Routine Performance
Published: Aug 25, 2007
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MIAMI - Outside of the individual team owners, who charge top dollar for a product that is star-studded for about 15 minutes, no one gets much out of a typical NFL preseason game.
The fans spend the bulk of the evening watching players they've never heard of, the starters spend most of it walking the sidelines and the coaches spend it hoping no one of significance gets hurt.
The reason, of course, is that the four exhibitions are not about looking at or preparing the first-, second- or third-best players on the roster. They're about finding the 51st, 52nd and 53rd players on the roster.
Still, one preseason game generally differs from the rest, that being the third one. While exhibition game No. 3 is on tap for the Bucs tonight against the Dolphins, their fans may have a hard time discerning it from the others.
Though many coaches seek to play their starters longer in their team's third exhibition game, some even leaving them in well into the third quarter, Bucs coach Jon Gruden is not one of them.
"In the pre-salary cap era, when I was with the Packers and the 49ers, I remember the third preseason game being a big part of getting ready for the regular season," Gruden said. "But I don't necessarily agree with that.
"Sure, I'd like to look at some of the regulars a little longer [tonight]. But we have some very important cutdowns to make in the next week or so, so we have to see some of these other men play."
As it relates to what preseason games are really about, Gruden's approach makes sense. By watching prospects take on regulars, his staff can get a better read on who among them fits best in the NFL.
The problem with that approach is that it could rob a young regular such as running back Cadillac Williams of the game time he needs to get acclimated to the speed of the game. Williams, in fact, was one of two Bucs players (quarterback Chris Simms was the other) who said after last season that he believed he would have benefited from more playing time in the preseason.
Gruden heard those complaints and said he would consider giving some regulars more playing time this preseason. It seems unlikely, though, that key regulars such as Williams and quarterback Jeff Garcia will get significantly more playing time at Dolphin Stadium.
"We'd love to play Jeff more, but we've got to take advantage of these games to evaluate some of the younger players on our roster," Gruden said. "[Rookie linebacker] Quincy Black needs to play and [quarterback Luke] McCown, who missed the whole year last year, needs to play. Some of these guys need the experience."
Garcia doesn't. The ninth-year veteran says he can get most of what he needs to be ready for the regular season from practice. He won't complain, then, if he's limited to a handful of snaps tonight.
"If it's a quarter to a quarter and a half of playing time, that's fine with me," Garcia said. "The main thing is get in there, get some quality snaps, compete at a high level and get out healthy."
Getting out healthy is one of Gruden's primary preseason objectives. Still, some starters will play longer than others tonight.
The Bucs probably will play their first-team offensive line the entire first half, if not longer. The same goes for many of the top receivers and tight ends.
On defense, the plan is to look longer at the regulars all across the board, especially their top linemen.
"To me, it's very important [to look at players longer in the third game], because you're right at the crux [of the decision-making process] and you've got to know," defensive line coach Larry Coyer said. "It's very important for us to see for sure that what we're seeing on the practice field is real. So yes, in general, you want to let them go a while longer because it's more like a real game.
"It's not four plays and you're out. In a game like this, we can find out if a guy can play through all different types of situations and drives. Can he hang in there and still get the job done?
"It's best on best for a long stretch, and that's what we want to see."
Reporter Roy Cummings can be reached at (813) 259-7979 or
