• Articles
  • News
  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Website Terms of Use
  • Contact
Total Packers - Green Bay Packers Blogs and News
  • Home
  • Analysis
  • Packers News
  • Contact
  • Disclaimer
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Analysis
  • Packers News
  • Contact
  • Disclaimer
No Result
View All Result
Total Packers
No Result
View All Result

Do Preseason and Regular Season Performance Relate?

Rob Born by Rob Born
August 15, 2017
in Uncategorized
0

Until the last six to 10 years, training camps lasted longer, involved many more hours of practice, and were much more intense. Key players played more extensively in the preseason games, and until the late 70s there were more preseason games on the schedule.

For many decades, teams played however many exhibition games they wanted – before, during, and after the regular season. Beginning in the 1960s, teams went to a 14 regular-season game schedule, and the preseason period was reduced to four or five games. In the 1970s, NFL teams began to view preseason games as a revenue source (and one not shared with the players). Some teams required season-ticket holders to pay for a number of preseason tickets if they wanted to keep their season tickets.

From 1970 through 1977, NFL teams played six exhibition games, including some played at neutral sites. Some fans might recall the Green Bay Packers hosting a game each year at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison until the late 90s. Ever since 1978, however, teams have played 16 regular season games and four preseason games (not counting Hall of Fame games in Canton). The league went to a 32-team format in 2002 when the Houston Texans were added. There has been much talk of reducing the number of preseason games to three or even fewer.

Until the last half-dozen or so years, I would say the primary intent of teams during preseason games was to ready the team’s starters, and especially the key players, for the regular season. The battle-hardening approach has succumbed, however, to the reality that injuries are on the increase in the NFL – as the Packers demonstrated on Thursday with at least five players being removed from the game.

Now the primary intent is clearly to evaluate the rookies and new acquisitions, and to prevent key players from being exposed to injuries.

The bottom line is that NFL players are getting much less practice in training camp than ever before – also due to injury fears – and teams’ key players are getting much less playing time in the fewer exhibition games there are than there were in the past. It showed on Thursday.

I have a premise that a team’s starting players need considerable preseason game experience to be fully ready for the first couple of regular season games. It would be difficult to prove, though. One would probably need to go back and rate the teams that are most and least in the habit of playing their starters and stars during preseason games, and then comparing how well each of the two groups did in their first regular season game or two. Maybe I’ll get around to such an analysis some day.

But even if the importance of game experience in the preseason could be proved, how many coaches would be brave enough – and willing to assume accountability for it – to make the tradeoff between game experience and injury risk? I’ll grant you it’s a delicate balance that every head coach has to try to reach.

Tags: FeaturedNFLpreseason
Previous Post

How Will NFL Rule on Eagles’ Dirty Hits?

Next Post

Randall and Dupre will Remain in Concussion Protocol

Packers vs Patriots 2022

Packer Potential Draft Strategies

April 16, 2023
Rodgers - Packers line up

Most Key NFL Players Are Skipping the Preseason Games

August 29, 2019
Raiders vs Packers - Preseason

Packers’ Starters Sit Due to Bogus Safety Issue

August 23, 2019
Matt LaFleur

Who Is Matt LaFleur: An In-depth Look at New Packers Head Coach

January 8, 2019
Next Post
Malachi Dupre

Randall and Dupre will Remain in Concussion Protocol

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Total Packers - Green Bay Packers News and Rumors

Subscribe to Packers News Updates

100% Spam Free - Unsubscribe at any time.

Find It!

No Result
View All Result

Recent Posts

  • 2023 Packer Draft: What We Learned
  • Packers Choose TE Tucker Kraft with 78th Pick in Round 3 NFL Draft
  • Packers Select TE Luke Musgrave & WR Jayden Reed in 2nd Round NFL Draft
  • Packers Draft Lukas Van Ness
  • Packers 2023 Draft Brings Opportunity
  • TV-Drama “As the Packers Turn” Cancelled as Star Diva Aaron Rodgers Traded to Jets
  • Packer Potential Draft Strategies
  • A Fan’s Farewell to John Brockington
  • Packer Draft Needs: Safety
  • An Aaron Rodgers Farewell
  • Packer Draft Needs: Edge
  • Inside the Packers’ Insane Ticket Situation

Popular Tags

A.J. Hawk Aaron Rodgers Brett Favre Brian Gutekunst Bryan Bulaga Charles Woodson Chicago Bears Chicago Bears Clay Matthews Clay Matthews III Dallas Cowboys Davante Adams Detroit Lions Eddie Lacy fans Featured free agents game analysis Green Bay Packers Green Bay Packers Greg Jennings injuries Jay Cutler Jermichael Finley Jordy Nelson Julius Peppers Mike McCarthy Mike McCarthy Minnesota Vikings Morgan Burnett New England Patriots New Orleans Saints NFL Oakland Raiders Philadelphia Eagles predictions Randall Cobb Sam Shields San Francisco 49ers Seattle Seahawks T.J. Lang Ted Thompson Ted Thompson Tramon Williams Ty Montgomery
No Result
View All Result
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Articles
  • News
  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Website Terms of Use
  • Contact

© 2022 Total Packers -- This site is not affiliated with the Green Bay Packers or Packers.com

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Analysis
  • Packers News
  • Contact
  • Disclaimer

© 2022 Total Packers -- This site is not affiliated with the Green Bay Packers or Packers.com