I want to step outside the Seahawks for just a moment, if I may.
Currently on OTL Nightly, they are discussing the neccesity of the preseason. This is probably one of those shows they can do every year if they want, and still get people to watch. Its kind of like when the news does a story on potholes in the streets. You saw it last year, but you still watch, because you have to deal with them.
Preseason football is the weirdest thing in sports. Nobody cares, but it means everything. If the third string qb can't lead the 2 minute drill, fans jump off bandwagons because they're going 0-16. An exciting win raises the hopes of fans. And yet, these games are meaningless. You can go 0-4 in the preseason and make the playoffs. A 4-0 summer could mean a year in last place.
Fans pretend to not care, but stadiums sell out. We gladly pay full price to see our heroes play, if only for a quarter.
I, for one, despise the preseason. (Not to mention hate paying full price for preseason games. At least lower concession prices...) Like I said the games mean nothing, but they can mean everything in one way. Injuries.
When Rex Grossman got carried off the cart the other night, the Bears season went down the tubes. The Bears have no one else. I could play quarterback for this team better than the guys they threw out there. Not to mention that this would be the second straight year he'll miss significant playing time. This will probably shorten his career, and might affect his playing ability.
For a game that doesn't matter. To me, this doesn't seem fair.
This could happen to the Seahawks on Monday, or in the other three games of the summer. Right now, many fans around the league are thinking that it sucks for the Bears. Then they think, it better not happen here.
The league goes through this every year. Micheal Vick a few years ago, now Rex Grossman. A big piece to a team goes down. In this age of parity, every team has a chance. Now, in a meaningless game, the Bears' chances are practically toast.
There is the occasional good that comes out of a preseason injury. Kurt Warner got his chance to play after Trent Green went down. You all know the rest of the story. I don't think its ending is allowed to be printed here,
Every league has a preseason, and the NFL plays the fewest games by far. But, football is more violent and its players suffer more injuries than the other three major sports. Its a different game.
Since I despise columnists who complain about something but don't offer a solution, here's what I'd do.
2 preseason games, and an 18 game season. Allow teams to have larger rosters for the first few weeks of the regular season. (I'd also add one more game against each divisional opponent, but thats for another time). More games count, more fans are happy, and injuries at least happen in meaningful games.
This won't make the problem totally go away. Injuries happen in every game, and even in the two games I think would work, tmarquee names will still probably go down.
And not just the stars are affected. What about the fringe players who need to make a great impression on a coaching staff? Its hard to do when your hurt.
The games mean nothing, but they can mean everything.
Please, NFL. Limit these paradoxial games.
I would rather my starting QB played for 1 quarter in two meaningless games that have him play the whole enchilada for two more regular season games. the season is long enough, and plenty hard on the players at 16 games.
ReplyDeleteAlso, what would be the point of holding on to a bunch of extra players for a couple more regualr season games? If the games count to their season record, they aren't going to get any playing time. The starters will get all the snaps, so you might as well cut the fat.
The idea for the 18 game schedule came from something I heard a few years ago. The league was thinking about it, I guess. I don't know how legit the report was, but it seemed like a good idea. I think the players have to play 20 games a season, so if you reduce the number of preseason games, it has to be made up somewhere else.
ReplyDeleteThe point of keeping on extra players is to give coaches the same amount of time to look at guys and make decisions. If a two game preseasson was ever adopted, you know coaches would complain about not getting time to see everybody. If you can only play 2 preseason games, that would reduce the playing time for starters per game (reducing chance for injury) since coaches will want to see everyone in game conditions.
Granted, starters need preseason to get timing down and the such. But as they say, its all fun until someone gets hurt.
Posted by Alan
"The point of keeping on extra players is to give coaches the same amount of time to look at guys and make decisions."
ReplyDeleteBut if you keep those players on during regular season games, they won't be seen anyway. Who is going to play their 3rd or 4th string QB or CB or ANYTHING in a regular season game, just to "get a look at them"? I would venture no coach in the NFL would, so keeping them on to see them is pretty pointless.
Besides that, once the season starts, they spend the bulk of their time evaluating their opponent, game planning and teaching. There is little time for evaluating personnell like the preseason. That's why they do that before the season starts.
Posted by Bluefoot
Injuries are one of those things that you convince yourself you can control, but quite honestly, you can't. Just ask Alex Bannister, who re-cracked his collarbone in mini-camp before they were even in pads.
ReplyDeleteDropping to a 2-game preseason means that the coaches will just have to simulate more game-like conditions in practice, which means full speed, full pads, full contact...and guess what you'll get...more injuries.
Now, the point about paying full price for a ticket is valid, but that won't change until the stadiums are near empty and certainly won't change if there's fewer pre-season games. (supply and demand you know)
It's like the old question, would you rather die quickly in a car accident, or slowly to cancer? Either way sucks...cuz you wind up dead, but both have their advantages.
Would you rather have your starting QB hurt in the pre-season, where you have time to work with a backup and salvage some Ws, or would you rather have him hurt the last game of the regular season, when you have to go into the playoffs with an untested commodity.
Easy answer: I don't want him hurt at all.
However, there's nothing we can do to control that.
Posted by alba
Hear hear, Alpo.
ReplyDeleteBLACKED OUT: Monday's exhibition against the Cowboys has not sold out so the national telecast of the game will be blacked out within a 75-mile radius of Qwest Field.
ReplyDeleteThis is freaking RIDICULOUS and right in line with Alan's original rant about not paying full price for a pre-season game.
The preseason is as much about marketing your team to the fans as it is about prepping your players, and how can you build local loyalties if the Seattlites can see the damn game on TV??!!
I understand that the networks don't want to broadcast a game with a lot of empty seats, so showing it locally is a dis-incentive to buying a ticket...but c'mon...this is the FREAKIN pre season already!!!
Posted by alba
I am getting the game on ABC. Does Direct TV do preseason?
ReplyDeleteAnd re the preseason, it's a bummer when any player gets hurt, meaningless game or not, but that is the way it is, its a dangerous game. Its no worse losing him preseason than game one. And honestly, Rex didn't look like he got hit that hard, maybe he needs to drink more milk? Hang out some with Alex Bannister and Charlie Rogers? Didn't Brian Griese get hurt and miss a season washing his dog or something?
Posted by JoSCh
What about the famous Carolina Panther axe in the locker room gaffe?
ReplyDeleteAnd let's not forget one Kellen Winslow II, the "soldier" who was trying to do X Game stunts on a motorcycle he just bought that afternoon.
Posted by alba
It's late in the summer, people are more interested in baseball, and golf, and the beach, and using up remaining vactation time, so don't blame the locals too badly about not selling out.
ReplyDeleteWas the first game sold out in New Orleans?
Now, when you can't sell out a playoff game...that's a whole nuther story!!!
Posted by alba
I thought the Royals were!
ReplyDeletePosted by alba
alba has a point... about the Royals. I doubt many preseasons sell out outside of Green Bay.
ReplyDeletePosted by JoSCh
careful, one more baseball post and Vinny will descend on us to remind us that NFL football is the only sport worth discussing!
ReplyDeletePosted by alba
Which leads me to wonder, if the Yankees didn't suck so bad this year, would you guys still have been nice to me??!!
ReplyDeletethe Yanks will pull through and beat up on the Red Sox again, like usual...
ReplyDeletemeanwhile, as the baseball playoffs come through, im gonna be paying attention to football
Alba, on your' complaint about teh 'blackout' of the MNF Game......I guess if Seattle supported it's Football Franchise this wouldn't happen, I'm sure there are plenty of folks going to the Ms games on either night surrounding that game.
ReplyDeleteAnd if I were working I'd be going, there's absolutely no reason for a Monday Night Game (whether a pre-season or not) should not sell enough tickets to avoid a blackout. There are plenty of folks at the Mariners games nightly.
Maybe the Seattle area folks should re-evaluate their support of the team. Beleive me, if I lived on that side of the mountains I'd have tickets to every game they play at home, it's only, what? 10 games a year? I know for a fact that there are enough people in Seattle that actually waych these games at home that could actually afford tickets to go to these games.
So am I crying a river over those in the Seattle area that won't get to see the game? Nope! If ya want to see the game go buy a ticket like the fans that 'will' be there. I know that will piss a lot of guys here off, but I'm sorry, I can't feel sorry for anyone that lives that close to the stadium and can't get to the game.
Remember, they didn't sell out the Playoff game last season either!!!!! What the HELL is that?!??!?
Posted by vinnyhawkalugi
Luckily for me I will be in Texas. Do you think it'd be okay if I wore a Tubbs jersey? Since I'll be in Austin? Then when the dallas fans get pissed, I can say, hey, this guy was a longhorn?
ReplyDeletePosted by check
Let me know how that goes Check. LOL :)
ReplyDeletePosted by vinnyhawkalugi
I'll try to take pictures.
ReplyDeletePosted by check
LOL. :)
ReplyDeletePosted by vinnyhawkalugi
correct me if i'm wrong, but don't the teams have the "option" of who they want to play? take green bay for instance, is it necessary to play favre? i think we know what he is capable of. same thing with payton and the like.
ReplyDeletewhy risk them?
Posted by opaco
I'm not sure what you are saying. What is at risk with them as opposed to anyone else?
ReplyDeletePosted by Bluefoot
Blue, I think "opaco" is trying to say that you don't have to cut down the number of preseason games to protect stars from injury....just don't play them until the regular season.
ReplyDeleteThis may work in the case of a Manning or Farve, but the Bears needed to see as much of Rex Grossman as possible, so that wouldn't have saved him.
Posted by alba
AH, now it makes sense. I thought he was referring to what TEAMS you want to play.
ReplyDeletePosted by Bluefoot
Even though we know what we're getting from certain players, it's important that the players get into game speed. They've had a long time off, and would be very rusty going into the season if the only action they saw was in practice. Preseason games help the players to get their timing back, for everything from snap counts to passing routes.
ReplyDeleteAlso, it's good for a player to get hit once or twice when it doesn't matter. It will make them a little less gunshy during the real games.
Posted by PaulieP