Woo hoo! Football is back!
Well, not really. It’s just the preseason, but for some reason people really get excited about seeing the only players you’ll see during the 16 games that actually mean something play a couple of snaps and then stand around on the sideline for the remaining 53 minutes of the game.
I get it that people love football. It’s a staple of autumn. High school on Friday nights, college ball all day Saturday, then NFL on Sundays and Mondays.
But why in the world are you excited to see the guys on your team who are about to have their careers ended in just a few days when they’re asked to turn their playbooks in play the guys on their team who are about to have their careers ended in just a few days when they’re asked to turn their playbooks in.
It’s not like college where you might be interested in seeing a group of incoming freshmen play. It’s the NFL. The average career only last about three years in the league anyway. You either perform immediately, or you get cut.
So why do you care about which guy might barely make the team and help serve Gatorade to the starters the rest of the year?
Football isn’t really back. If you don’t care about the outcomes of the games, (and God help you if you do) then football isn’t back yet for a few more weeks. Just hold your horses and watch some baseball or soccer until then.
Don’t confuse this as me saying there shouldn’t be preseason football games, there should. But please, I don’t need to see preseason hype talk all over social media and my sports television stations. There’s nothing to break down. The sample sizes you’re seeing from the starters are far too small to take anything meaningful away from.
In the Green Bay – New England game Aaron Rodgers went 11-for-17 with 117 yards, no touchdowns and was sacked twice. Nobody thinks anything of such a average performance. Because we know Rodgers is great. So why the hype?
Oh! But Jameis Winston had an awful first preseason game. The number one overall pick went 9-for-19 for 131 yards and an interception. What’s the first thing you see about the game on ESPN.com? That Winston had a “rocky” debut.
That’s it! Winston is cursed! He’s awful! He threw 19 passes, which is all we need to see in this day and age where we need constant stimuli. Never mind, Montana or Marino ever having a game where they went 9-for-19.
Just calm down everyone. Your real games will be here soon enough.
Reach Charles Grove at 937-544-2391, cgrove@civitasmedia.com or @WUDefender on Twitter.
