3 Reasons Why the NFL Preseason Is Must-See TV

The enthusiasm that surrounds the NFL preseason—the annual indication that we're "back to football"—rapidly dissipates after the first few weeks of games are complete. 

We go from being excited for the start of these games to wishing they'd have a running clock by the fourth quarter.

However, there truly is plenty to keep your eye on during the preseason.

Here are three legitimate reasons to fight through the natural struggle that comes with watching an NFL exhibition game. 

New Faces In New Places

The preseason provides the first look at free-agent and trade acquisitions in their new helmets and uniforms—something that always seems aesthetically odd. 

Remember seeing Brett Favre in a Jets uniform for the first time? How about in Vikings purple?

This preseason, we'll see Colts legend Peyton Manning wearing blue-and-orange threads with a horse's head instead of a horseshoe on his helmet. Brandon Marshall traded the Dolphin for a "C" on his lid, and Mario Williams will don a charging Buffalo on his headgear.

How about No. 10 Terrell Owens in Seahawks neon?

Outside of the new-look apparel and helmets, this is the first chance to see how the big names have acclimated themselves to their new teams in training camp. 

Yes, we'll only get to see the most prized additions for a quarter or two, but seeing them for that long on the field is better than listening to speculation on TV or the radio or reading theoretical predictions online and in your local newspaper. 

Though we know preseason win-loss records and statistics are irrelevant, getting an introductory glimpse of our favorite team's most treasured newcomers is always fun and occasionally foreshadows what we'll see from them during the regular season. 

A Chance To Watch Rookies

Yes, rookies are considered in the group of "treasured newcomers" for many teams, especially the first-round picks, but in the preseason we finally get to observe how they carry themselves on the field. Are they wide-eyed and more tentative than they were in college? Or are they ready to seize their opportunity on the game's biggest stage?

Rarely do rookies look baffled in the preseason then instantly turn it on when the games count. Now, a bad set of exhibition games doesn't automatically doom a rookie year (see: Newton, Cam), but at least the debates we have with our friends are based on actual NFL game action. 

Outside of the highly touted first-rounders, key contributors selected in Rounds 2 through 5 are given the shot to run with the first team on occasion. They will learn valuable lessons playing in the late stages of the preseason games with other men fighting for a roster spot. 

Discovering Late-Round, Undrafted and Overlooked Gems

This is the absolute best part of the preseason and the reason why I urge you to soldier on in the third and fourth quarters when guys from Tarleton State are on the field (no offense, Richard Bartel). 

It's nearly impossible to list all the late-round and undrafted gems discovered during "meaningless" second halves of exhibition games, but a few stand out.

Remember Victor Cruz's preseason in 2010, when he torched the Jets for 145 yards and three touchdowns? 

Danny Amendola was a camp cut by the Dallas Cowboys. Now he's the No. 1 target in St. Louis. 

Danny Woodhead didn't make the cut with Rex Ryan's Jets. Now he's an integral part of the New England Patriots' running game. 

Every year, a new batch of seemingly out-of-nowhere players emerges and they provide tremendous value for their respective teams. 

Long-shot stories that simply cannot be made up occur every season, and many of them have roots in the NFL preseason.