Atlanta Falcons: Do Preseason Losses Really Reflect on the Regular Season?

With the Atlanta Falcons facing the Miami Dolphins for the third preseason game this Friday, I could not help but think how a coach can actually affect a team by making strategic decisions in an "exhibition" game.

I say this because I grew up in Miami and followed Don Shula and the Miami Dolphins closely. Coach Shula's ambition and desire to win never changed. It did not matter if the game counted or not. I believe they always count, and so apparently did Shula; he wanted a win.

Times have changed and paradigms have shifted. First, there was the great running back and blocking fullback. Later, there was the era of the two running back set. Today, the outdoor game is beginning to look like arena football with the near total emphasis on the passing game.

Atlanta Falcons head coach Mike Smith wants his team to win even in the preseason, judging by his after game interviews reported in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.  However, the prevailing attitude seems to be that this is a time for the first team to get ready to play in the games that count and a time to evaluate the talent of new or developing players.

Both Don Shula's and Mike Smith's philosophies have great merit. Maybe it's the nature of the collective bargaining agreement with its stronger players' union, maybe it's just the era we live in, but it would be difficult or impossible to execute Don Shula's coaching style today. That probably explains the paradigm shift away from winning at all costs.

It cannot be denied that a win is a win and it feels good while building confidence. There is, however, no telling what the NFLPA would say if first team players were taken off the bench in order to win a game in the preseason.

I saw it happen and a less talented team than the 2012 Atlanta Falcons went on to bring an undefeated season to Miami in 1972.