Two Weeks' Worth of Preseason Analysis Pt. 1

I'm back! Let's talk about preseason!

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I am back! It feels good to be writing about football while drinking a cold beer. Thanks to everyone for being patient and also reaching out to offer their condolences. It was very tough on my dad, and I am thankful that both Tre and Stoney were able to pick up some of the slack last week.

I took the advice of someone much wiser than me and just decided not to worry about it because you all would be understanding. That turned out to be the way to go. (Thanks, PK.)

However, I am long overdue to discuss my thoughts about the first two preseason games and other off-season topics. I have been bottling them up and ready to get to it.

Keyboard Doctors & Being Mad at Practices

Oh boy, this one really got to me last week. I’m to the point where I hate scrolling through X anymore because the ridiculousness and gall of some of the accounts with many followers to say the irresponsible stuff they do is insane to me.

First, if you think it was dumb of the Titans to ask Treylon Burks to run a deep route in practice, you’re a complete and utter moron. It is practice. This idea that defenders have different levels of care for an opponent in practice versus a game is so asinine it shouldn’t even be brought up.

Second, I know this is a societal thing. Everyone has to have an instant reaction or opinion, but trying to diagnose injuries based on a video shot like the Zapruder film is just irresponsible. Accounts with followings are responsible to their followers not to be reckless with their “diagnosis.”

What’s funny is that no one guessed LCL. I get it. The Titans are frustrating with the way they handle disclosing injuries. However, an injury to a significant player always finds its way out to the masses.

Fans can react or go crazy however they want; media members or “fanalysts” must be held to a high standard.

Preseason in General

I enjoy the preseason, and you can gain a lot of insight about certain players in these games. To dismiss these games is a slap in the face to the players 40, some odd players auditioning for ten spots on every team.

Is it the be-all, end-all for what a player is or will be? Absolutely not. Hell, there was a time when the Peyton Manning-led Colts would go 0-4 all the time and then absolutely ball out in the regular season.

I talked about it before here, but there is this incorrect idea out there that you can’t evaluate a player because the preseason surroundings are less than desirable. Uh, what? It is literally a part of how the staff dictates who makes the final 53 roster.

That is an excuse. If you think players cannot be evaluated in the preseason because of their surroundings, you’re making an excuse for a player you like and not being objective. It is a lot like the Great Mariota Wars of 2018-2020. It was everyone else’s fault, or his surroundings were terrible. No, he just wasn’t a very good, consistent enough player.

Evaluation needs to be objective, not subjective. In film sessions between players and coaches, everyone in the room looks at the film and breaks it down objectively. If you want to up your “fan game” or get into the business of analyzing a team in any sport, I think objectivity is a must.

Do you have to have zero rooting interests? It isn’t popular, and many media members aren’t fans of the team, but I think it is all about how objective you can be when covering your team.

So: Be objective. Set expectations. Analyze. Discuss. (B.S.A.D.?)

Speaking of which…

We’ve Been Viewing the Backup QBs All Wrong