Sitting stars in preseason brings questions on readiness
ARLINGTON— Ezekiel Elliott never lobbied publicly for a few snaps once the Dallas Cowboys decided to sit their healthy star running back for the entire preseason.
Frank Gore actually got two plays with the Miami Dolphins, and the 35-yearold going into his 14th season wanted more. Coach Adam Gase wouldn’t have it.
“I heard about it during the game that he wasn’t real happy,” Gase said after the third preseason game, when starters usually get their most action before sitting in the finale. “When we went three-and-out, I’m kind of going, ‘You got a catch, so does this count? He has a carry and a catch. Can I get him out of the game?’”
Sending able-bodied starters into the regular season without a game-speed snap isn’t all that unusual, nor is the inevitable hand-wringing and second-guessing every time an important player gets injured in an exhibition.
It’s all part of the age-old balance of getting players ready for that first big hit or full-speed burst while protecting important pieces of Super Bowl hopes. The regular season starts Thursday night with Atlanta visiting defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia.
“It’s kind of hard to say you shouldn’t or should play in them,” said Cowboys receiver Cole Beasley, who nursed a sore groin most of training camp but got 13 snaps in Dallas’ third preseason game. “You can get hurt in a regular-season game just like those. It’s just football, man. It happens.”
Several teams rested at least one offensive starter throughout the preseason. The Los Angeles Rams didn’t play 10 of their 11, the exception being right guard Jamon Brown because he will be suspended for the first two games and needed extra work.
While Sean McVay preferred to get third-year quarterback Jared Goff some playing time, he didn’t want it to be behind backup offensive linemen because it was more important to the coach to rest the veteran starters up front.
Plus, McVay is counting on familiarity with 10 returning starters, including running back Todd Gurley , from a unit that led the Rams to the playoffs last season.
“I’ve been around a lot of players that have gone through preseasons where they haven’t played and seemed like they were ready to go,” McVay said. “I think the reason that we felt like this was best was because of the continuity that we did have, specific to the offense.”
Coaches who sit healthy stars in the preseason will say they believe their practice tempo gets them ready. Cowboys right guard Zack Martin, a Pro Bowler in each of his first four seasons, would slightly disagree, even after a preseason scare with a knee injury in the second game against Cincinnati that ended up not being serious.
“You need those reps,” Martin said. “You’re in training camp. Obviously those are good reps, but you’re going against the same guys, the same defense. Just the fact that you get to see new guys, new moves, new defenses. That’s a big part of it. I think that’s huge.”
Receiver Julio Jones and running back Devonta Freeman sat the entire preseason for the Falcons despite being healthy.
Pittsburgh receiver Antonio Brown didn’t play while nursing a minor injury and Odell Beckham Jr. sat out for the New York Giants coming off a broken left ankle that sidelined him most of last season.
It appeared Tennessee was protecting Delanie Walker before revealing that the 34-year-old tight end sustained an undisclosed injury during joint practices with Tampa Bay and was unavailable for the final three exhibitions.
“I am very confident that I’ll be ready,” said Walker, a three-time Pro Bowler. “I have been playing 13 seasons, and I’ve played in a lot of preseason games. So when you only get like five plays in a preseason game, I don’t know if that helps you or not.”