Less is more when it comes to playing starters in the preseason
By STEVE KING
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It has happened every year in the NFL for a long time.
That is, not long into training camp, media members start asking the head coach about how he’ll play his starters in the preseason games. Come on, it’s all about the starters, especially the quarterbacks, right?
When there were four games from 1978 through 2019, coaches would play their starters a series or two in the opener, a half in the second game and three quarters in the third contest before sitting them in the finale to make sure they were healthy in the regular-season opener. It was a pretty widespread formula, and coaches hardly ever deviated from it.
But all that has changed.
After having no preseason games last season because of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are three games this year. The Browns starters didn’t play in the preseason opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars nor in Sunday’s contest against the New York Giants at FirstEnergy Stadium. It’s hard to say if they’ll be out there when the Browns finish the preseason next Sunday night at Atlanta.
Some people don’t like that. They don’t agree with it. They think that the only way to get better and to jell as a team is to have those starters playing in the preseason.
That’s outdated philosophy. Teams get their work in when they practice against other clubs, as the Browns did against the Giants last Thursday and Friday. The coaches can control the pace and kinds of situations used. There is a chance that those starters can get hurt in that work, but it’s much less than it is in preseason games.
I hope the Browns starters don’t play against the Falcons. What matters most is getting those starters to the regular season in good health. And if it takes the first part of the first game to shake off the rust, then so be it. It’s a whole lot better than losing a player, particularly a quarterback, in practice games.
