The NFL preseason is into week 2 as of Thursday’s game between the Cleveland Browns and the Philadelphia Eagles. The game was unentertaining for the most part and probably left fans wondering if the preseason is actually necessary.
The Case for it Not Being Necessary
First off, the entertainment factor is no where near regular season games. For whatever reason the games are lower scoring and obviously the talent isn’t as great. That leads us into the next point, that NFL veterans don’t even play. The Bengals may not play the majority of their starters on offense in all three preseason games. Lastly, players get injured and it may seem like a risk teams don’t need to take.
The Case for it Being Necessary
The best case for the preseason is it gives coaches a real look at what players can do on the field. If not for the preseason some really talented and good players may be left off rosters at the end of the day because they don’t look as good in practice as they do in actual games. The Browns may have just gone with Kellen Mond over DTR if not for the preseason games. Additionally, it gives players a chance to warm up before the season so they can practice and feel fully ready for the actual games. This can elevate their play early in the year and also help them avoid injury.
So overall, do the pros outweigh the cons? I think so.
Photo Credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Green_Bay_Packers_huddle_-San_Francisco_vs_Green_Bay_2012(2).jpg
