Opinion Not playing starters (1 Viewer)

[Cajun Mike]

Not playing starters and Vets in preseason shows in production on field. There is no cohesion or familiarity with team mates. I know you want to play rookies, but it has reared it’s ugly head!

 

[dutar76]

Not playing starters and Vets in preseason shows in production on field. There is no cohesion or familiarity with team mates. I know you want to play rookies, but it has reared it’s ugly head!

That's probably true for every team. That would likely cause issues for OLs and QBs/WRs that are new to team and each other than at other positions. Teams with mostly all returning starters at those positions have an advantage early in the season.

That could be one of the factors in our pass game struggles, but doesnt explain our OL beginning the season out of sorts.

 

[fishing4food]

Not playing starters and Vets in preseason shows in production on field. There is no cohesion or familiarity with team mates. I know you want to play rookies, but it has reared it’s ugly head!

Totally agree with you on this. Another issue is the players didn't want all of the pre=season games so they took away one but added another game to the regular season. I understand the wear and tear on the body and injuries but it shows how far behind offenses are at the beginning of the season vs the defense.

 

[DavidM]

I think it probably matters to a point, but can’t imagine not getting a few extra quarters of play in the preseason becomes an explanation for poor play several games into the season. These guys have been playing together now for 16 quarters of regulation and there aren’t signs of improvement.

 

[Merl]

While agree with the OP it's not just a Saints problem. It is a league wide problem that started after the 2011 CBA and got much worse when the 17 game season started and eliminated the 4th pre-season game.

 

[St. Geezy]

Not playing starters and Vets in preseason shows in production on field. There is no cohesion or familiarity with team mates. I know you want to play rookies, but it has reared it’s ugly head!

Agreed!

Made no sense whatsoever that we would literally play our guys one series and immediately go "Welp, they scored an opening possession TD in a preseason game against a vanilla defense, so I guess they're good to take the next month off!"

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

with as many injury concerns we've had over past few seasons, it made sense to keep vets off the field
and very few of us had issues with that while it was happening, so fussing about it now seems...??
our poor showing doesn't invalidate the idea that health was our overriding concern

plus both SP and belichek (and others) have shown that it's more important to finish strong than start strong and treated september like an extension of preseason - the theory is still valid

 

[BreesusSaves]

The top 9 offenses in points per game right now are all the usual suspects. The numbers and order might not be what we are used to seeing from some of these teams, but the list is everyone you'd expect to see.

After their poor season opener which in all fairness was also against one of the best defenses in the league, the Bills have scored 37!!! or more points in their next three games.

The Chiefs aren't scoring as much as normal, but they're third overall in total yards and have the easiest remaining schedule in terms of defenses they'll face.

The 49ers have not scored less than 30 points in every game this season.

The Eagles offense has been less consistent than expected but they're still putting up at least 25 ppg and averaging 29.5 ppg.

The cowboos ran up 40 in the season opener and are averaging 31 ppg.

Simply put, the good offenses were either rolling from opening kickoff or had things sorted out before the second game of the regular season.

The Saints are regressing while we are watching a team like Denver ascend.

 

[Paul]

I think the whole not playing your starters in preseason to avoid injuries is a weak thought-process. We’ve seen teams lose players to season-ending injuries during training camp, preseason, and the first game of regular season. These guys are always at risk for injuries.
The latest preseason structure has hurt the product on the field. With the 4-game structure there was the build-up in playing time for the starters from games 1 to 3, where they’d play anywhere from a half to three quarters in game 3 and then sit in game 4. While I’ve never been a fan of preseason per se, I think this worked well because teams typically looked at least competent to open the season.

 

[LUX]

My opinion is this:
If you've been a solid starter for the same team over 5 years, you don't need much preseason quarters other than warm up time to get back in the groove.

If you are new to the team and not a starter, regardless of how long you've played football, then they should be playing most of the preseason quarters (at least a first half). The players who are fighting for a position should play every down possible to give the best video footage to make a decision.

Some may disagree with this, but to learn a different teams playbook will take time. It's not backyard football which is what it looks like for the Saints right now.