49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has not been shy in expressing his desire for fewer preseason games. The NFL typically schedules four. Shanahan said last year before the first preseason game that he would prefer zero to four, but that two would be ideal. He got his wish in 2020 when the NFL canceled all four preseason games.
A biased offseason schedule forced the league to cut the exhibition list to two games first, but other health and safety concerns amid the Covid-19 pandemic pushed the NFL and the NFL Players Association to agree to cancel the last two preseason contests.
Shanahan joined the ‘Chris Simms Unbuttoned’ podcast and explained the benefits of navigating a preseason with no live exhibition games.
“This is the first time we’ve gone without a preseason, and that helps a lot,” Shanahan said. “Generally, you should spend those travel days for that. And I don’t care much about the game, but you miss practicing the day before, practicing the day, and practicing the day after. So knowing that we don’t have those, even if we have fewer days, I think we might be able to make up for it because we don’t have to go traveling to the games. So we could get the same amount of work, but that’s all we are waiting to see. “
Teams from across the league began reporting to camp on July 21, and the first in-season offseason programs will begin in early August. Players preferred a longer raise period to make up for missed off-season workouts that generally take place in June. Leaving the preseason games effectively opens up an additional three days of practice, which are valuable in acclimatizing rookies and other new players, as well as installing any changes the coaching staff have made during the offseason.
San Francisco has plenty of remnants from last season’s roster, and its coaching staff remained largely intact. Getting everyone on the same page is more important to the 49ers than getting the gaming experience that comes with preseason contests.
While Shanahan prefers zero to four, he told Simms that preseason games have their benefits and detailed what the club and players will lose without them.
“I’m totally for preseason because there are a couple of guys we’ve never seen in a game who are pretty good in practice. Then you throw them in a preseason game and they get scared, and you think, ‘Well, they’re not ready. We have to put him in the practice squad. And that’s good to know, “he said. “It’s also good when we can’t decide, these guys are side by side, it’s nice to let it develop and see what happens.” But this year is different. Also, how bad is it that guys don’t get a movie that team doesn’t make? That movie has a chance to reach other teams, and they won’t. So there are very good reasons to have a preseason. ”
Unrecruited free agents, last-round picks, and last season’s practice squad players looking to move up to a spot on the roster could end up being negatively affected by the absence of preseason games.
Ultimately, the 49ers should be fine and could benefit as a club by skipping their adjustment games. It reduces the risk of injury and allows them to get the newbies they’ll trust to speed up a little faster than they would have. Some teams and coaches may miss the preseason, but it doesn’t seem like Shanahan is among them.
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