The NFL Preseason: A System That Should Not Be Eliminated

It's nearly the end of preseason football.  Weaknesses have come to light.  Strengths have shined brilliantly.  Players have been injured.  Cuts have been made.  All in a short a few weeks of play that may soon be shortened or eliminated all together.  And now we must realize that the preseason helps all our teams get better and prepare for what lies ahead in the coming months.

Every off-season the media, fans, and league/team officials all speak about why the preseason is a waste of time.  However, everybody who argues about this is wrong. 

The NFL preseason is a great way for teams to test their depth at every position in real game scenarios, rather than just as scout teams running their opponents' plays.  As fans we get to see the future of our teams and what we can expect for the next 3-4 years, for the most part.  If there was no preseason then these players would barely get any experience and not have a real opportunity to earn a starting spot.

If the preseason was shortened by two weeks and the regular season was extended, which is becoming more and more possible, it will cause one of the greatest attractions of the NFL to lessen.  That, ladies and gentlemen, is the power and weight of every game during the season.  Currently, if a team starts out poorly and goes 0-2 or 0-3 then they will have little-to-no chance of reaching the playoffs.  However, with two more games added then that 0-2 start means a little less.

Now, some might see that as a good thing for their team if they often start poorly and then gain momentum and run through the rest of their schedule.  But this does not help the league and the greatness of the NFL. 

Teams live and die every week.  Players get injured, this is a fact of football and sports in general.  However, if it happens in the preseason then the team has time to evaluate their backups and restructure their depth charts and play style.

Look at the Chiefs for example.  This week they lost their starting quarterback for the next month and also decided that their offensive coordinator was not getting the job done and fired him.  KC fans should be happy they had these past few weeks to realize this and an extra week for the new coordinator to get settled, rather than having to realize this mid-way through the regular season.

Finally, let us view the preseason for what it truly is.  A time to go to an NFL game and watch as the new talent plays and our players get readjusted to the NFL life of games and practices.  Not a waste of four weeks that nobody cares about.