Look I get that football is a violent game and injuries are part of the deal. I just don’t want to see them occur in glorified scrimmages otherwise known as preseason games.
As a long-time follower of the Green Bay Packers, I’m still retching over Jordy Nelson going down against the Steelers last week at dreaded Heinz Field with a torn ACL. There will be no fourth 1,000-yard receiving year for Jordy this season.
But, hey, the Packers put together a 10-play, 80-yard drive against Pittsburgh. Now wasn’t that impressive?
Who cares! The Packers losing Nelson in this stupid exhibition game was like the Confederate Army in the Civil War losing their best division commander, Patrick Cleburne, in a reckless frontal assault at the battle of Franklin.
It’s not just Nelson. Other key players have suffered serious injuries, too. Not all were hurt in game action, but the risk increases when full contact is involved and game situations take place.
Players train year around. There is no need to play exhibition games, especially four of them. The greedy NFL owners aren’t going to give preseason up, though, because they rapaciously charge full prices for tickets. Even more shamelessly, they make season ticket-holders buy preseason games as part of the ticket package.
A compromise from four to two preseason games is overdue.
