The NFL kicked off the preseason last night, and it was business as usual. Drew Brees picked apart the Arizona Cardinals’ defense as the Saints defeated the Cardinals, 17-10. The other 30 teams are currently gearing up for the preseason as well. Some believe these four games are meaningless, but for many reasons they could be the most important.
For the players, these four games are the training grounds to fight for a spot on the 53 man roster. These games don’t count in the overall standings, but will provide tape of individual performances. That tape helps coaches choose players that have the mindset, athletic skill set and positional attributes to help a team throughout the grueling 16 game schedule.
Here is a look at the first week of preseason.
THU, AUG 9 TIME (ET) LOCATION
Washington at Buffalo 7:00 PM Ralph Wilson Stadium
Baltimore at Atlanta 7:30 PM Georgia Dome
New Orleans at New England 7:30 PM Gillette Stadium
Pittsburgh at Philadelphia 7:30 PM Lincoln Financial Field
Green Bay at San Diego 8:00 PM Qualcomm Stadium
Denver at Chicago 8:30 PM Soldier Field
FRI, AUG 10 TIME (ET) LOCATION
NY Jets at Cincinnati 7:30 PM Paul Brown Stadium
Cleveland at Detroit 7:30 PM Ford Field
Tampa Bay at Miami 7:30 PM Sun Life Stadium
NY Giants at Jacksonville 7:30 PM EverBank Field
Arizona at Kansas City 8:00 PM Arrowhead Stadium
Minnesota at San Francisco 9:00 PM Candlestick Park
SAT, AUG 11 TIME (ET) LOCATION
Houston at Carolina 7:00 PM Bank of America Stadium
Tennessee at Seattle 10:00 PM CenturyLink Field
SUN, AUG 12 TIME (ET) LOCATION
St. Louis at Indianapolis 1:30 PM Lucas Oil Stadium
MON, AUG 13 TIME (ET) LOCATION
Dallas at Oakland 8:00 PM Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
Week one of the preseason has fans excited, and players focused. The replacement referees won’t affect the preseason games, despite the ongoing lockout. Before we know it these four weeks of preseason games will be completed and September 5th will be here. From there it is all about lights, camera, and action. Soon the Cowboys and Giants will be on the field with the captains standing at mid field. The referee saying those famous words, “gentlemen, this is heads and this is tails. Visiting team, make the call in the air. “
