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Learning about the NFL in August
Cameron Palmer
Roar Guru
6th August, 2014
2
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Cameron Palmer
Roar Guru
6th August, 2014
2

For those footy fans that claim that the AFL preseason is too long, spare a thought for NFL fans who have just commenced an eight-week preseason.

That’s right, NFL fans have to watch their stars in action knowing every pass, every catch and every sack really doesn’t matter for another two months.

But such is the marketing beast that the NFL is, they make you feel like everything matters. Even when it probably doesn’t. These are the things that could be learnt or not learnt from Sunday’s first preseason clash.

We’ll start with the three things we have learnt.

1. Running backs’ careers are short
Running backs in the NFL have an average career expectancy of about five years. There are more players that play just one meaningful season than play 10 seasons.

Sadly, another name can be added to the former category with the impending retirement of New York Giants running back David Wilson after suffering another neck injury, his second in less than 12 months.

Wilson burst onto the scene in 2012 with a number of game-changing plays. Wilson owns the New York Giants single game record for all-purpose yards with 327. This game against New Orleans was supposed to be the start of something. However, fumble issues and now injuries mean it is the one outlier in a career cut all too short.

2. New York Giants are still a big play team
As much as Ben McAdoo has claimed that New York are going to run a different offence this season based on short passing, they are still a big play team. They won two Super Bowls off big plays and as much as Eli Manning may have a new goal of 70 per cent passing completion, he will live and die by the long passes that he makes or doesn’t make.

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Against Buffalo the match-winning touchdown came on a 73-yard pass from second string quarterback Ryan Nassib to rookie Corey Washington. As much as the season is two months from starting this was how the Giants do their best work. A stingy defence with an opportunistic offence that makes the most of any chance that is given. There are good early signs for the Giants after a disappointing 2013 season.

3. The NFL Hall of Fame is awesome
This may not be about the game itself but again shows how the NFL do the theatre of sport so well. The Hall of Fame is seen as the start of the season official, and by having the ceremony on a Saturday night and then having preseason start on the Sunday night with a standalone fixture creates a sense of importance about the whole weekend.

Forget tuxedoes and journalists as well, the NFL make it about the players and the fans. Thousands of fans from each team come to see their favourites inducted and hear what heartfelt speech will be given. The players themselves seem to get a real kick out of being in front of both their peers and fans. The emotion that flows at the NFL Hall of Fame is something the AFL should seriously consider trying to replicate.

And here are the three lessons we didn’t learn.

1. Who Buffalo plan on using in their backfield
Good teams find continuity in key positions like running back and quarterback. Buffalo continues to cloud their own squad with the addition of Bryce Brown and the ongoing troubles of EJ Manuel, meaning how Buffalo looks in two months’ time is a complete unknown.

Brown, for his part, was serviceable in limited game time, but he did have more of a look than last year’s two-headed monster in CJ Spiller and Fred Jackson. Instead of being a two-headed beast, perhaps Buffalo is looking at an unprecedented three-headed monster using Brown, Spiller and Jackson to keep defences guessing.

Of course a good running back plan can quickly be undone by poor quarterback play or falling behind. Buffalo are still a good prospect to fall behind early. So the question remains, then what?

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2. Rookie running backs’ overall season projections
All the talk coming from the first match of the NFL preseason was on rookie Giant running back Andre Williams and his strong first up showing. Williams had fallen to the fourth round of the draft earlier this year, despite leading the nation in rushing at college level and being a Heisman Trophy candidate.

History has shown that there are a number of running backs that go late in the draft who had strong college careers and are able to replicate that at NFL level. A cautious reminder for Giants fans though is that it’s just as likely that a rookie explodes in a preseason match and doesn’t make the opening day roster. Such is the fickle nature of the NFL world. Which route Williams takes will only become apparent over more of this extended preseason.

3. Whether the change in position for extra-point kicks even matters
Kickers have become so good in the modern game that it appears whether it is two yards or 15 yards from which the extra-point kick is snapped, they will make it. Josh Brown made two and Dan Carpenter one as the two kickers were perfect for the extra point.

Obviously this game was played in conditions befitting August and not the changeable months of November and December, but still whether kickers are phased by the change in snap point is unknown after one game of pre-season.

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