Question about pre-season games

So do they serve any real purpose at all? (Besides two more games season ticket holders are forced to pay for, of course.)

I say that based on the following:

a) stars hardly play
b) even the whole evaluate players in a game thing is minimal imo, since
i) there's generally not a whole lot of roster spots to decide
ii) it's not like the old days when coaches didn't have a lot of previous game tape on every player
iii) there's a lot more reps and things in OTAs, minicamp, and training camp than in 3 or 4 preseason games

Guess what I'm asking is "Has anyone recently actually won a roster spot due to preseason games as opposed to performance in practice?" As fans we may think so, but is that reality?

 

Didn't last pre-season allow Dobbs to move up, let Rudolph in and showed Landry the door?

 

Oh, sure, but my question is not about the preseason, but preseason games. Dobbs probably beat out Jones due to practice performances at minicamp and training camp, not because of preseason game performance. Dobbs didn't even play in the third preseason game last year.

 

I believe it matters greatly for all those fringe players. I would think some players perform great in practice but a different story in a game. As for established starters I'd say pretty meaningless. Although some posters will point out Ben looks rusty in the first game and they wish he played more in pre-season.

 

I always found this theory a crock.

If they go down to 1 home preseason game, the season ticket price will still be the same; they will just divide the total by 9 instead of 10.

All Player contracts are paid out based on a 16 game season.
Total Season ticket prices are based on a 8 game home season.

If you think the ticket prices will go down if they eliminate a couple of preseason games you are fooling yourself.

If player contract prices are not going down; your season tickets are not going down.

 

The only reason Dobbs beat-out LJ is because of his preseason performance. Practice is totally different from competing against opposing competition in a preseason game. Not even close...

 

I thought Watson won a roster spot due to his preseason performance and then was used on kickoffs and poorly thought out 1 yard dives for a 1st down attempt on third down. Then Tomlin cut him to get pass protection wizard Fitzgerald breakfast sandwich on the 53.

I will do you one better does anyone buy the story Tomlin pulled Skipper to prevent other teams from getting more tape on him?

 

You're reading way too much in my statement. I only said that it's two games season ticket holders have to buy which is a fact. I never thought if they were eliminated it would lower the price or anything like that of a season ticket package. Or even that it's some sort of nefarious plot, since its plain to see.

 

There's more and more talk about going to a 2 preseason and 18 regular season game format. I'm not a fan of that thought.

 

OK, maybe Doug Pederson answered my question. He prefers practices and says that you can get a better evaluation in practice than in games at times.

https://www.nj.com/eagles/2019/08/s...rson-thinks-and-how-it-could-be-replaced.html


“Sometimes you don’t get all the situations in a game that you’d like to see your players in,” Pederson said. “So practices, I can set practices up that way. I can set them up hard. I can set them up where we’re in pads, or going live, whatever it might be that we can really get a true evaluation of a player.

“The only real change from a game to a practice is in a game you don’t get to do it over. At least in a practice setting, if we make a mistake, we can line up and do it again, and so we can correct that mistake right away. In pre‑season games we can’t do that. We get a little bit better evaluation in practice in that case.”

“As coaches, we get to set the situations,” he said. “We get to control the environment and sometimes you don’t get those in games. You don’t get that situation in a game and this way we can control that and work on specific things and get some really good work done with our starters.”

 

It gives teams a chance to play (practice) against players other than their own offense/defense and practice squads in preparation for the real season.

 

If we plan to sneak him onto the PS, then it's a wise move. But IMO, Skipper is playing like a stud, if we too stupid to protect him then we don't deserve him. Between the 2, Dirty Red's time is up ..Skipper & Gilbert is next man up

 

There used to be 6 “exhibition” games.

 

There has been a lot of different scenarios, including a 17 game schedule (?) with an extra wildcard game, plus possible extra bye week. All of the different set ups are of course only going to happen with the Unions agreement..and bigger still will it increase revenue. My take on adding an extra playoff game is yuck. What you would essentially be doing is having half the teams in the pay offs, while you have years with 10-6 teams not making the PO's (and 9-7 teams sneaking in)..the increased playoff would possibly add 8-8 or even 7-9 teams.

The bottom line is really what motivates the owners. If then can find a way to increase revenue they are going to push that. The players will relent if their piece of the pie improves.

 

The evaluation of players is significant. I was just listening to Arthur Motz in the radio saying how much this counts. And that is the most import part of preseason games.

 

In 2017 the NFL eliminated the first roster cut down period. Now it’s one big cut. This may have given a few guys an extra week to show their stuff to the team they are on, but I would think it makes it even harder to find another team?

 

It s good to go against unknown competition. As the announcers talked about last game, the Steelers hit more in camp then any other team. This way you don't have to hit your own. The owners make extra money. The newbies get to see how game prep is done, even how the team gets ready to travel. It has its worth to an extent.

 

I wonder what percentage of guys were catching on elsewhere after not making the first cut. It had to be pretty low (I'm assuming). At least they had a chance I guess.

 

All these players used to play in college and their college coaches seem to have done fine without 4 preseason games. This is all about money, nothing more, nothing less. Otherwise, why would they think about going to 2 preseason games BUT add 2 real games to keep the total games the same? I'd say go to 2 preseason games and keep regular season where it is.

 

I'm going to put the evaluation part as a strong maybe. As I posted earlier, Doug Pederson for one thinks that practice, especially joint practices, are better for evaluation, but I can see where other coaches might value games more.

 

Preseason gives guys like Skipper and Gilbert a chance to show what they can do in game action.

 

Ain't that the truth not to mention the only way you know about your kicking game is to see it in action. If not you end up like the Bears and Bucs. Signing kickers that make kicks all day long in practice but when it counts they shank it.