August 24, 2026
I was watching the final moments of the preseason game between the Eagles and Patriots late Saturday night when it occurred to me that I might be the only fan still watching that slop – or, even worse, still rooting hard for my team to win the stupid game.
When the Eagles scored to take the lead with 3:39 left, I may have even emitted a mini-whoop of delight. Then the Patriots drove right down the field and won the game on a touchdown with 57 seconds remaining. Ugh.
New England 24, Philadelphia 21.
Who cares?
I care.
As I switched off the TV and waited for sleep, I tried to grasp why I was so upset about a meaningless loss. If neither team was willing to play any starters, why was I so wrapped up in who won the game? If no one covering the game placed any emphasis on the final score, why did I? Everybody else is correct here, and I’m wrong – no?
Upon further reflection, no, I blame everybody but myself. I’m think I’m right to care, even if no one else does. Let me explain.
Football is by far my favorite sport, and one of the reasons I love it so much is because the NFL always – every single season – leaves me wanting more. The 26 weekends from July to February – exactly half a calendar year – are precious to me. They are the lifeblood of every week of my retired life.
With so few opportunities to see my favorite team play, it seems only logical that I would ignore no opportunity to do so, much in the manner that I watch all of the regular-season and playoff games. After all, those players whose names I often cannot recognize are wearing the same uniforms of Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley and Cooper DeJean.
Hey, it’s not our fault that, somewhere in the past decade or so, NFL coaches lost their nerve and stopped giving the starters some time on the field to prepare for the real games. And it’s not as if the NFL stopped charging to see these glorified scrimmages, or waved off all TV and radio coverage. Also, a top CBS analyst, Ross Tucker, is doing the game, so it must mean something.
I dislike Nick Sirianni for many reasons, all of which I have pointed out – ad nauseum – on this website. He is overrated for his ability to control the locker room (see A.J. Brown), has proven to be a disappointment as a play-caller, does not participate on defense, is a snooze at press conferences and can be an embarrassment on the sidelines.
Yeah, yeah. He has a great record, has been to the playoffs every season, blah, blah, blah.
I still can’t stand the guy. OK?
One of the early reasons why I built this animosity for Sirianni is his philosophy of allowing none of his most valuable players to step foot in a preseason game for fear of injury. I don’t believe in allowing cowardice to govern any decisions in sports. I come from an era when the NFL had six preseason games, and the starters played at least half the snaps in those contests.
As recently as last week, another old-timer named Tom Brady was making the same point. Being that he’s the greatest quarterback ever to play football, maybe his words will carry some weight here.
“Preseason. . . regular season . . . I never wanted to be taken off the field,” he said on Instagram last Monday. “Practice makes perfect. Too many people looking for easy ways out these days.”
Sirianni is such a control freak – except when he’s emoting on the sideline – he decided a few years ago to turn joint practices into the smartest preseason rehearsal for his top players. He actually has claimed he can prepare his players just as well, with less risk, in that controlled setting against an NFL opponent. And when his defensive stars whiff on a tackle in an early real game because they haven’t tried to bring someone to the ground the entire summer, well, he believes it’s a sacrifice worth taking.
Like most of what the coach says, I say it’s BS. And I’m not the only one. Next to testify on my behalf is Eagles running back Saquon Barkley.
“I hate joint practice, to be honest” he said last Friday. “It’s just, more times than not, nothing good comes out of it. When you have the work, it’s good. But then you get the pushing, the shoving, and somebody says this about you, and I’m like, ‘Oh, no, but I’m that; you’re this.’ And it’s just like it’s immature when we get to that level.”
The great irony in this juxtaposition of training-camp practices and preseason games is that the NFL charges for the fake games with no starters playing but charges nothing – and rarely allows the public to witness – the work of the actual stars during the joint practices.
The truth is, I wouldn’t pay a dime to watch this pseudo-sport in the hot, half-empty stands. At any price, I consider preseason football consumer fraud. Many of the fans attending these fake events will never see in person a starter play. I’m wouldn’t be surprised if a few casual attendees actually believe Tanner McKee is the franchise quarterback.
All of which doesn’t change the fact that when I’m watching the Eagles – any Eagles – in a game where they’re keeping score, I want my team to win. That’s why I was watching in the final moments of Saturday night’s loss, and why even now, two days later, I’m still pissed that they lost.
I’ve got 26 weekends of football every calendar year, and I’m not going to let a gutless coach or a timid NFL take three games away from me because they’re afraid somebody’s going to get hurt.
If preseason games were important enough for Tom Brady, they’re important enough for me.
For your consideration . . . .
- OK, I’ll admit. Even though my interest in the Phillies has been waning all season, that comeback in the ninth inning against St. Louis on Sunday was awesome. Down four runs with two outs in the ninth inning, the Phils came all the way back thanks to a three-run double by Edmundo Sosa, a tying single by Bryan De La Cruz and then a 459-foot bomb by Kyle Schwarber. “It was a magical day,” said Sosa. Indeed it was.
- At this writing, the Phillies have won nine in a row, and they are only three games behind the Braves for the NL East lead. They definitely have the starting pitching to compete with the Dodgers and Brewers. The question is, how are they going to manufacture runs if they stop hitting home runs? Well, they have been doing that during the streak, and they need to keep emphasizing the merits of small ball. The team that wins the World Series is the one, in this idiotic swing-from-the-heels analytics age, to master the finer points of baseball.
- One of the strangest moves by GM Howie Roseman in the offseason was the addition of Andy Dalton as a possible backup to Jalen Hurts. If the Eagles were a breakfast meal, Dalton would play the role of the toast. He had a good career, but at 38, he can’t throw or run the way he did in his prime. Meanwhile, Tanner McKee still looks like a legit NFL quarterback, if only in the preseason. Of course, please let me reiterate that it doesn’t really matter. If Hurts goes down, the season is over. Neither Dalton nor McKee is the next Nick Foles.
- The game was on in my living room on Saturday night when Mike Vrabel’s face popped onto the TV screen. My daughter Caitlyn, who rarely ever even acknowledges what’s happening during any sports event, gasped. “Oh, is that the guy who cheated with the reporter?” Fame may be fleeting, but infamy tends to stick, doesn’t it?
- Eagles TV analyst Ross Tucker did a great job taking viewers into the remarkable story of Willie Lampkin, the wrestling champion who is trying to make the Eagles roster as an offensive lineman. Lampkin is undersized – under six feet and under 300 pounds – but he has a joy in playing that is fun to watch. I hope he makes the team. He’s the kind of underdog story that makes the preseason watchable. And in Tucker’s hands, it is a perfect match. Good story, great broadcaster. . . . OK, now can we start playing the real games?