Fansided

The underestimation of the NFL preseason

By Jonathan Dawson

IRVINE, CA - AUGUST 04: Los Angeles Rams players watch practice on the field during Rams training camp held on August 4, 2018 on the campus of UC Irvine in Irvine, CA. (Photo by John Cordes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
IRVINE, CA - AUGUST 04: Los Angeles Rams players watch practice on the field during Rams training camp held on August 4, 2018 on the campus of UC Irvine in Irvine, CA. (Photo by John Cordes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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The NFL preseason is here, and while some would prefer to just skip it, those people are missing the real value in the games.

As most NFL fans sit around patiently waiting for the start of the regular season, statements go to the tune of something like “the preseason is way too long,” or “these preseason games are pointless,” are on most people’s minds.

You’re watching your favorite team and then two drives in the starters get put on the bench, if they were even in the game to begin with. You instantly sigh and change the channel. This is completely understandable and frankly happens all the time.

The games really have no implications on the team’s regular season records and the players that you have grown to love only play a handful of snaps throughout four games. So, you’re definitely not missing much, right?

Wrong.

You missed an undrafted rookie out of a small school score two receiving touchdowns, run high-caliber routes, and potentially go from a guy who was cut to earning a spot on the 53-man roster.

This part of the season is for guys to really stand out and make a name for themselves. But for all intents and purposes, it is a four-week job interview from hell.  All eyes are on you from the coaching staff all the way up to the owner, waiting for mistakes to be made, and without hesitation or remorse, giving you the boot, crushing your NFL dreams before they even started.

Not only is it four weeks of rigorous physical and mental football activity, there is always the thought that they could potentially be cut.

Many players receive invitations to join a team during training camp each year. By rule, teams can hold a maximum of 90 players on a roster come the start of camp but by the end of it the team must be cut down to 53.

Roster spots are extremely scarce. However, this is also what makes the preseason incredibly important and intriguing as the battle for a roster spot can be downright intense

The grim reality of it all is that making an NFL roster is a long shot for most hopefuls.

Dreams are shattered daily around preseason as players are released. From a rookie whose NFL journey has just begun or to the eight-year journeyman, anyone is susceptible to being tossed from a roster. The NFL is about winning and winning fast. If that’s not happening things can and will change meaning a player’s job is constantly on the line.

One thing is for certain, though; guys are giving 100 percent from the first snap until the final whistle. Some of the most passionate and determined football can be seen played during preseason in hopes of impressing any coach whose watching from not just their team but all 32 teams around the league.

Guys like receivers Victor Cruz and Danny Amendola are prime examples of players who entered their first preseasons as relatively unknown, undrafted long shots to make a team.

In 2010, Cruz signed with the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Massachusetts. He impressed the coaches during minicamp but instantly became the talk of the entire preseason when he hauled in six receptions for 145 yards and three scores in a game against the New York Jets.

Amendola was coming undrafted out of Texas Tech with an impressive resumè behind him but was still considered to small and slow to make any impact for an NFL team. He was signed by the Dallas Cowboys and shocked his coaches with his superb route-running ability, toughness and smarts.

The rest is history for these two.

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Cruz went on to become an icon in New York while playing a crucial role for the Giants as their No. 1 receiver while salsa dancing his way to a Super Bowl victory in 2011.

Amendola floated around the league until he landed in New England where he won a Super Bowl in 2017. He’s now considered one of the best slot receivers in the game with the Miami Dolphins.

The next time you’re watching a preseason game and your favorite star players are benched, and the stadium looks empty, don’t change the channel. You might just see an unknown with a dream take his first steps in becoming a star.