What The Preseason Gives You
August 27th, 2024
Preseason is just an eye tease.
Joe understands some NFL loyalists out there are triggered by one of Joe’s constant yet sincere takes each August.
“Worthless preseason games.”
A lot of fans have bought in to the NFL industrial complex believing the game of football simply cannot be played without preseason games. Meanwhile, half of the Bucs Super Bowl wins came without the help or need of one of these worthless things. How did that ever happen?
Preseason football is the big lie. Your eyes tell you one thing but they lie. What you saw is a lie. A con. A mirage.
Case in point, Bucs bubble receiver Cody Thompson led the NFL in preseason catches with 15. Xavier Hutchinson of the Texans had the second-most with 12.
So what did Thompson get for leading the NFL in preseason receptions? Tchotchke! The Bucs pulled a Junior Soprano on Thompson and told him to go shat in his hat.
Today, for his efforts, Thompson is looking for work. He is not expected to make the Bucs’ final roster.
Preseason football is a big con. The only thing Joe can see preseason football being good for is for folks who have part-time jobs working at The Licht House and for orthopedic surgeons.
Now, let the real games begin! (Finally!)
August 27th, 2024 at 9:17 am
No one is devising a plan for a specific run game or passing attack. McMillan isn’t going up against starters. Izien came out swinging last year and he won the job in preseason then disappeared after two games. After one year of starting he’s on the bench. Joe preseason means absolutely nothing because the opposing teams give you absolutely nothing.
August 27th, 2024 at 9:24 am
The 7 Bucs draft picks who made the team say don’t shat in my hat. All of this is probably decided through everyday practice, but you’d think some of the tape is taken from preseason games.
August 27th, 2024 at 9:28 am
Uh, huh! 🙂
/Nods head up and down.
August 27th, 2024 at 9:30 am
Well, it’s the only way people like Trask get any reps. I remember when there were six of them
August 27th, 2024 at 9:35 am
Preseason is good for the football starved fans who don’t mind watching anything that resembles football.
August 27th, 2024 at 9:40 am
Joint practices should become the norm and just do away with the preseason games.
The owners are the biggest beneficiaries. Charging ticket prices, parking and concessions for seeing guys that you don’t know and will probably never see again. So, the owners will keep the preseason games.
August 27th, 2024 at 9:41 am
31 teams didn’t win a SB without preseason games.
August 27th, 2024 at 9:49 am
Once upon a time the preseason games were fought to win, sloppy as they were.
FWD to 2024 and I have concluded it is only important for the coaches after the game when they spend hours and hours studying players executing individual performance man vs man and it’s probably as painful for them as it is for the fans.. necessary as pre practice stretches
August 27th, 2024 at 9:52 am
PRESEASON PASS RUSH
The preseason is where you DO NOT show your cards. Don’t put anything on tape that lets the opposition prepare. I won’t be surprised if our pass rush is special.
August 27th, 2024 at 10:02 am
It’s like having to watch 3 warm-up bands before the headliner that comes on at 10pm. Can we just pay the full amount and skip the rest everyone is probably good with that.
August 27th, 2024 at 10:12 am
Your logic makes no sense. When the Bucs won SB LV no team had a pre-season. All went into the season on an even footing. The comparison to having a pre-season is worthless. The example of Cody Thompson is even more laughable. Even though he played well the Bucs brain trust saw something in his play or game day demeanor that didn’t fit their scheme. How did they discover this? In pre-season games and practices. Maybe he will be a good fit for another team. How will teams know? Again, pre-season game film.
August 27th, 2024 at 10:12 am
Joe – “Half of the Bucs Super Bowl wins came without the help or need of one of these worthless things”
That’s because there were no preseason games in 2020 due to COVID and someone had to win the Super Bowl.
You could also say that in 2020, 31 of 32 teams that did not play any preseason games failed to win the Super Bowl.
August 27th, 2024 at 10:15 am
I take it you liked Cody Thompson, Joe?
I suspect that he’ll be offered a chance for the practice squad, if another team doesn’t snatch him up.
Level of competition played a role probably.
August 27th, 2024 at 10:31 am
PS is only to evaluate marginal players.
PS could be worse. It could be like one of those club football or small religious HS 8-man jamborees.
PS used to be semi-fun back when the Bucs sucked, and fans were pumped full of This-Year-is-The-Year Hopium. Anything for hope, and every Bucs fan knows what I’m talking about.
Then “Tennessee Ready™” happens…
August 27th, 2024 at 11:20 am
Imagine JBF without preseason….room for more articles about Atlanta/Bucs disrespect….Bucs lacking a pass rush, Rachaad White’s poor running…..
No Thanks
August 27th, 2024 at 11:24 am
Yeah no team had a preseason and yet one was going to win the Superbowl. I don’t understand why you keep bring this up but it’s on me for just not ignoring this article and moving on to the next one which is what I’m off to do from now on.
August 27th, 2024 at 11:32 am
Really Joe. You’re going to keep stirring this pot? What’s the old adage, “there’s two sides to every coin?” You think preseason is worthless. Others, including some coaches and players. think they have value. Can’t we just agree to disagree?
August 27th, 2024 at 11:36 am
Joe is so right. Look at Dennis. I can’t remember the last time I saw him play. Misses training camp, and preseason last two years. Don’t think he’s ever even played a preseason snap, yet he makes the team ahead of Grier who had a great game against Miami. It doesn’t matter. Ko Keif will always make the team because he has long red hair. Licht if you haven’t noticed has a thing for guys with long red hair. As long as Ko never cuts, or dyes his hair he has a roster spot. Meaningless, worthless preseason games. Just ask Sir Dennis.
August 27th, 2024 at 11:39 am
In the “old” days with shorter schedules I found pre season entertaining. It was also before coaches sat their starters so much.
You could see some actually entertaining football. Too much money is on the line these days to risk actually “playing real football” in the preseason.
August 27th, 2024 at 1:44 pm
I really have no idea how people looked at a 28-year old Cody Thompson, who had played for 6 years with 1 catch, and suddenly thought he was having a breakout because he looked good vs the other teams 4th stringers. Do people understand what they’re seeing? Now if Cody was a good special teams player, then that would be a different story, and I guess he played a little special teams in Seattle – but people were talking about him like he should be one of the WR’s on the team. If the Bucs, on Sundays, had to use him, then they’d be in some real trouble.
It’s sort of like watching Sean Tucker playing in the 4th quarter of the last preseason game and looking game and people thinking he’s suddenly good – when we saw what he could do last year when he averaged 1.5 yards per carry. All those slow cutbacks and slow reads vs other teams 3rd stringers doesn’t mean much on Sundays.
August 27th, 2024 at 1:47 pm
It’s terrible what the NFL has done to the preseason – obviously they’ve figured they’d use it as a bargaining chip to get a regular season 18-game schedule, the fact they’d cut back to 2 games for the preseason, or perhaps just cut them all together.
It used to be fun to go out on a Saturday night in August to watch some real football at a dirt cheap price – you’d get to see the starters play into the 3rd quarter in some cases. Now, the Bucs starting offense, played all of 3 minutes and 5 seconds. Worse, Bowles sold people tickets with the promise that the starters would finally get some playing time. Way to dupe people into getting tickets they’d have never bought otherwise.
August 27th, 2024 at 3:35 pm
Open Letter to Joe:
I expect you and I are roughly the same age, so I’m guessing you recall the TV show called Point Counterpoint. Here is my counterpoint. I would argue that the preseason games, all though watered down are extremely important to those young men pursuing their dreams. Exhibit 1: Kameron Johnson.
Now are the preseason games as beneficial as joint practices? Doubtful. But that’s a discussion for another day. Stay thirsty my friend.
August 27th, 2024 at 4:09 pm
Joes are just being their usual blockheads looking for $$$clicks. Preseason is valuable cos teams can see what their new picks have BEFORE the regular season cranks up. Sorta like 2 + 2 = 4 as in essential.