“Don't Be Overly Impressed or Overly Depressed”

The drought of “real” football on television is finally over. For many football fans, NFL Europe and Arena football, has only fueled their appetite for the “real” deal. Now that the NFL pre-season is here, football fans can again feast on an assortment of games. While the pre-season treat may not fully satisfy the ferocious hunger of hardcore fans, it should certainly serve as a tasty appetizer to the rest of us.

With the start of the season close at hand, many fantasy football enthusiasts will be eagerly watching pre-season games on television. Veteran fantasy owners will find themselves scouting teams, coaches and players alike. They want to learn which teams have improved, and chart player performance. In general, owners will be relying heavily on pre-season games to prepare for their fantasy draft.

While owners can’t be faulted for employing this strategy, some caution should be exercised.  In the case of pre-season games, statistics do lie. Clear cut starters will have pathetic stats, while perennial back-ups will rack up the yardage. When dealing with pre-season, we offer this advise… Don’t get overly impressed or overly depressed.

Don’t Be Overly Impressed...

In offices all across the country, the small talk now shifts to football. Let's listen in to a couple of friends talking about a recent pre-season game… Wow, did you see that guy last night? Some guy from Buffalo scampered for a 50 yard score. Yea, and some receiver for Atlanta caught a 60 yard touchdown strike. By the way, what was his name again?
I don't know, never saw the guy before.

The conversation is great, because it gets the football juices flowing again. However, don’t become overly impressed with these unknown pre-season stars. The chances are that the “star” third string running back or sixth string receiver, will remain buried on the depth chart. It doesn’t matter how well he performs in pre-season. Remember he’s playing against the third string linebackers, corners and safeties. This guy may have problems making the team, much less break into the starting line-up. It’s just the reality of the situation.

NFL coaches view the pre-season as an opportunity to see how back-up players perform in game conditions. Some guys look great in practice, but fall apart under game conditions. As such, the backup players are featured in pre-season games, to see if they can cut it. The third and fourth string players are not fighting for a starting job, they’re just fighting for a job.

Don’t become overly impressed with these pre-season wonders. Unless catastrophe hits, they won’t supplant the Manning’s, Faulk’s and Moss’ of the league.

Don’t Get Overly Depressed...

Let’s switch back to the football talk around the office cooler for a moment. Let's listen in to the guys again...
Man, I’m bummed out. I was going to draft Marshall Faulk, but he didn’t play well in last night’s game. He was only in for two possessions and really didn’t impress me at all. Yea, I know what you mean. Maybe he’s hurt or he’s lost a step. What do you think?

This conversation is potentially dangerous and very foolish. Mike Martz knows what Faulk is capable of. Moreover, Faulk does not need to prove himself or show his wares. The fact that he may have played poorly or was used sparingly, should not concern anyone who understands the dynamics of pre-season football.

If you were to query every coach in the league, you would find that the vast majority would rather just skip the pre-season. Because fans are paying top dollar for game tickets, there is pressure to play the starters. Many coaches
cave to these pressures, but only allow the starters to play about one quarter. Coaches don’t want to endanger their starters.  They will use every trick in the book to avoid them from playing. Just look at some of the injuries keeping players out of the pre-season games – tweaked hamstring, stiff shoulder, cramps, hangnail ?? Come on… these aren’t injuries.

For the most part, coaches could care less if they lose a pre-season game. It doesn’t count, so why should it matter. The fact is that coaches do not want to risk injury to their starters. Moreover, the players themselves don’t want to risk their careers for a game that means nothing.

Don’t become overly depressed about the stats or performance of a known commodity like Rich Gannon, Curtis Martin or Marvin Harrison. Use their past performance to guide you with your draft preparation. It really doesn’t matter if Gannon throws for a combined 50 yards in all of his pre-season appearances. He’ll be under center for the first game of the regular season and racking up the yards.

Good luck and remember... "Don't get overly impressed or overly depressed".
 

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