NFL preseason games must go

THE PRESEASON games must go. Roger Goodell has said many times over the last few weeks that he wants to cut the preseason from four games down to three and eventually to two.

That’s not going far enough. It’s more important to get to September healthy than giving the firstteam offenses and defenses 10 series or so when they play in the second and third games. The NFL season is a marathon and a game of attrition and changes need to happen to try and make sure the stars have a better chance to stay healthy.

Here’s my plan: Zero preseason games. Seventeen regular-season games. Each team gets two byes. The Super Bowl gets pushed back two weeks to Presidents’ Day weekend.

This has nothing to do with the games being so unwatchable. It has everything to do with Odell Beckham Jr., taking a clean but unnecessary hit to his lower leg Monday night in Cleveland as the Giants’ dream of a Super Bowl was — for a couple of minutes — being dumped into Lake Erie.

OBJ added to the drama by going down on all fours in the corridor with what was later diagnosed as a sprained left ankle and thankfully not a torn ACL. But with an ESPN report that he could miss the first two games of the season against the NFC East champion Cowboys and the Lions, it’s just further proof that these practice games need to be eliminated.

Even though Goodell has put through 47 rule changes to make the game safer, especially with the concussion crisis, there is no avoiding injury. It’s like walking across the Sprain Brook Parkway at rush hour and expecting not to get hit.

It makes little sense to have established stars playing it safe on the same field with young wannabes going all-out to make some noise and earn a spot.

It makes it even worse when the injuries come in games that are meaningless.

The Giants are playing the Jets on Saturday night at MetLife Stadium in another thrilling installment of the Snoopy Bowl. The third game is when the starters are still in until midway through the third quarter. It is the dress rehearsal for the opener. And because of the rivalry, the hits are a little harder. Just look at some of the injuries in previous Jets-Giants games:

Remember Eli Manning getting his head bashed open dripping blood against the Jets in 2010? How about Mark Sanchez’s Jets career ending with a throwing shoulder injury in the Snoopy Bowl in 2013? Or Jason Sehorn tearing his ACL returning a kickoff in 1998. Or Chad Pennington fracturing his wrist in 2003. Or Osi Umenyiora suffering a season-ending knee injury in 2008. Who needs this? So, here are the issues in cutting back the preseason:

Getting teams ready: Instead of preseason games, every team can schedule practice against other teams to increase the intensity level and give coaches a chance to evaluate their players against other teams in a controlled environment. Red jerseys for the QBs. Not full-speed hitting. This summer, the Patriots practiced against the Jaguars and Texans before playing them in preseason games. They practiced against the Saints in 2015 and 2016. The Jets and Giants have not practiced against other teams for years. When they practiced against each other in 2005 in Albany, it turned into a backyard brawl.

Would it hurt offenses getting in sync and defenses learning to play with each other? Probably a little bit. But scrimmages run by the coaches are safer and can provide the same kind of work.

Revenue: OK, I think a $14 billion a year industry can survive the loss of ticket revenue and TV money they receive for four preseason games, especially with many teams no longer forcing fans to pay regular-season ticket prices. The money can be made up by adding the 17th game.

The league would have to pay the players for 17 games instead of 16 when they get paid a nominal amount in the preseason. That would potentially result in less revenue for the billionaire owners, but the value of the franchises could increase, and really, how much money do they need?

Injuries: Would the 17th game just provide another opportunity for players to get hurt? Starters usually play a little less than four quarters in the preseason: Just over a quarter in the second week and a little more than two quarters in the third week. Coaches play the young guys in weeks one and four. Adding a 17th game in the regular season would be about the same playing time as they are getting in the preseason. he NFLPA: Goodell can reduce the preseason without the union’s approval but can’t increase the regular season without them signing off. The union was adamant it would not accept Goodell’s plan of an 18-game season when the last CBA was negotiated in 2011, but eliminating four preseason games, adding one in the regular season, and scheduling in a second bye should address their concerns.

The idea is to make the game better and safer and to avoid seasons drowning in Lake Erie.

T