In the NFL season there are 16 games to be played in 17 weeks with each team getting one week off, referred to as their "bye-week". Prior to the start of the season, there are four pre-season games to be played that are exhibition games. The outcome of these games have no relevance to the season as a whole but some argue that they are actually detrimental for the players. Fox sports analyst, Dieter Kurtenbach, had this to say: "The preseason is an unnecessary and meaningless quarter of a campaign that rips off fans, puts players at risk of significant injury and provides little, if any, entertainment value". I agree with Dieter that players face significant risk of being injured in these meaningless games. The idea behind the preseason itself however provides value to the sport for franchises as well as for younger players.
The preseason is crucial for teams that try to evaluate the young talent or new additions that they have on their roster. Starters and other key players do not see the field for extended periods of time during the pre season in order to limit the chances of injury. This also limits their opportunity to get back in the groove of things and build team chemistry prior to the season. The players whose abilities and skillsets are being questioned are then put into the game for a chance to impress their coaches and general mangers. The only problem with this strategy is the inferior competition that is put on the field. It is hard to assess the abilities of these players when they are not going up against true NFL caliber athletes. For this reason teams have began to schedule joint practices during training camp.
Joint practices before the season have gotten more popular as of recent. There is reason to believe that these could possibly replace preseason games. However, I do not see this as a viable option due to the money generated during preseason games. What is interesting about joint practices is the fact that organizations are inviting themselves to be scouted. This certainly was one of the reasons why coach Bill Belichick decided to have joint practices with AFC East division rivals Miami Dolphins. Belichick has been known around the league to do whatever it takes to get a leg up on the competition whether it was "Deflate-gate" or "Spy-gate". Along with giving your opponents an open invitation to scout your plays and tendencies, another reason against joint practices is fighting.
When you have two teams on one field for an extended period of time without true boundaries in a physical sport like football, there is bound to be an altercation. Teams that have been involved in joint practice fights include:
- Los Angeles Rams
- Los Angeles Chargers
- Dallas Cowboys
- Denver Broncos
- San Francisco 49ers
- Washington Redskins
- Houston Texans
The early exposure to opponents as well as the frequency of fighting prove that joint practices might not be the solution that some were looking for when hoping to get rid of Pre-season games. As it appears, the NFL will most likely keep the 4 game exhibition schedule they have implemented since 1978.
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