Yes, that’s what we constantly tell ourselves after we watch our favorite teams or favorite players fall on their faces during a humid night in August.
The offense is vanilla, the defense is generic and the game plan, well, it just doesn’t exist in the preseason. Besides, no one remembers what your record was in the preseason.
APCutler had a rough night in his first preseason game for Chicago.
All correct. Teams don’t game plan for the preseason. They are as basic as they come on offense, and only once in a while do teams break out a formation or an exotic play — just to get it on film.
On defense, expect to see Cover 1, Cover 2, Cover 3 and maybe a blitz or two here and there. But don’t expect to see a creative look in third-down sub packages or a new zone blitz that the team has been practicing.
But in saying all that, these games still do matter.
They matter in Buffalo, where after two games, the first-string offense has yet to score a touchdown. They matter in Denver, where starting quarterback Kyle Orton threw three interceptions in his first game as a Bronco. They matter in Dallas, where the second and third team defenses absolutely collapsed against the Raiders’ backups, raising questions about the depth of that unit.
And we know they matter in New England — and carry monumental importance -- when Tom Brady takes the field again this week as part of his rehabilitation of his blown ACL suffered on opening day in 2008.
You see, as basic as these schemes are in front of half-filled stadiums with fans sweating profusely after a couple of beers in the summer heat, there’s something at play here for NFL players and coaches.
And it comes down to basics.
Preseason football isn’t about putting together a game plan to beat your opponent. It is about technique: blocking, tackling, throwing, and catching. The little things that allow your players to advance to game plans and exotic blitz schemes drawn up in dark film rooms.
APGame action is part of the rehab process for Brady in New England.
Coaches want to see players play off-man coverage against a Terrell Owens or a Larry Fitzgerald. They want to see Jay Cutler of the Bears lead a scoring drive and protect the football. And they want to see Brady stand in the pocket and throw the ball downfield with a defender in his face — or at his legs.
Defensive coaches want to see three and outs, special teams coaches want to see guys flying down the field and making plays — using the tools they learned in practice — and offensive coaches, well, they want to see their first and second teams put together a drive that results in points — and doesn’t end in a turnover.
Throw and complete a slant route. Get off a block and make a tackle. Compete and beat the man across from you. Covert on third downs and in the red zone. Make field goals and cover kicks with some sense of passion and anger.
Play football. That’s it.
I can’t tell you how important those game films are as well. In my career, watching the tape after a preseason contest carried a lot of weight. It’s your preparation for the regular season. As much as veteran players want to complain about the extra action, they can’t do without it at the end of the day.
Sure, they’re sometimes boring — even brutal — to watch, and you find yourself wanting to see Peyton Manning throw 40 times for four quarters of action. I hear you on that. But these games are simple for a reason — they’re an extension of training camp practice in a competitive setting. And when you sit in that film room after a good or bad performance, they do matter for the teams that want to win from September through January.
Everyone has talent in this league, but it’s the teams that prepare and use these games as a learning and teaching tool that survive when it matters in the regular season. Don’t get too high after a preseason win and don’t get too low after a preseason loss.
But take them seriously because they do matter.
Follow me on Twitter at MattBowen41
They better matter for Cutler... I want to see this golden arm throw TDs, not throw picks and then throw D Hes under the bus as an excuse.
I wasn't impressed by our D at all the other night... they looked slow and tired in the second half
I agree with you Da Coach. I was at least expecting Cutler to have scored one touchdown last Saturday, but no he threw a pick instead.
As for Pre-Season games do not matter? True and False. They don't matter in the sense of Wins and Losses, nor do they go to your final record at the end of the regular season to determine playoffs or not. But they do matter like Matt Bowen said with the techniques and getting it all on film to better prepair yourself for the regular season. Let's just hope the Bears can do just that for the 09-10 season.
Not saying I disagree...but someone's got to mention the Lions going undefeated in the preseason last year. Just saying.
Remember last year's first preseason game; Jerod Mayo, on his first play knocked the helmet off some RB. Could not have made a better first impression.
One preseason Michael Bishop looked like an exciting explosive QB who was a huge star in the making. Most fans (myself included) thought he was the future QB of the franchise.
I also remember last year Matt Cassel QB'ing like he was a frightened kid the Pats just plucked off the street an hour before. Worst body language I've ever seen from a professional athlete. And it was that way EVERY preseason game.
You learn some things in pre-season and you get fooled a lot. Still it's better than not having any games to watch.
Remember last year's first preseason game; Jerod Mayo, on his first play knocked the helmet off some RB. Could not have made a better first impression.
One preseason Michael Bishop looked like an exciting explosive QB who was a huge star in the making. Most fans (myself included) thought he was the future QB of the franchise.
I also remember last year Matt Cassel QB'ing like he was a frightened kid the Pats just plucked off the street an hour before. Worst body language I've ever seen from a professional athlete. And it was that way EVERY preseason game.
You learn some things in pre-season and you get fooled a lot. Still it's better than not having any games to watch.
Remember last year's first preseason game; Jerod Mayo, on his first play knocked the helmet off some RB. Could not have made a better first impression.
One preseason Michael Bishop looked like an exciting explosive QB who was a huge star in the making. Most fans (myself included) thought he was the future QB of the franchise.
I also remember last year Matt Cassel QB'ing like he was a frightened kid the Pats just plucked off the street an hour before. Worst body language I've ever seen from a professional athlete. And it was that way EVERY preseason game.
You learn some things in pre-season and you get fooled a lot. Still it's better than not having any games to watch.
Mike McCarthy made a comment after GB's first pre-season game that he was playing to win. There must be some carryover for teams that win or lose, even if it's not entirely predictive (i.e. Lions). I know the tickets cost the same as regular season games, too, so I like that teams at least attempt to provide their fans with some entertainment value.
Of course they matter. But, you gotta be looking for different things, not the score. First, since 3/4 of the games is played by "scrubs", preseason is the only real test of that individual. How, the units play. Speed. Everything that goes into success when the score does count.
After hearing virtually every commentator and expert proclaim that the shift to a 3/4 defense takes at least two years, I couldn't wait to see what Capers was doing in Green Bay. So that's the area, as a fan, I concentrated on. I was delighted to see that the experts were wrong. Does that mean the defense is going to be in the elite status? No, but I'd be amazed if there wasn't considerable performance upgrade from last year. Questions as to individual players abilities are answered in the preseason.
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Aug 19, 2009
03:06 PM
Nice insight here.... as a fan, I hate these games, but I can see where you are coming from.