It took nearly 20 years, but I finally found it: A good reason to watch the preseason. I've attacked it for decades, and many people know the arguments against watching fake games.
To be fair, I still can't stand them. Watching future insurance salesmen running around in familiar uniforms doesn't interest me. But in all seriousness, I've found a valuable reason to pay attention to the games, and it can actually help you win your league.
The NFL uses the preseason as a dress rehearsal. Yes, there are camp battles and getting younger players experience, but it's basically a month of upgraded practices. So why not do the same thing with your game-day preparation? Use the games as a stress test of your personal resources.
Everyone has their favorite websites, Twitter accounts, message boards and (ahem) newsletters and analysis packages . Some websites also include weather information, late scratches, daily news and notes and other information. How quickly will they give you what you need during the season? Which ones are factual, and which delve into unnecessary speculation? Does the information come within minutes, or does it take hours?
You don't want to scramble for the most accurate tools next month. So to make sure you're prepared, watch a preseason game and pretend it's a real one. Visit your links and accounts like you're making important lineup decisions. Better yet, use sites you don't normally use, and see if something actually works better for you. You might find yourself with new tools in your arsenal, and an upgrade in your sources.
Try everything on a desktop, laptop, tablet and smart phone. Whatever you might use during the season, test it out during the preseason. Which experiences are great and which ones are tough to navigate? When you have minutes to make a lineup decision, you don't want to find out that something doesn't load properly, or a Twitter account you follow is late with news. Find out now, so your operation is running smoothly when it really counts.
To be fair, you don't need to do this for a whole month. The third week of the preseason is ideal, since starters will play longer and there should be more news-worthy events on the field. It's a good test for how well your resources hold up in game situation. But you can do it with any week. Just pretend the game actually means something, and see if your system works.
This resource test includes your league website, by the way. You won't be able to look at a lineup, but it's a good time to navigate the site (on your home computer and your phone) and make sure it loads properly, you're signed in and you know where to find what you need.
After the test, you might be happy with how things worked out. If that's the case, great. Mission accomplished. But if you find yourself having to sign in every time, or your links don't get the information quickly enough, or you're missing critical information, you can fix those things before week 1. And that will make the preseason worthwhile for you.
The game are still meaningless, of course. Half-baked football at full stadium prices. Statistical superstars who will hold a clipboard all year. Coach quotes that are more worthless than a social media quiz that reveals what superhero you are (for the record, I'm Wolverine, and it took me three tries. But your mileage may vary).
But at least here's something you can do to make that time worthwhile. A dry run of your in-season resources is smart planning, and you have a valid reason to watch the preseason. It took a long time to find it, but I'm kind of proud I did. Now, if I can work my way up to being Spider-Man in the next two decades, I'll really have something.
What's your best reason for watching the preseason? Are your information sources working smoothly before the season starts? Share your thoughts below.