Should NFL teams limit the use of starters in the final preseason game? Yes.
By Times staff writers
Published September 4, 2005
UNLESS YOU'RE TRYING TO MAKE TEAM, GAME MEANINGLESS
Stomachs would have grumbled if Carnell "Cadillac" Williams had blown a tire in the Buccaneers preseason finale. The same could be said for Michael Clayton, Brian Griese, Derrick Brooks or any other starter.
Why risk injury in a meaningless preseason game? To sell more tickets? More hotdogs? More beer? You think fans need one more night to practice screaming and cheering at that new plasma TV?
NFL players make truckloads of money to help teams reach the Super Bowl.
Didn't the preseason begin in July? Don't you think Jon Gruden knows his starters and if they're ready for Week 1?
Losing a key starter less than a week before a 16-game season would be brutal.
Teams around the NFL know this.
Philadelphia benched Donovan McNabb and Terrell Owens for its final preseason game. Does it matter the Eagles lost 37-17 to the Jets? Do you believe the Eagles are any less prepared for another Super Bowl run based on how coach Andy Reid managed the preseason finale?
The preseason is an opportunity for fringe players to prove they belong. Guys such as Earnest Graham, Derek Watson, Matt Bryant and Todd France want every opportunity to prove they do. One more key play could be the difference between playing or watching Sunday afternoons.
A fourth preseason game for proven starters is simply insignificant.
- IZZY GOULDINJURIES A CONCERN, BUT BUCS NEED WORK
Did you watch the Bucs' first three preseason games? The offense went nowhere. The defense was susceptible to the run. Penalty flags blanketed the field.
Was that a team that looked ready for the regular season?
Granted, the Bucs played better Thursday against the hapless Texans. But Tampa Bay's backups did much of the damage while the starters watched from the sideline.
The preseason is the time to get your team ready for the rigors of regular-season play. For offenses to develop timing and rhythm, for defenses to build trust.
You don't need to reveal schemes or betray tendencies. Just test your starters under game conditions.
Injuries are a concern, but they can happen in practice, during pregame, even off the field.
How can a team prepare itself when its most important players don't play?
If you wait until the regular season, you run the risk of a slow start, like last season's 0-4.
In the Bucs' case, at least, the first team needed the work.
- FRANK PASTOR
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