The NFL Preseason and Why It Does Kinda Sorta Matter

on 09 3, 2010

I’ve been watching a little bit of preseason football lately.  Not a lot, not more than I normally do.  Just the Bills games and the highlights on SportsCenter.  But still, more preseason football than I should be watching because it supposedly “doesn’t matter.”

But see, I think that we should stop saying preseason football “doesn’t matter.”  Because it does matter.  Maybe not in terms of whether or not the outcome affects the regular season standings, but in other ways, preseason is just as important, if not more important, than the regular season.  Let me explain myself.  And I know this argument has gaping holes that you can easily cover up.

Let’s take a team like the St. Louis Rams who just drafted a rookie quarterback number one overall (for dummies: Sam Bradford).  Are you trying to tell me that Sam Bradford’s development does not hinge on preseason?  This is his first chance for real legitimate NFL experience.  He’ll play against defenses he’ll play against for four quarters.  It’s a taste.

But even if you aren’t a rookie trying to learn the ropes of the NFL—preseason is still incredibly important.  Teams like the Bengals, trying to figure out a new offense with a new superstar.  Preseason games are essential for trying out experiments for their offense and seeing what works and what doesn’t.  That’s why you see a lot of going-for-it-on-fourth-down’s and trick plays.  Gotta try them sometime.

But despite the obvious reasons for the importance of preseason, these reasons are my favorites.  Preseason is for the fans—which sounds almost ironic to say because nobody really watches or goes to those games.  But here is what I mean.

I’m going to use a Bills example again because it’s what I know.  If you are a Bills fan and you’ve come off a disappointing season, you really have no idea what to expect for next year.  I know that in Buffalo, New York, fans were down on this years Bills squad.  Really down.  Fans were predicting abysmal records (like 2-14, 3-13).  Next to no one was BILLieving.  And I’m sure a lot of them still aren’t.  But, I’ll tell you, after two solid preseason outings from the Bills, I’m feeling much more optimistic about the season.

See, teams like the Indianapolis Colts or the New Orleans Saints, or even teams out of that extreme, like the Dallas Cowboys—they can afford to play like shit in the preseason.  It doesn’t really matter because everyone with some sort of NFL knowledge knows that they’ll have an above average season.  If the Colts get blown out by twenty-five points in the preseason, no one on ESPN is going to run a segment called: Should We Be Worried About the Colts?

But a team like Buffalo does not have that luxury.  If the Bills suck in the preseason, people will just continue to be down on the Bills.  Why wouldn’t they?  They were right.  The Bills suck and no one will be watching their games this year.  On the flip side, if the Bills come out strong, rock the preseason, complete excellent drives with their first teams, it gives fans reasons to watch the games and support the team.  It provides an early sense of optimism and hope.  It creates buzz.  If the team says before the season “don’t sleep on us,” then comes out and kicks ass in the preseason we are much more inclined to believe them rather than them blowing it.

That’s why I watch Bills preseason games.  It’s a way of bracing myself for the upcoming season, but a way of getting my optimism up for what’s to come.  That’s exactly what these last two games have done—and any fan of a struggling franchise (Browns fans, we’re in this together) knows what I’m talking about.  We go into the year not having faith, but we’re ready at any minute to have our beloved team prove us wrong.  That is why I love preseason.

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