What does preseason football mean? Well, what it means is real football is almost here. That's really all. It's a small dose of the real thing to keep those hardcore fans satiated because football has the longest off season. So what really is the purpose of preseason? If it doesn't count, why do I care?
Well, preseason is to test out all your new guys and ideas. Anybody on your team that you have a question about, they play in the preseason. Any new looks or ideas or plays you want to try, you do it in preseason. Because it doesn't count. Well not for the team anyways. But it's super important for all those question mark players.
Every year, every team drafts players from college and then they sign free agents and trade players from other teams and et cetera. These players are new to the teams scheme, and you want players who are going to play well and consistently. Preseason is a good way to test out these players and see how they do in real game situations.
You're not going to see much of your Aaron Rodger's and Tom Brady's, There's no question mark around those types of players. They'll probably play a single series of plays in game two, and then maybe a full quarter in game three and that's it. You don't want to risk injuries to your star players because, especially when it doesn't, it can be devastating to lose your top guys.
The game is played at full speed and treated as if its the real deal, except for coaches being bolder in certain situations and playing the whole game with pretty much backups. These lesser known players get their chance to shine because most likely they won't be seeing the field during the regular season.
Guys still need to be made and I think it's something like 10 players need to go before the start of the season. Even if they make the cut, they might sit on the bench all season and never see their shot, so it's important to make every second and every play count because someone somewhere might be interested in you.
A lot of coaches like to take risks, like going for it on fourth down and not taking the easy points. In the regular season, you don't turn away a chance to score three points, but in preseason it doesn't matter. You test situations like going for it on fourth down and seeing how this crew can deal with high-pressure scenarios. You test certain plays against coverage types and take unnecessary risks. This is the time to do it.
People watching tend to get all bent out of shape and the hardest thing to do is realize that at home, on your couch, you're not a coach. They get paid at the highest level to do what they do and a lot of people get angry thinking that these coaches and players are doing the wrong thing. People have to take a step back and enjoy the game and let the professionals do their thing. We are here, off the field for a reason.
Being a fan and following every player of the team throughout OTAs and the draft is great, but remember they've earned their spot where they are. We know what we want to see, but in the end, our opinion doesn;t matter or affect anything but our attitude towards our team and other fans. We have to stay grounded and just enjoy the game, and cheer when our team wins, or loses. After all, it's just sports, and whether they win or lose doesn't affect your life in any way.
