What matters in preseason games? Learning something when the result means nothing
What matters in preseason games? Learning something when the result means nothing
Sifting through snaps that are glorified practice reps to grab as much information as possible
(NOTE- This article is an update of a piece I wrote last year on how to watch preseason games in a way that you can learn a little more about the roster. I’ve updated/added to it so that you can maximize what you get out of Saturday’s preseason opener. That’s right, the CITN has been here long enough to do remixes!)
The final score of preseason games means nothing. Literally nothing. And not “I’m abusing the word literally” literally, but “seriously, it absolutely doesn’t matter at all” literally.”
In terms of scheme, teams aren’t running anything but the most basic stuff (or goofing around with experimental plays). There’s a mix (often from the opening snap) of starters and non-starters on the field that gets diluted with every minute that ticks off the clock, which takes away from overall team execution as players who aren’t as familiar with one another share the field.
In addition, teams aren’t generally calling plays based on down and distance the same way they do in the regular season (they’re more concerned with sharpening technique/execution than actually winning). And, of course, by halftime there aren’t many players left who will play large roles in the regular season. It is, and I cannot stress this enough, a glorified practice.
So yes, the final score is meaningless. But that doesn’t mean the games themselves are meaningless. The value in these games isn’t in gauging the team, it’s in gauging individual players.
This is where preseason can become very interesting. Some of these players are seeing live action against pro players for the very first time. Last season, this was the case for 3/5’s of the Chiefs’ offensive line (Creed, Trey, and Lucas Niang). This year, it’s true for a plethora of rookies who are looking to grab a large role in 2022 (McDuffie, Karlaftis, Cook, Moore, Chenal, Williams, maybe even Pacheco…).
There are also players who are seeing action as a Chief for the first time under live fire (Juju, MVS, Justin Reid, etc), though most of the attention is generally on the rookies.
Because there won’t be the same schematic advantages/disadvantages (generally) as one would see during the regular season, this is going to be the most accurate gauge that you’re going to get of a rookie (including college film) to see where they’re really at. It’s also the best chance to see where players are at physically in terms of how they win. Finally, it’s a chance to see whether training camp heroes and other storylines from practice carry through in live game action.
With that in mind, here are a few things you can watch for on Saturday in order to try and get more from the game than the (meaningless) final score.
Look for player traits, rather than play results
With scheme playing less of a role in the preseason and different players than the norm are lining up, the overall results of the play aren’t that big a deal. A better thing to observe is singular physical traits that show up on the field for different players. There are plenty of guys who look fast, strong, or tremendous at making contested catches in practice. But even more so than 11x11 portions of drills at camp, preseason separates who actually carries through on those traits once the pads are on and everyone is going all-out to win the rep (rather than just working on certain techniques, etc).