Viva Murillo!

For about five years I’ve always devoted a column about the preseason -- specifically, asking you not to watch it. I thought it was important enough to mention every season, and I still think that’s the way to go. It’s fake football at full price, it’s way too long and it won’t really help you in your fantasy draft or auction.

Well, I also devote a column to being a good sport at the end of the season and accepting defeat with class when you’ve been beaten. And I’m ready to accept defeat here: I lost the battle. You’re going to watch the preseason. It gives you a chance to scout your favorite team, it means NFL football is almost here ... and it’s supposedly better than nothing. The ratings are good, attendance is good and the preseason isn’t going anywhere. It’s starting and people will be watching. You win; I lose. End of story.

But if you’re going to watch exhibition games, at least keep it in perspective. Here are a few things to remember when watching a month of opening acts for the headliner that starts in September:

* Remember Why They’re Playing. The definite backups want to show their value, impress the coaches and make the team. At the very least, they want to make enough of an impression that if they are released, another team gives them a look. They’re trying very hard and appreciate every chance they get to take the field.

The starters want to avoid getting hurt and play as little as possible. That’s it. The guys you’ll be drafting want no part of the preseason. The guys who care will be lucky to hold a clipboard, and the rare exceptions to this rule will be on the waiver wire if lightning ever strikes.

If you like watching your favorite team’s young stars, or just sitting back and watching a “game,” great. Everyone on the field has their own agenda. But please remember that none of their motivations will help you much on draft day.

* Remember Bruce Gradkowski. Here in Tampa, there was a lot of buzz about Gradkowski after the 2006 preseason. It’s not that he looked like Dan Marino, but he seemed to be well ahead of schedule, made sound decisions and looked like he could actually run the team if pressed into service. But when actually pressed, he fell flat.

Now, I’m not really knocking Gradkowski here. He looked inexperienced, and that’s about what you’d expect from a rookie playing against first-team defenses. He only won three games, but so did Peyton Manning when he was a rookie. Just sayin’.

The point is that the preseason told us nothing about what he was capable of doing when the games counted. A guy who looks like a diamond on the rough is really just a lump of coal until he performs when it matters most. Make sure you have several grains of salt to take with every impressive play you see in August.

* Remember LaDainian Tomlinson. You’d better remember his performances last year, because you sure won‘t see much of him this month. Last year, you had as many carries as he did during the preseason (0). For his career, he has 14 exhibition carries. Clearly, it’s not an important time for him. The better the player, the less important he takes the preseason--so don’t adjust your rankings based on what do or don’t see in August.

* Remember Dennis Green. Green actually made a case for the preseason in his now-notorious tirade after a loss to Chicago last year. He mentioned a preseason victory as proof that his team is more than capable of competing with Chicago. “Who the hell takes the third game of the preseason like it’s bull****?” Green asked before knocking over a microphone and storming out of the room. I suppose that should tell you something. Teams do put (a little) stock in representing themselves well in that particular game. So if you’re going to watch and if you think there will be something to see, I think that’s the week to pay attention. If the teams actually care a little, maybe we should, too.

Maybe.

Michael Murillo still isn’t watching, but will stay up-to-date thanks to Ian Allan’s updates and the Internet. You can reach Michael at vivamurillo@hotmail.com.