Preseason games

[TheSkeptic]

In Family night Love threw a technically great pass to Watson. But from a safety standpoint it was a horrible pass. Had this been thrown in a preseason game it would have been probable that Watson would be carted off the field.

In a game a few years ago, Jordy got carted off the field in a pre-season game and was never again a great receiver.

What do you all think of sitting not only Watson but Doubs and Reed for the all but 1 series in each pre-season game. It is not like they need reps except to knock the rust off. All 3 are too valuable to have on IR to start the season. Wicks, Melton, Dubose, Heath and others would get more valuable experience and that last spot on the 53 would be stronger.

I'd be inclined to severely limit Jacobs and see what the other RB's have, particularly Wilson vs Dillon as the 3rd RB.

And on D, I see no reason to risk Alexander or Gary or Clark or Walker in the preseason unnecessarily.

But I would give Love half of every game. He would improve even more.

[musclestang]

If they were in year 5+ years together in the same offense, maybe I consider it. For year 2 and 3 players coming in with a 2nd year starting QB? They only sit if they're hurt.

and Jordy was going to blow that knee at some point, it was all a matter of timing. Healthy connective tissue doesn't just snap like that, so his was obviously not healthy, it was going to happen sometime that year. Life is going to happen, we have to adapt.

So, unless I know someone is hurt, they're playing in my plan, whether i've determined they need 3 plays or 30 in the game. My staff and I are going to see what we need to in the preseason before anybody sits.

[APB]

There’s a certain risk component that must be accepted when playing any sport. Football is a particularly physical sport. Injuries are going to happen, unfortunately.

You can’t, however, allow fear of injury to override developing and preparing your team and individual players. These young guys need the reps. Jordan needs the reps with those young guys. Defense needs reps in the new system. There will be risk as they all develop together.

That, and there’s a psychological effect in planting a “playing scared” mentality. I personally believe it tends to impact players by them being overly protective and hesitant on the field. I don’t want that mentality if I’m the player or the coach. Ever.

Sure, there’s no need to trot them out 4 quarters every preseason game but they do need their reps. Play them. Develop them. Prepare them. If a man goes down, next man up.

[Yoop]

There’s a certain risk component that must be accepted when playing any sport. Football is a particularly physical sport. Injuries are going to happen, unfortunately.

You can’t, however, allow fear of injury to override developing and preparing your team and individual players. These young guys need the reps. Jordan needs the reps with those young guys. Defense needs reps in the new system. There will be risk as they all develop together.

That, and there’s a psychological effect in planting a “playing scared” mentality. I personally believe it tends to impact players by them being overly protective and hesitant on the field. I don’t want that mentality if I’m the player or the coach. Ever.

Sure, there’s no need to trot them out 4 quarters every preseason game but they do need their reps. Play them. Develop them. Prepare them. If a man goes down, next man up.

obviously Lafleur will lean to caution, players need game speed to develop chemistry though, so I expect our best players to get a quarter a game to do that, or even a bit more.

I agree, and I'am famous for saying, to think is to stink, the practice field is for thinking, if you have to think about anything other then what you've been trained to do, success is diminished, and that includes not trying to get injured, playing tentatively seems to invite injury, it's peddle to the metal, or the way side rest area

what I would like to see from Love is passing on the read where the receiver is headed into vicious hits like the toss into double coverage to Watson the other night, he also had another receiver open, no need to force that throw, be smarter.

family night scrimmage is great, but it wont show us what a PS game can, still we saw some nice plays, it's a teaser for the real thing

[go pak go]

3 years ago we complained about this because of not playing preseason at all.

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Count me in the group that wants to see the starters play a couple of series to get their feet wet.

[kampmanfan4life]

I am always a fan of playing about 2 series each game. Or if they take one off take the final game off. If I remember right we have quite a bit of time between our final preseason game and season opener.

We do have two scrimmages during practice too. Coaches seem to love those.

I think it is position specific. Running backs and linemen which are more physical probably get more out of the live action then receivers and corners.

[Backthepack4ever]

Sit wrs and defensive vets but play Love half of every game

There is risk in football. Wasn't Jordys injury in warms ups. It happens. I understand controlling the risk as much as possible and QB1 is on top of that list also.

Suit these guys up let them ramp up and go hard for a few seriesaybe 1st quarter and get them out. They still have to be football ready week one.

[wallyuwl]

The Jordy example isn't a good one to compare yo Love's throw. Jordy tore up his knee, and shortly after Heinz Field adopted the same hybrid turf as Lambeau.

[go pak go]

Sit wrs and defensive vets but play Love half of every game

There is risk in football. Wasn't Jordys injury in warms ups. It happens. I understand controlling the risk as much as possible and QB1 is on top of that list also.

Suit these guys up let them ramp up and go hard for a few seriesaybe 1st quarter and get them out. They still have to be football ready week one.

Jordy's injury happened in the game but it was a non contact injury. Frankly the fact we can only think of one prolific injury in a preseason game in my fan lifetime, and a non contact one at that, tells me the risk isn't signficant in the preseason.

Play the starters a couple series in game 1 and game 2.

[Cdragon]

If the majority of ACLs happen pre-season or in the first two games and you don't play guys you're upping the odds that they go down in the first 4 real game when they are suddenly given a full load. We've got a 5 deep WR room. I don't want to lose any, but if you lose one, the earlier the better. Give them a quarter in the first game, and a 1/2 in the second and sit most in the third game so the bubble players and PS can be set.

[TheSkeptic]

If the majority of ACLs happen pre-season or in the first two games and you don't play guys you're upping the odds that they go down in the first 4 real game when they are suddenly given a full load. We've got a 5 deep WR room. I don't want to lose any, but if you lose one, the earlier the better. Give them a quarter in the first game, and a 1/2 in the second and sit most in the third game so the bubble players and PS can be set.

Slightly less conservative than I would be but I can't argue with this.

Fyi, Jordy caught a pass in a preseason game. The pass was high and he had to twist his body to catch it and he came down hard on 1 leg and the ACL snapped. This was not something that was inevitable, it was a freak stress on a healthy leg/

The reason I would play Love and sit many other 2nd and 3rd year players is that I don't believe Love is anywhere near as good as he will be and the reps will help him improve a lot more than extra reps would help the others. Also, players like Wicks, Melton, DuBose and all the TE's and the backup RB's all need to play with a starting quality QB. Love is the only starting quality QB on the team, all the others have to improve to become a quality backup QB. It is all a risk vs Reward formula and in Love's case the reward is much bigger than the risk. Of course if Love is on the field the starting Oline should be also.

[Labrev]

Where does it end? Bakhtiari effed up his knee in a practice, should we stop having vets do practice?

Last two preseason games, play the starters.

[lupedafiasco]

Where does it end? Bakhtiari effed up his knee in a practice, should we stop having vets do practice?

Last two preseason games, play the starters.

So I agree about the where does it end sentiment but I don’t believe in playing starters in the preseason. It’s essentially the NFLs G league. Use it as a developmental tool but practice is for preparations. Exhibition games are for the backups and the bums.

Additionally, most teams are using the starters rest model in preseason. Even the bum ass Bears rested Caleb Williams. What’s the purpose of playing starters into backups?

[NCF]

Where does it end? Bakhtiari effed up his knee in a practice, should we stop having vets do practice?

Last two preseason games, play the starters.

So I agree about the where does it end sentiment but I don’t believe in playing starters in the preseason. It’s essentially the NFLs G league. Use it as a developmental tool but practice is for preparations. Exhibition games are for the backups and the bums.

Additionally, most teams are using the starters rest model in preseason. Even the bum ass Bears rested Caleb Williams. What’s the purpose of playing starters into backups?

I'm with you, here. Unless the NFLPA eventually bans joint practices, the NFL coaches have found their loophole for getting vets ready to play in a more controlled setting. I also think the early cutdown is stupid for that reason, as well. Let these guys get there shot in the spotlight and make cutdowns all in one go.

[Yoop]

Where does it end? Bakhtiari effed up his knee in a practice, should we stop having vets do practice?

Last two preseason games, play the starters.

it's a 17 game season, unless we are attempting to go 17-0 why bother to chance injury in a non seasonal game, it's not how you start, rather how you finish that matters, again a couple series in PS games then yank most of the starters.

last year showed us that, by the 10th game we had a well tuned offense, ready for all comers, I doubt it will take this team as long this year even if we sit every starter for all 3 PS games, sure injury can happen at any time, but why take unnecessary chances.

[NCF]

Where does it end? Bakhtiari effed up his knee in a practice, should we stop having vets do practice?

Last two preseason games, play the starters.

it's a 17 game season, unless we are attempting to go 17-0 why bother to chance injury in a non seasonal game, it's not how you start, rather how you finish that matters, again a couple series in PS games then yank most of the starters.

last year showed us that, by the 10th game we had a well tuned offense, ready for all comers, I doubt it will take this team as long this year even if we sit every starter for all 3 PS games, sure injury can happen at any time, but why take unnecessary chances.

The counter argument is that a slow start hurts you in the final standings and playoff seeding. Despite our bad luck, I think it is still a major advantage to get play-off home games and potentially the 1-seed/Bye Week.

I think good teams can manage all of this appropriately. Sit your starters to avoid unnecessary risk and still start the season strong. I don't think they are correlated as strongly as some suggest. It's a convenient excuse for teams that do start slowly.

[kampmanfan4life]

Where does it end? Bakhtiari effed up his knee in a practice, should we stop having vets do practice?

Last two preseason games, play the starters.

it's a 17 game season, unless we are attempting to go 17-0 why bother to chance injury in a non seasonal game, it's not how you start, rather how you finish that matters, again a couple series in PS games then yank most of the starters.

last year showed us that, by the 10th game we had a well tuned offense, ready for all comers, I doubt it will take this team as long this year even if we sit every starter for all 3 PS games, sure injury can happen at any time, but why take unnecessary chances.

The NFC North might have one of the most competitive divisions. It is great to peak at the time of the playoffs, but if we do not win enough games to get into the playoffs it does not matter. You would have another opinion if we missed out on the playoffs last year.

[Labrev]

Where does it end? Bakhtiari effed up his knee in a practice, should we stop having vets do practice?

Last two preseason games, play the starters.

it's a 17 game season, unless we are attempting to go 17-0 why bother to chance injury in a non seasonal game, it's not how you start

By that thinking, let's stop having practices, too. You might get a career-ending injury in action that doesn't count.

[Yoop]

Where does it end? Bakhtiari effed up his knee in a practice, should we stop having vets do practice?

Last two preseason games, play the starters.

it's a 17 game season, unless we are attempting to go 17-0 why bother to chance injury in a non seasonal game, it's not how you start, rather how you finish that matters, again a couple series in PS games then yank most of the starters.

last year showed us that, by the 10th game we had a well tuned offense, ready for all comers, I doubt it will take this team as long this year even if we sit every starter for all 3 PS games, sure injury can happen at any time, but why take unnecessary chances.

The NFC North might have one of the most competitive divisions. It is great to peak at the time of the playoffs, but if we do not win enough games to get into the playoffs it does not matter. You would have another opinion if we missed out on the playoffs last year.

I hardly expect the slow start we had last season, simply that losing the first couple isn't a sign we'll lose the division, heck I want to win every game just like everyone else, my point is I doubt we'll need to.
I probably don't follow div. foes like you and others, whatever I see us and detroit fighting for division honors, and Chicago and Vikes fighting not to be seller dwellers.

[Yoop]

Where does it end? Bakhtiari effed up his knee in a practice, should we stop having vets do practice?

Last two preseason games, play the starters.

it's a 17 game season, unless we are attempting to go 17-0 why bother to chance injury in a non seasonal game, it's not how you start

By that thinking, let's stop having practices, too. You might get a career-ending injury in action that doesn't count.

does every comment you make have to be over the top? seriously when was the last time Lafleur played his starters more then just a few series in PS games? and with practice most players (outside of Alexander, wth is he trying to prove) don't try to ripe team mates helmets off, it's just safer then live games.