Starters not playing the preseason

[Eazy-E]

I know you don’t want guys getting hurt but most of the guys I’ve seen that sat out the preseason have looked pretty bad week one. Even at age 100, Tom Brady played almost the entire first half against us in the third game.

Rodgers and Trubisky looked like crap in their first game and neither played the preseason. Cam and Goff were both incredibly rusty as well.

Practice will never replicate real game reps and it is clearly having an affect on players.

Team didn’t look prepared today and holding guys out of the preseason falls on the coaches. If guys haven’t played in over half a year expect some rust. 

[mc52beast]

Ron said rust is just another excuse for losing. None of the Rams starters played and they beat us. Of course it didn’t help that they fumbled twice and kept both of them.

[Eazy-E]

4 minutes ago, mc52beast said:

Ron said rust is just another excuse for losing. None of the Rams starters played and they beat us. Of course it didn’t help that they fumbled twice and kept both of them.

Both teams played like poo and we lost by 3. I'm not really mad about it. This was also one of the toughest games on our schedule and we got it out of the way week one. Now lets beat the poo out of Tampa Thursday.

[Krovvy]

Yeah, I would rather the starters get more preseason snaps as well.

[RGJ]

You've got to be professionals.  I know practice isn't the actual game but you've got to tempo the practices enough to get your guys ready without having injuries.  This is coaching 101.  Rams did it and they won.

[Sgt Schultz]

That's the way the league has gone.  Teams generally play their starters a lot less in the preseason than they once did.  Preseason is more about looking at new players than getting the starters ready, and it shows in September.  Honestly, the league should charge something like 3/4ths of the normal admission price for September games.

It's a Catch-22.  Teams look like the Keystone Kops the first few games, or they play the starters more and there is a riot when one of them gets hurt in the preseason.  Just look at the uproar here when Cam hurt is foot vs. New England.

And they want to reduce the preseason, lower the number of reps the starters get during practices (which I will grant is not the same as game play), and replace a couple of weeks with more games.

I've gotten to the point that I watch the NFL in September about like I watch MLB.  Tell me the scores, let me look at the standings, and I'll check back in October. 

[L-TownCat]

No matter what you do in practice, no matter how many times you simulate game situations, you can not replicate game play.

Cant be done.  

You end up looking like healthy athletes that aren't used to live action.

Its not just us, its all over the league.  Sloppy play we used to see in the preseason.