The current preseason formula (for teams playing the common four exhibitions) goes something like this.
Game One--Starters go a couple of series or about one quarter; top backups into the second half; then mostly reserves, rookies and free agents the rest of the way.
Game Two--Starters go most or all of the first half; backups deep into the third (or early fourth) quarter; reserves the rest of the way.
Game Three--This is usually a team's main dress rehearsal for opening day. Starters play one-half to three-quarters of the game, backups most of the rest of the way; reserves see action depending mostly on the situation.
Game Four--This is often a "throwaway" game for coaches, who are usually much more concerned about their opening-day opponent than they are about this practice finale. Starters often play only a couple of series or so; maybe less; some maybe not at all. Any key players with nagging injuries will be held out. Backups and reserves play the majority of the game, with promising youngsters getting one final chance to win a spot on the roster.
THE BIGGEST EDGE OF ALL. The biggest edge is, of course, when one team is going to employ vastly superior talent that day, in that game than is its preseason opponent. This situation can occur due to injuries, scheduling dynamics, or when one coach's determination for his team to emerge victorious is matched vs. another coach's semi-indifference. It rarely hurts to have the better-focused, superior players going for you in any contest, practice or not.
TOTALS. Many handicappers like to play the "under" in early preseason games, figuring that the use of numerous quarterbacks, so-called "vanilla" offenses, and semi-predictable defenses will tend to produce low-scoring games. In 2003 that line of thinking was right, but not by much, as there were 8 "overs" and 9 "unders" in the first full week of the preseason plus the previous week's Hall-of-Fame game. However, during the last 9 preseasons, "overs" in the first one-plus weeks of the campaign lead the "unders" 87-78.
FOR ME....I WILL BET A FEW IN THE 1ST 3 WEEKS FOR THE ACTION,THE 4TH WEEK WILL BE THE WEEK TO KNOW WHAT GOING TO HAPPEN IN THE 1ST WEEK(THE GAMES THAT COUNT)....AFTER WEEK 2, I HOPE TO HAVE"MY LINE" KICK IN....THAT WHEN THE FUN STARTS
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Game One--Starters go a couple of series or about one quarter; top backups into the second half; then mostly reserves, rookies and free agents the rest of the way.
Game Two--Starters go most or all of the first half; backups deep into the third (or early fourth) quarter; reserves the rest of the way.
Game Three--This is usually a team's main dress rehearsal for opening day. Starters play one-half to three-quarters of the game, backups most of the rest of the way; reserves see action depending mostly on the situation.
Game Four--This is often a "throwaway" game for coaches, who are usually much more concerned about their opening-day opponent than they are about this practice finale. Starters often play only a couple of series or so; maybe less; some maybe not at all. Any key players with nagging injuries will be held out. Backups and reserves play the majority of the game, with promising youngsters getting one final chance to win a spot on the roster.
THE BIGGEST EDGE OF ALL. The biggest edge is, of course, when one team is going to employ vastly superior talent that day, in that game than is its preseason opponent. This situation can occur due to injuries, scheduling dynamics, or when one coach's determination for his team to emerge victorious is matched vs. another coach's semi-indifference. It rarely hurts to have the better-focused, superior players going for you in any contest, practice or not.
TOTALS. Many handicappers like to play the "under" in early preseason games, figuring that the use of numerous quarterbacks, so-called "vanilla" offenses, and semi-predictable defenses will tend to produce low-scoring games. In 2003 that line of thinking was right, but not by much, as there were 8 "overs" and 9 "unders" in the first full week of the preseason plus the previous week's Hall-of-Fame game. However, during the last 9 preseasons, "overs" in the first one-plus weeks of the campaign lead the "unders" 87-78.
FOR ME....I WILL BET A FEW IN THE 1ST 3 WEEKS FOR THE ACTION,THE 4TH WEEK WILL BE THE WEEK TO KNOW WHAT GOING TO HAPPEN IN THE 1ST WEEK(THE GAMES THAT COUNT)....AFTER WEEK 2, I HOPE TO HAVE"MY LINE" KICK IN....THAT WHEN THE FUN STARTS
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