The beauty of the NFL preseason and why it should stay

The NFL took time to make this thingy. Take time and watch the preseason.

   

 The National Football League's preseason has been a heavily debated topic ever since I can remember. Fans, players and coaches find ways to complain or not to complain about the four exhibition games before the start of the actual NFL regular season. As most would be okay with having a complaint-fest until Week 1 when none of it matters anymore, I would rather be on the other side of the argument. I do not see the big deal with the preseason and here is some reasons why I enjoy the current system:

1. The true fans get to see the entire depth chart play out before their eyes.

   Now I won't get too in depth about what a true fan is, I will just say this: the truest of fans have to enjoy the preseason. When I see guys like Jonathan Dwyer or Tyler Grisham take the field in a Steelers' uniform, it honestly brings a smile to my face. Guys like them never get a chance to play on a first team offense and if they do it is not for long. To see a guy like Greg McElroy (who have a ton of respect for) try to lead the Jets to a comeback a couple Monday nights ago was really fun to watch. All these players know they are not first string caliber yet, but each seem to have the drive to continue pursuing there dreams no matter what is thrown at them. I can see why fans that have only watched their teams for a few seasons would be slightly disinterested by the preseason, but when you have been watching drafts and the free agent wire like I have for years, you begin see names pop up that you are instantly familiar with.  Names you know, but rarely see in that setting. It is cool. 

This is the face Ben Roethlisberger made when he heard someone was dissing the preseason. Don't disrespect the preseason, because this is pretty ugly.

2. The preseason is not even for us, it is for the players.

   Like I said before, seeing guys' names you barely knew were alive can be fun sometimes, but this is honestly their only chance during the year to prove how valuable each can be to their respective teams. When a team gets plagued by injuries, a third-string running-back wants to know that his coach believes in him and that he can carry the load while the players ahead of him heal. 

   Here is a perfect example of this: In 2005, the Steelers lost first and second string RB's (Jerome Bettis and Duce Staley) to injury before the season had even started. In the preseason, a running-back named Willie Parker (undrafted, North Carolina) emerged as the starter. Parker had an okay preseason, but had serious trouble breathing when he carry the ball due to his nerves. Coach Bill Cowher could have easily cut Parker and signed someone else that might have been a better choice in his mind. He stuck with Parker and Willie proved himself to be a reliable back even with Jerome and Duce healthy. Parker remained the starter for the rest of the season and even got himself a place in the record books in Super Bowl XL.

   Now I have to admit: I hated Willie Parker during his entire career in Pittsburgh. I thought he lacked the toughness that was needed to be a running-back for the Steelers. But I have to get credit where it is due; he was the starter on both Super Bowl championship teams (XL,XLIII) and proved that sometimes guys down low in the depth chart can step up and prove themselves. 

I love the whole "It's just about money" argument over the preseason. Take a guess what the regular season, playoffs and Super Bowl is about folks--you bet, it is dollar bills yo. 

3. It is freaking football people, come on!

   I have trouble believing why people would complain that football is on their televisions. Yes, it might not be directly meaningful to a team's Super Bowl hopes, but it helps piece together a team that will try to win it all. The preseason has also taken on more importance than usual, with the lockout limiting mini-camps and overall team bonding. These guys need to be together so that chemistry begins to form for the long season ahead. Maybe your favorite team has lost all of their preseason game's so far and guess what? It really does not matter. What does matter is that each team begins to form a bond that will carry them through a season filled with ups and downs.

   

   So to all my fellow NFL fans: Stop whining and try to find positives in a situation that you may not like a lot. If you step forward and take a closer look, you might find more than you thought was there.  

Chad Underwood writes for Chad's Sportsworld and is a former editor-in-chief of Thompson High School's "TribeUne" newspaper. He is also currently working on starting a project called "Students of the Game", a mega-blog with other writers, including Michael Allen and Rick Dahrens. 

Ty