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2015 NFL Preseason: There’s No Quick Fix to the Injury Situation

By Phil Naegely

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The 2015 NFL preseason is in full swing and for the most part that’s a good thing. However, high-caliber players, like Jordy Nelson and Maurkice Pouncey, sustaining serious injuries during a preseason game have many to declare that there’s a problem with preseason games by there being too many of them. Many feel this would be a simple solution to cut down on the risk of injuries during preseason. Yet, is the solution that simple to help fix the injury situation of star players during preseason?

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The short answer is no. However, it’s more complicated than a simple yes or no answer.

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First, we must identify the purpose of preseason. It’s not about winning or scoring many points. While both of those things are great to see as a fan, preseason is about evaluation. Players, especially those fighting for a spot on the 53-man roster or a starting position, are evaluated during every practice and games. How they preform in both places matters, but more weight tends to be put how they succeed during game action.

Additionally, referees use preseason games to hone their skills, focus on points of emphasis, and develop chemistry with their counter parts. While they work on different assignments and with different people throughout the year, it’s still good to have these games to prepare mentally and physically. Just like the players, officials and referees need time to prepare.

Is a two game preseason the answer?

The most popular solution to reducing the risk of injury during the preseason is changing the preseason schedule from four games to two games. While there would be less games, the chance of injury wouldn’t go down as much as people think. Likewise, this issue would have to be agreed to by both parties. If the preseason was only two games per team, there would be less time to evaluate those on the fringe and even the stars. Coaches still evaluate their starters to see how they are progressing throughout the games.

Additionally, in a two game preseason it wouldn’t be surprising to see the starters play more. Currently, most starters play a less than a quarter during the first two games. The third game is historically when the starters see the most game action. Usually, the fourth game is reserved for those on the fringe of making the 53-man roster.

If the league moved to a two-game preseason set up, it would be possible to see the starters play at least a quarter of action in each. The starters could even play longer in the second game given they wouldn’t have the third game to play. At the same time, practices and training camp would be affecting and changed if the league goes to two preseason games.

The regular season won’t start until the Sunday after Labor Day no matter how long the preseason is, but more practices and longer training camps would just lead to more risk of injury. Yes, most sessions don’t have tackling to the ground in training camp, but that doesn’t 100% prevent injuries.

At the end of the day, injuries are an unfortunate part of sports and will still occur. No matter how many preseason games are played, the risk of injury is there. It’s shortsighted to say that preseason games are the only place injuries occur and there are more factors to injury risks than just playing in “a meaningless game during preseason.” It sucks to lose a key player during the preseason, but reducing the number of games or eliminating them all together isn’t the answer.

There’s a purpose to training camp and it is effective. Despite the risk of injuries to star players, it should stay at four games per team. Maybe players should be smarter in their training and lead up to OTA’s, mini-camp, training camp and preseason. The latter shouldn’t be used as the scapegoat for injuries because their no quick or simple fix to reducing the risk of injuries significantly.

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