One of the NFL's great ironies is that they pair up some of their best players in history with one of the worst games of the season. The Hall of Fame game honors a class of inductees with rosters of players who will never get into the building without a ticket. And that's just one reason why you should have skipped it, and you should skip the entire preseason as well.
I've been writing this column for 15 years. I used to be a guy who hung out in his house playing Playstation and waited for the newest Star Wars movie to come out. But now I'm older and wiser: I play Playstation and I can't wait for the newest Star Wars movie to come out. But now I do it in a totally different house with a woman who is willing to see the movie with me. She said she would, anyway.
Okay, so maybe I haven't changed much. But you know what else hasn't changed? The way I feel about the preseason. I didn't watch the Hall of Fame game, and if you missed it too, here's a recap: A kicker got hurt.
For years I've tried to attack it in different ways: Don't watch it, please don't watch it, I'm warning you not to watch it. I've even tried reverse psychology. Sure, go ahead and watch the preseason. It's a great idea. And you know what happens? People still tell me I'm crazy. Football is back! How can you not celebrate that? Well, it's easy. It's not real football. It's guys running around in helmets they won't wear in September. It's players who stay on the sidelines unless there's a punt or kickoff. And it's a sham game that goads you into thinking what you see matters. And I think it hurts you on draft day. You see a guy run over future car salesmen, and you think you have a sleeper on draft day. You see quick strikes from a soon-to-be personal trainer, and you subconsciously reserve a spot on your bench. You don't recognize it, but it happens.
After all this time I should give up on trying to convince anyone, right? Well, as you can see above, I'm pretty set in my ways. So I have a new idea this year, and I'd like you to give it a try.
Skip week 1 of the preseason. That's it. Just don't watch it the very first week and see how it goes. See how much of it you really miss. If it kills you, have a seat and enjoy week 2. But see if maybe, just maybe, you didn't miss anything at all.
It's not about what you'll lose; it's what you'll gain. You'll gain information without sitting through all the meaningless plays. If someone has a good showing, you can digest it without the visual bias of it appearing like a real game. You'll still stay on top of things (Ian watches them all), but you'll do it from a distance, and that separation keeps you more objective as to its importance.
You'll gain more time to prepare for the real games. You'll gain an advantage over your league mates who think they know more than you. And you'll gain perspective regarding what happens (and doesn't happen) during the fake games. And all you're risking is one week of pretend football. I know some people just watch it for fun, and they know it doesn't mean much. But unless you're brand new to fantasy football, your brain doesn't work that way. You've trained it to look for things that can help you during the season, and to think of things from the perspective of a fantasy owner. You can't turn that on and off.
So even if you watched the Hall of Fame game, just take week 1 off. Then follow what happened through Ian's updates and your normal resources. I don't think you'll feel any less informed. You might be less excited about a certain player, and that's a big win for you. Most likely, you saved yourself a headache later this month. But if something important emerges, you'll know about it. you just won't know the agony of watching your preseason superstar deactivated week after week starting in September.
Just think about it. No pressure. I'll still try to convince you next year, anyway.
If you're any kind of Star Wars fan, how can you not be excited after seeing
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