Yesterday’s pre-season opener vs the rams was the unofficial start to the 2024 season. And typical of all pre-season football games it was a sloppy contest of FGs, poor execution, vanilla playbooks and only one touchdown between the two teams. For anyone wondering if yesterday’s game is any indication of what the 2024 team will be – thankfully it is not. Very few of the players we will be counting on when it matters most played yesterday.
So here’s some general truths about PS games to keep in mind…at least IMO:
- Under Mike McCarthy, most of the key starters this team will be counting on in the regular season will not be on the field in PS games. So it’s very hard to judge a team when so many key players aren’t playing.
- Usually no more than 25% of the playbook on both sides of the ball will be used. Coaches usually use the more vanilla portions of the playbook choosing to not reveal in particular any new wrinkles on both sides of the ball.
- Unlike the regular season, there is zero game planning done for these games.
- The matchups in PS games are usually just a pairing of backup players or even players at the end of the roster who will NEVER play a meaningful down of NFL football. Keep in mind many players who may make some good plays are often doing it against guys who won’t make an NFL roster.
- The primary purpose of PS games is to evaluate the margins of your roster and possibly evaluate key draft picks and their ability to integrate into the pro game.
If the Cowboys lose every pre-season game this August, it will probably reveal almost nothing about what kind of regular season we will have. It may reveal an occasional diamond in the rough or that someone we thought had great potential is not that good.
My hope for PS games: Let’s get through it with no major injuries. The games that really matter start in September.
