Lately one of my arguments has been about pre-season football and how it should matter to teams. However I have run into a lot of opposition on this subject that pre-season does not matter. So lets examine why the NFL even has a pre-season than if it really does not matter, and why most of the NFL players do not want to see the NFL change to a 18 regular game season and only two pre-season games.
There has been a lot of talk around Jacksonville about the pre-season. How the Jaguars only won 1 out 4 of the pre-season games. A lot of people including some of the players feel the pre-season does not matter.
So why even have one?
Pre-season games are not used to determine if a team will make it to the playoffs or Super Bowl. They are used to warm up players after the regular season break and to weed out other players whom are attempting to make a spot on the team. Sometimes you can find a great player through pre-season. Most teams use the pre-season in this manner. Not really worrying about winning or losing the games. However each team, each coach, each owner, each player, and each fan have different prospective on just how much the pre-season means to a football team.
Does pre-season have any impact on the regular season?
I feel pre-season can have a lasting impact on a team. If during the pre-season coaches see that a team needs work in a certain area they can focus on that. Without a pre-season you would not really have any idea how new players might gel with your team. Players have to learn a lot of things when coming from college football, or even if they are traded teams. Each team has different plays, different type of coaching, a different style of offense and defense. Also players who are veterans have been on a break and need time to get back into the grove of things. So with out a pre-season in my opinion I believe teams would have a much harder time in the regular season. Some people however disagree and view it in another way.
Would the NFL be more interesting without a Pre-season?
I think most fans like to get a chance to see the teams before the regular season. Therefore I feel it would be a poor choice for the NFL to get rid of pre-season all together. If there was no pre-season I could see how it could create a stir as well however. No one would be able to really tell if a team was ready to play or not. How would teams be able to view new players or evaluate the team without playing another team. It is one thing to practice, run scrimmages, and another to be out on the field in a game that counts. That is why the NFL is seeking to move to a 18 game system with only 2 pre-season games. I think the NFL is aware that fans want to see teams before they jump right into the regular season. You could probably make an argument that it would be interesting just for the fact that teams would have no idea of another teams abilities. However in the end I think that pre-season does matter.
I just really want to take the time to thank everyone in the NFL for giving us sports nuts out here something to talk about and I look forward to regular season!
Thanks from The Outlaw Micheal Tomsik and Outlaw Sports Radio!