they changed the salary cap rules then I wouldn’t play any high contract players in preseason games. You don’t want 40% of your salary cap getting hurt in one bad night for a meaningless game.

 

[Captain-Crash]

some players are not great practice players. When I played basketball, I was hundreds of times better in live play. shrugs.

 

[plymkr]

1000% agree

Play the scrubs in preseason and protect the starters.


Especially with a 17 game season.

Exactly, we don’t want Parsons or any other money player/game changer start accumulating minor injuries in the preseason. Let the bottom half of the roster fight it out in the preseason and keep the playmakers/game changers rested for the 17 game marathon.

 

[LonnieElam]

As a season ticket-holder, and a father taking his son to a PS game on his bday, I want to see the starters play at least a few series in that 3rd PS game.

 

[pansophy]

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

Two years in a row then.

 

[Bobhaze]

Two years in a row then.

Dak was bad in the opener last yr vs TB but he very was sharp in the 2021 opener vs the Bucs. In that 2021 opener he threw for 400+ yards, 3 TDs and 1 pick. We lost 31-29 but remember the kicker missed an XP and an easy FG.

 

[AsthmaField]

Dak was bad in the opener last yr vs TB but he very was sharp in the 2021 opener vs the Bucs. In that 2021 opener he threw for 400+ yards, 3 TDs and 1 pick. We lost 31-29 but remember the kicker missed an XP and an easy FG.

Yeah, after the 2022 opener some of the Tampa defensive players said that they knew the Dallas offense was going to use the same game plan against them as what they did in 2021. They said they prepared against that same offense and sure enough, the Dallas offense tried the same things.

Another reason that I’m glad to see Moore in Los Angeles. It was negligence to think the same things would work the same way the next time you played a good defense.

 

[Diehardblues]

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.

Totally agree Bob. High school and college do have scrimmages and the Cowboys do as well with limited organized scrimmage practices.

The NFL preseason or exhibition games are for purely revenue. When I had season tickets we either gave our tickets away or didn’t go. Too hot and a complete waste of time and energy to attend. Who cares about a game that doesnt count.

 

[charron]

I disagree. It's because of the cupcake camps you can use pre season games to learn things or test things out, work out wrinkles, install new schemes, etc. Situations can be different so if you have veterans in the same scheme with little personnel change them yea maybe focus on just the new guys. But for this team they can learn a lot by playing a few snaps with all starters available from blocking schemes changes to the different plays Mike will call to some new personel.

 

[Rockport]

I 100% agree with everything you said.

I just hate the way it's turned into Camp Cupcake in the NFL.

Talk to the NFLPA.

 

[kskboys]

Totally agree Bob. High school and college do have scrimmages and the Cowboys do as well with limited organized scrimmage practices.

The NFL preseason or exhibition games are for purely revenue. When I had season tickets we either gave our tickets away or didn’t go. Too hot and a complete waste of time and energy to attend. Who cares about a game that doesnt count.

No they're not. Preseason games are for player evaluation.

 

[kskboys]

some players are not great practice players. When I played basketball, I was hundreds of times better in live play. shrugs.

Absolutely. You gotta see them play to evaluate them.

Preseason games are not for casual fans.

 

[75boyz]

While I agree with Bob I find it interesting that the Ravens have a crazy pre season winning streak and that they possibly might try to win their meaningless games a little harder than most other teams do.

jmo

 

[kskboys]

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.

Not true. It's for evaluation purposes. They make money because they're crooked and so charge regular season prices.

And no, you cannot see someone's attitude, temperament, and performance better in camp. Game time is where that comes out.

 

[kskboys]

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

They're not tricky. Play in preseason games should be evaluated as to whether it translates to the NFL. If your coach cannot do that, then you have a non-NFL quality coach.

 

[T-RO]

Preseason "games" aren't games at all.

1. Half the reps are played by guys who won't even make the 53! Largely you are watching "non-Cowboys" in Cowboys helmets, especially for the entire second half.
2. Teams aren't really aiming to win, just learn and prepare
3. Players who "shine" are doing so against backups and scrubs who likewise won't be on an NFL roster when cut-downs are finalized.

Bob has nailed it.

 

[BlindFaith]

The premise of this thread is to compare high school and college to the NFL?

Virtually anybody makes a high school team. And if you dont, well theres always golf.

Players choose what college team they want to go to.

Neither of them have the option of going out and picking up players.

In the NFL, you can. Its a job. Pre season games are a way to get yourself on tape. Build a resume. Show what you can do in game situations.

Yes, it helps the current team evaluate a player. But it also helps players get evaluated by other teams.

 

[kskboys]

Preseason "games" aren't games at all.

1. Half the reps are played by guys who won't even make the 53! Largely you are watching "non-Cowboys" in Cowboys helmets, especially for the entire second half.
2. Teams aren't really aiming to win, just learn and prepare
3. Players who "shine" are doing so against backups and scrubs who likewise won't be on an NFL roster when cut-downs are finalized.

Bob has nailed it.

True.

However, where Bob and I disagree(Doesn't happen often) is that preseason games have purpose. It is to evaluate the young guys.