There has been a debate for years now if the NFL preseason should be shortened from four games to two. Leagues such as the CFL have a two game preseason for each team, and NFL fans have been thinking about doing so as well. And this preseason, injuries have been adding to the pot.
Carson Palmer is just one of the many key players who have been injured in preseason action this year.
Palmer broke a nasal bone while being sacked against the New Orleans Saints on Saturday night. Palmer is questionable for Thursday night's preseason-ender for the Bengals against the Colts.
Jason Taylor is also out for up to two weeks. Taylor was injured during a game against the Panthers this week, and though the injury is not as serious as the Redskins thought, he is still expected out for 10-14 days. This could end Taylor's 130 consecutive game streak if he is unable to play.
Osi Umenyiora has told reporters he will be out for the season because of season-ending knee surgery.
Umenyiora was injured in the Giants latest preseason game against the New York Jets on Saturday. He is expected back and healthy for the 2009 season.
Harry Williams, a wide receiver for the Houston Texans, may not ever play again. After fracturing his vertebra in a preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys because of a head to head collision with teammate Nick Ferguson, his agent has said he would "pay him to never play football again."
The list goes on of preseason injuries, and people are wondering if the current amount of preseason games are needed. I know of other injuries that have happened this preseason as well, putting teams in tough positions because of the losses.
I personally know that in football training camp there are scrimmages in practices, and I know that the two preseason games and training camp scrimmages that my football team endures will be plenty of preparation for the season. And I'm not even a pro.
Many people think that for a professional athlete, two games is enough to get back in the mindset for the regular season, plus the fact that they do have week after week of training camp.
These latest injuries raise the question: should the NFL preseason be shortened? Many players are being injured in preseason action, and teams are suffering the consequences of four preseason games.
The question should be answered. I know what I think. As for the league? I think I'll let you decide what you think should be done about the current length of preseason games. Feel free to voice your opinion in the comments section below.
4 comments Last one added 9 months ago — Leave a Comment
Michael Westerberg 10 months ago
Two games is a little extreme, I think. You hear people complain about four games all the time, so I think a better alternative would be a three game pre-season. The pre-season has more purposes then just getting your starters tuned up for the start of the regular season. One, coaches and owners are looking at guys that are on the bubble to make the team. They don't just look for a guy that is talented, they also look for a guy who brings it week in and week out. If you make the pre-season too short, then coaches don't get a good enough look at some players. Two, the pre-season is conditioning. Before you point out the off-season work outs and training camp, I'm not talking about physical shape. Everyone on that field is in pristine shape. Mental preparation is a different story, however. You can do scrimmages all you want but you need those games to condition your mind to be able to focus 110% for a 2 1/2 to 3 hour game.
You do make a valid point, though. Injuries are becoming a problem, but this is football. No matter what, players will still get hurt no matter how many pre-season games you have.
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Craig Garrison Sr 10 months ago
I don't think the preseason should be shortened. It would put teams at a disadvantage in regard to player evaluations. Game action IS THE ONLY WAY TO PROPERLY EVALUATE PLAYERS, and without these games, teams will be forced to rely more on "known quantities", players they already know very well, rather than giving younger players the chance to prove they can play.
Maybe three would be enough, but it would also need to come with an increase in the number of players allowed to be in training camp (which is probably going to happen anyway next year).
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Dustin Haley 10 months ago
Shortening the peseason does nothing to prevent injuries.
Although they happen in the preseason, the exhibition games are not the cause of the injury.
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mat macko 9 months ago
In response to Dustins post: No one is saying that players are getting injured BY the preseason, theyre simply saying that if players are going to be injured they might as well be injured in a game that counts towards the overall record of the team.
In response to Craigs post: Teams and coaches have a high school and a college career that must be pretty outstanding if they are in the NFL. we can look at the numbers from these careers, maybe not to be completely accurate, but to get a good feel of there qualities.
Also, college does not have preseason games and they come out on week one and preform just as fine, if not better than some NFL teams are looking on week one.
The shortening of the preseason would increase the revenue for the NFL and the players that get injured in the weeks that would have been preseason get the feeling that they didn't just waste there whole lives training only to get hurt in the preseason
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