Lions coach Dan Campbell made a great point about the inevitable pressure for more regular season games and fewer preseason games. It’s a great point that will fall on deaf ears as it speaks to the ears that matter.
Yes, having just two preseason games (and 18 regular season games) will hurt player development. No, the owners don’t care.
Owners care about profit. This is not a criticism or a judgement. It’s a fact. More money coming in, less money going out. Clear and simple.
More regular season games mean more money invested. If the cost includes fewer development opportunities for young players, so be it.
It’s already clear that the man hired by the owners to be the face and voice of the ATM will happily swap preseason games for regular season games. His argument is this: preseason games are bad, regular season games are not.
The evolution of players doesn’t even enter the conversation, as far as team owners are concerned. Players will develop in another way. Or not. There are 53 roster spots per team and supply will always exceed demand. If shortening the preseason to two games (or, over time, eliminating it for a 20-game regular season) prevents some players from becoming the best players they can be, so what?
Another person will be part of the team. Someone else will win the reps. Someone else will win the money.
Additionally, the NFL’s ultimate development program continues. It’s college football. The NFL’s free farm system. This is where players will, or will not, reach a level of performance that qualifies them for NFL opportunities.
It’s not about whether it’s right or wrong to care about player development. It’s a recognition of the reality that owners don’t care, not if it hurts their profits.
The owners proved this 17 years ago when NFL Europe shut down. Dating back to the World League of American Football (which the NFL debuted in 1991), this minor spring football league has created important development opportunities for players, coaches, executives, managers and everyone. And if it had been making enough money, it wouldn’t have been closed.
The NFL’s multi-billionaires didn’t make their multiple billions by making bad business decisions. See what they’re doing with NFL Network. After 20 years, they are finally treating it like a real business and not a loss-leader advertising tool – and they are bringing it down to the lowest programming cost.
The NFL won’t blink if/when it comes to shortening the preseason to two games, one game or no games. It is up to the teams to develop the players. It’s up to the players to develop. In the end, 22 players will be on the field. Whether any of these players benefited from real development opportunities after leaving college football doesn’t matter to the people who pull the strings and push the buttons.
