0 Preseason Games in 2020 (1 Viewer)

[Twenty-Four Eighty-Four]

https://www.rotoworld.com/football/nfl/player/7406/roger-goodell

The NFL accepted the NFLPA's demand of zero preseason games ahead of the 2020 season.

This is a gigantic step towards having the season start on time. The NFL has slowly inched towards the NFLPA's side of this argument, initially requesting two preseason games, then down to one and now agreeing to none. This will allow for a longer acclimation and strength and conditioning period for players once arriving at team facilities, as teams can now take their time to practice rather than prepare for games. Still, you have to feel for fringe NFL talents who simply won't have the opportunity to put their game on tape for other teams to see in the hopes of maximizing their opportunities. Think of names like Victor Cruz, or even recently Raheem Mostert, as players who have greatly benefited from preseason action.

SOURCE: Adam Schefter on Twitter

Jul 20, 2020, 7:56 PM ET

 

[starks]

Meh. Not this year and owners saw this coming 

 

[Buffaloes]

https://www.rotoworld.com/football/nfl/player/7406/roger-goodell

This is a gigantic step towards having the season start on time.

(I know it's a rotoworld quote so no shade at OP)

But how is canceling games a gigantic step towards starting the season on time?

 

[KChusker]

(I know it's a rotoworld quote so no shade at OP)

But how is canceling games a gigantic step towards starting the season on time?

One less point of contention between NFL owners and the NFLPA--good news especially after another one was addressed by daily testing guarantees

 

[Leroy Hoard]

I knew this pandemic was good for something.

 

[perbach]

Going to be some sloppy ### football early on even if the season does start.

 

[Milkman]

There was never going to be a preseason. The players hate it. 

 

[Joe Bryant]

As the blurb from RW said, this is a big step toward being able to start the season on time.

It's a big financial hit that both the owners and players will share. 

Seems like a smart move and a good compromise. It's my understandings the league very much wants to start the season on time. No preseason and the ramp up period is a big part of that.

 

[SaintsInDome2006]

Going to be some sloppy ### football early on even if the season does start.

Teams and QB/WR with longstanding chemistry will be ready and better quicker.

 

[STEADYMOBBIN 22]

I knew this pandemic was good for something.

I don’t understand this position. The preseason games were never supposed to be televised or treated as a product for fans. It’s only supposed to be for the players and coaches to prepare for the regular season. 

It’s so bazaar.  Folks complain that the preseason games aren’t very good so they want them to be removed so that the quality of the regular season suffers. 
 

 

[Leroy Hoard]

I don’t understand this position. The preseason games were never supposed to be televised or treated as a product for fans. It’s only supposed to be for the players and coaches to prepare for the regular season. 

It’s so bazaar.  Folks complain that the preseason games aren’t very good so they want them to be removed so that the quality of the regular season suffers. 
 

They are/were made as a money grab. Since there will be no or few fans this year they have no problem canceling them. Regular season games are part of the tv package.

 

[Manster]

Finally!  a positive from covid!

 

[barackdhouse]

Teams and QB/WR with longstanding chemistry will be ready and better quicker.

I wouldn't mind seeing this cross referenced with OL continuity, if there is much of it. 

 

[barackdhouse]

(I know it's a rotoworld quote so no shade at OP)

But how is canceling games a gigantic step towards starting the season on time?

Maybe not gigantic but it sure feels like a big step in the right direction. It says both sides are taking this seriously. 

 

[ConnSKINS26]

I don’t understand this position. The preseason games were never supposed to be televised or treated as a product for fans. It’s only supposed to be for the players and coaches to prepare for the regular season. 

It’s so bazaar.  Folks complain that the preseason games aren’t very good so they want them to be removed so that the quality of the regular season suffers. 
 

I understand why season ticket holders hate preseason, as owners have passed along their costs to the fans and somehow succeeded in making it a normal practice to make full-price preseason games a requisite part of season ticket packages. That sucks. (This is a detour from my point but imo NFL teams would actually be smart to take the hit on preseason tickets and give them out for free to young potential fans and their families to always be growing the future fanbase, especially since the sport is dying among younger children around the country as peewee and school youth teams are being decimated due to cost and CTE danger).

But back to more Shark Pool relevant thoughts:

We're on a fantasy football forum in the dead of the offseason right before training camp should start, and the majority of posters around right now are also dynasty players it feels like.

I love preseason specifically because of it's impact on dynasty. Player values change, lottery ticket players have their value gain clarity or tank, depth charts shake out, etc. I am seriously bummed as a dynasty player that I won't get to see my lottery ticket UDFA's and late rounders try to make their mark, and will get limited training camp coverage of the same players as well due to lack of beat writers around the team and lack of people at practices etc. Plus with no preseason reps, vets and higher pedigree rookies will need as many snaps as they can handle to be ready for week 1, so the depth guys suffer from lack of opportunity there even more. Especially this year, with such a strong and deep draft overall this was a good crop of lottery tickets imo. 

Maybe it's just me but a big part of my enjoyment of dynasty and a big part of my success over the years is sniffing out those Darren Waller types early in the summer, getting them cheap on offseason blind bidding waivers, and then seeing what I see in camp and preseason to decide the bottom of my roster. That process will be seriously lacking in substance this year and total guesswork, if these types even make any rosters around the league (they've talked about possibly restricting roster space for less risk, but I don't think the NFLPA will go for that as that means less opportunity for the depth players who make up the majority of the union). 

I've gone on enough about this but it puzzles me that anyone interested in the draft, prospects, and player development (related to fantasy, dynasty specifically, or just the NFL in general) would be happy the preseason is gone. This hurts all of us. It only maybe makes sense to hate it if you only play redraft or are a season ticket holder paying for these practice games. 

 

[zamboni]

Purely from a fantasy lens, it definitely makes guys like Damien Williams, Singletary, Kerryon Johnson, Mack, etc. a bit more valuable this year. The rookies pushing them are likely going to need more time to get up to NFL game speed.

 

[menobrown]

Purely from a fantasy lens, it definitely makes guys like Damien Williams, Singletary, Kerryon Johnson, Mack, etc. a bit more valuable this year. The rookies pushing them are likely going to need more time to get up to NFL game speed.

I personally  think 45 days of training camp and meetings is plenty of time for rookies RB's to acclimate.

I'd think it will be a bigger challenge for some of the other positions, for sure fantasy skill positions, but I can think off the top of my head some WR's and TE's who missed all or most of camp/early season of their rookie years and went on to be instant impact players.

My personal belief is the people this will negatively impact the most are not necessarily the young guys, it's the players who did not show up in shape. We of course have no idea who that is right now.

 

[zamboni]

I personally  think 45 days of training camp and meetings is plenty of time for rookies RB's to acclimate.

I'd think it will be a bigger challenge for some of the other positions, for sure fantasy skill positions, but I can think off the top of my head some WR's and TE's who missed all or most of camp/early season of their rookie years and went on to be instant impact players.

My personal belief is the people this will negatively impact the most are not necessarily the young guys, it's the players who did not show up in shape. We of course have no idea who that is right now.

I agree that RB is probably the easiest position for rookies to acclimate, but it’s more like a month than 45 days after camps start in late July. Plus all the rookies did not benefit from mini-camps and other workouts, which is valuable lost time.

Just not sure head coaches will be willing to give rookie RBs a heavy workload - at least right off the bat - unless they’re proficient blockers.

The cream will ultimately rise to the top, but IMO it might be longer than usual this year. 

 

[Dacomish]

I agree that RB is probably the easiest position for rookies to acclimate, but it’s more like a month than 45 days after camps start in late July. Plus all the rookies did not benefit from mini-camps and other workouts, which is valuable lost time.

Just not sure head coaches will be willing to give rookie RBs a heavy workload - at least right off the bat - unless they’re proficient blockers.

The cream will ultimately rise to the top, but IMO it might be longer than usual this year. 

I agree with your point about workload, but I think Pass Protection and learning that teams schemes associated with it will be the biggest issue for rookie RB's. Getting the rock on 1st or 2nd Down and running to a hole is one thing, and something those RB's have done hundreds of times till now. Reading NFL schemes/players on pass pro is a whole different animal. 

 

[zamboni]

I agree with your point about workload, but I think Pass Protection and learning that teams schemes associated with it will be the biggest issue for rookie RB's. Getting the rock on 1st or 2nd Down and running to a hole is one thing, and something those RB's have done hundreds of times till now. Reading NFL schemes/players on pass pro is a whole different animal. 

Agreed. Another part of the issue with putting in rookie RBs - if they are not going to block much - is that it may tip the defense that it's going to be a running play. 

 

[yoman]

I agree with your point about workload, but I think Pass Protection and learning that teams schemes associated with it will be the biggest issue for rookie RB's. Getting the rock on 1st or 2nd Down and running to a hole is one thing, and something those RB's have done hundreds of times till now. Reading NFL schemes/players on pass pro is a whole different animal. 

My thoughts exactly. As much as I love Edwards-Helaire I don't think he will make it on the field much at the beginning of the year if he can't protect Mahomes. Preseason would probably help with this a little bit but defenses tend to play their base schemes and don't show different looks until the regular season begins so I don't think cancelling it will have that big of an effect. I would worry a lot more about young RBs learning pass protection if they shorten training camp.

 

[barackdhouse]

I've gone on enough about this but it puzzles me that anyone interested in the draft, prospects, and player development (related to fantasy, dynasty specifically, or just the NFL in general) would be happy the preseason is gone. This hurts all of us. It only maybe makes sense to hate it if you only play redraft or are a season ticket holder paying for these practice games. 

I mostly agree with your argument here. There is no doubt that it is bad for the league and bad for fantasy for all the reasons you said. But my take is that it is good news in the sense that this (likely low quality) season is more likely to happen now. I'd still call it slim but cancelling preseason is a major step forward. But yes it sucks hard for player and team development. No doubt.