After the game tonight --- are pre-season games really necessary?

[Rocky Landing]

5 hours ago, Charles Romes said:

I may be the only one but I enjoy preseason football, particularly the aspect of no names doing whatever they can to make a roster. It was a great warmup to real football. I also liked the Pro Bowl a week after the Super Bowl as a weaning mechanism. 

You are not alone.

[Spiderweb]

13 hours ago, PUNT750 said:

Keep the Practice Squads as they are in 2020.  Great flexibility for all teams. 

Teams will have 2 scrimmage games against NFL opponents.

Play an 18 game schedule with NO Bye's.

Quite charging season ticket holders for nonsense Pre-Season Games.

No to 18 game schedule and no Byes either? Sad...

[Putin]

12 hours ago, Nextmanup said:

All of that can be determined very easily by staffs without the need for the actual games.

 

They'd be stupid to make decisions based on a tiny sample of plays of a single player in a game anyway; what is much more revealing is his day in/day out performance all camp long.

 

These teams know who they are keep and axing anyway, for the most part.

 

I'm sure there are a few tough decisions made each year by each team, but you don't need pre-season games.

 

Pre-season games exist to make money for the league.

 

At one point in time, a long time ago, they existed to make out of shape players get in shape because they had alternate jobs in the off-season.

Those days are long gone; these guys are in terrific shape year round, and I hear they make pretty good money nowadays too.

 

 

Peterman does not approve this message 

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

I’m with you OP. Playing games that don’t count seems to have lost its merit. Starters get 1 game worth of snaps max. Fringe players might flash and get looks that lead to workouts... but it’d be surprised how much emphasis scouts put on meaningless b team low preparation games. 

[Rocky Landing]

2 hours ago, Alphadawg7 said:

Why don’t you ask all the young players who were cut because they didn’t have a real opportunity to show what they can do with no preseason and barely any camp contact.

 

The preseason is a lot more about finding your depth players, developing them.  It’s not all about getting Patrick Mahomes ready.  While highly drafted rookies are almost always safe, it’s the mid round and lower guys down to UDFA that it becomes a bigger uphill battle if they don’t get the opportunity to play in live game situations to make the coaches give more consideration to keeping them over another player.

 

Then there are other new players from highly touted rookies to free agent or trade acquisitions.  Some positions need a lot more reps to blend in and find cohesive timing.  A RB for example is a pretty easy plug and play spot.  But a WR and a QB need as many reps as possible to develop timing.  OL players have to be able to gel with the lineman around them is another example.
 

Finally, new coaching staff needs the reps and time to help install an entirely new system and playbooks.

 

So sorry, looking at the best team in football and reigning champs last night with their core roster still intact is NOT an universal application to every other team on whether they needed preseason games.  
 

I think we should cut down to 3 or 2 preseason games.  4 is not necessary, but they need at least two, if not 3.  

I would love to see the stat for how many UDFAs made rosters this year compared to previous years. And for the ones that did make it, I wonder how their success rate will stack up? I would guess that those numbers are much lower this year. 

[Bongo]

Great topic. I actually took a vote last night from the teams.
 

Results:

 

Chiefs = NO

 

Texans = YES

[Marv Levy]

1 hour ago, Nextmanup said:

Eliminate pre-season, add 1-2 games to the real season, and then bring in extra teams into the playoff picture.

 

Bingo--lost money returned.

 

 

That's a fair point. But if you're going to go up to 18 games/season, then I think the league should give each team 2 BYE weeks. These guys get beat up bad and the extra rest will make the overall games better.

 

I'm fine with increasing the number of teams that qualify into the Playoffs Picture.

[Putin]

1 hour ago, Rocky Landing said:

I would love to see the stat for how many UDFAs made rosters this year compared to previous years. And for the ones that did make it, I wonder how their success rate will stack up? I would guess that those numbers are much lower this year. 

There are many UDFA’s over the years who became pro bowlers because they were given a chance 

[ILBillsfan]

absolutely if for anything the refs who i thought were bad

[LB48]

10 hours ago, ColoradoBills said:

I'm with the 2 preseason games group.

A home and road dress rehearsal is probably good for the rookies/UDFAs who will make the team and gives a game environment for

final decisions of the bubble guys.  I would also bet that a lot of vets use them to knock some rust off both physically and mentally.

 

Also a great way for young kids to get a chance for the gameday experience.  A preseason game was my first back at the old rockpile.

One home game seems like a good compromise.  Jeez, us oldtimers remember 6!

 

2 games would be enough to get me ready for the season!

2 games is fine with me too!  Yes, I remember the 6 pre-season games also.

11 hours ago, Marv Levy said:

My opinion, Keep 2 preseason games & 1 scrimmage. That's plenty to figure out your roster. Stay at a 16 game season. Keep 1 bye per team. Increase the practice squad to the limit they have for this season and beyond.

 

Lastly, NBC: please dump "I know everything mr. motormouth" Chris Collinsworth!!

 

GO BILLS!!

EXCELLENT about Chris!

[BillsfaninChicago]

I know this a despised position but I like preseason games (granted not 4 or 5 games). It let’s me watch the younger players and see the position battles in real time. Plus after an 8 month hiatus from football I will take whatever I can get.

[Brianmoorman4jesus]

I understand why players don’t want pre season but I can’t understand why the fans don’t?

-It’s more games to watch

-It gives you a chance to see position battles

-it shows you some of the bottom of the roster guys

-It means NFL football starts earlier

-You can watch your favorite team and not be upset if they lose

-it gives those UDFA types a chance to shine

on a big stage and possibly make a roster

 

Pre season isn’t as good as the regular season but I still enjoy it. I’m not sure why the fans hate it so much? Is it necessary? I’m sure it helps. Could you literally do without it? Obviously. But why would you want to? Maybe reduce it to 2 games but I hope the plan isn’t to get rid of it all together. I want as much NFL football as possible. 

[Big Gun]

Nope, preseason games are not necessary. Have a couple of high level scrimmages towards the end of camp, then crank it up and start the season. 

[TigerJ]

The Texans looked like they needed preseason.  Generally speaking the more significant the changes a team makes during the off season, the more benefit they derive from a preseason, specifically; losing big time players, (like Deandre Hopkins) changing coordinators, (I think the Texans changed their defensive coordinator) and of course changing a head coach.  Theoretically, Buffalo will be hurt less by the lack of a preseason than the New York Jets, who lost an all world safety, and changed out their entire offensive line, but in another year the shoe could be on the other foot.

Edited September 12, 2020 by TigerJ

[Watkins90]

On 9/10/2020 at 11:04 PM, PUNT750 said:

Keep the Practice Squads as they are in 2020.  Great flexibility for all teams. 

Teams will have 2 scrimmage games against NFL opponents.

Play an 18 game schedule with NO Bye's.

Quite charging season ticket holders for nonsense Pre-Season Games.

Bye weeks are entirely necessary. We should be keeping bye weeks.

[Rocky Landing]

23 hours ago, Leonhart2017 said:

I know this a despised position but I like preseason games (granted not 4 or 5 games). It let’s me watch the younger players and see the position battles in real time. Plus after an 8 month hiatus from football I will take whatever I can get.

I'm with you. I enjoy preseason games for the same reason. I think we represent about 10-15% of the fanbase.

[Big Blitz]

The first 3 games of this regular season are going to be looked at in ways the Teams have never looked at them before.  Because there is no way they are near where they'll be a quarter in to the season.  By then they should be where you'd typically see them in week 1-2.  

 

You're going to see horrific tackling.  Did you watch the Texans on Thursday?  

 

Some over caution with injuries (larher number than usual of guys are out this week that would never miss a week 1 game.)  Sure, coaches are going to absolutely try to win.  But they will be cautious with snap counts.  Especially guys with some soft tissue things going on.  And just hope to be 1-2 at worst and then consider the last 13 games as "ok...time to be full go now."

 

If that makes sense.  I feel like and expect these guys to look like it's around Aug 20th on the preseason timeline.  So yes, preseason is definitely necessary.  I'm looking forward to the overreactions these first few games....especially with team defenses. 

Edited September 13, 2020 by Big Blitz