The fallout from Jordy Nelson’s torn ACL reached far and wide since last Sunday with just about every player and every media member chiming in. So I might as well too.
I think the preseason is a necessary evil because without some game action it would be extremely hard to determine which young players are gamers and which aren’t. With the now extremely limited practice time allowed due to CBA restrictions, it is much harder to evaluate players in practice.
With that said I do think it wouldn’t hurt to cut the preseason down to two games. Teams wouldn’t have to play established starters like Aaron Rodgers or Nelson at all if they didn’t want to. Blue chip players like that only play a few series at most as it is now.
Maybe the quality of the football being played in these games would be better if there was a greater sense of urgency on the young players. This year has just been brutal. The games are unwatchable, which was certainly evident by the number of empty seats in Pittsburgh last weekend. People are paying to stay home.
Maybe the combination of bad football and the seemingly increased number of injuries this year will prompt the league to make a change. But I wouldn’t get your hopes up.