Pre-season 1
6/15/2008 12:07:40 AM
Out; Garrett, Shabazz, Ray, Tucker, Peterson, Perry, Romero, Braidwood, Mclendon, Campell, Davis, Baird, Cooper, Robinson, Luciani
 
There is a reason that we don't get paid for pre-season games…it's because they are meaningless. Naturally, that's easy to say when you're on the losing end of a 39-14 thumping at the hands of the boys down the road. Trust me though, I'd be singing the same song if the roles were reversed. The fact of the matter is that pre-season games are really just an extension of training camp. For new players they serve as somewhat of an introduction to the pace and speed of the league, so that they aren't completely shell shocked should they make it onto the final roster. For coaches, they can give a better gauge on players that may have been standing out during training camp. Finding out if that "stud" defensive end that has been annihilating everyone in his path in 1 on 1, and team drills during training camp can carry on that success against legitimate CFL starters certainly helps in the evaluation process for a coach. Even for veterans the pre-season holds some, albeit mild value. The pre-season becomes almost like a glorified practice the longer you are in the league, and just like practice it serves as yet another opportunity for veterans to sharpen their skills prior to the season starting. However, they can be somewhat of a nuisance for vets as well. One does not want to give an opponent any familiarity or tendencies to mull over before the season starts and you end up facing that man 3 or 4 times. Not to mention the fact that any time the lights are turned on, and everybody's all dressed up, you know that the bodies will be flying. The longer you play, the less you want to put your body in full contact activities that could potentially injure you before the real thing gets under way. You certainly don't want to find yourself spent before it's really time to perform.  Hmmm, there's a dating analogy that would work perfect here…on second thought, this may not be the correct platform
  

Naturally, as athletes we want to win every single time we step on the field. In fact, I even want to win in chess against the kids that I teach, so competitive fire is something that doesn't change from pre-season to regular. However, if you think that I'm going to get bent out of shape because our rookies made less plays than Calgary's starters, you would be mistaken. If Calgary feels good about how they executed in the game, that's all fine, well and dandy. They should feel good because they accomplished what they intended to in that game. I just don't think it's wise to gauge our team off of the pre-season solely.  While the pre-season games can serve as a good measuring stick indicating what may be strong or weak within certain facets of our club; I feel like our team carries a much different dynamic with 10 or so of those playmakers playing.
I guess we'll find out soon enough. ©

Kp8