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NFL is cutting the preseason schedule in half, meaning less time for Mitch Trubisky and Nick Foles to compete for the Chicago Bears quarterback job
www.chicagotribune.com
With the NFL hopeful teams will be back on the field this month, while still wrestling with exactly how it will complete a full season and playoffs in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the league has cut the preseason schedule in half.
The league is removing Weeks 1 and 4 of the preseason schedule, giving teams an extra week of training camp before their first game so players can get up to speed after offseason programs were conducted virtually. Camps are scheduled to open July 28, but many questions remain with the coronavirus posing a serious health risk globally.
A preseason cut by 50% is not as dramatic as it seems because the fourth game is generally an exhibition of players who are hours away from being cut. Tickets and beers still cost full price, but the game has become an unwanted distraction for teams.
Trimming the preseason, however, does mean each team will have one fewer home date, which means lost revenue.
It also creates questions for Chicago Bears coach Matt Nagy about his open competition for the quarterback job. He has talked about the value of evaluating play in preseason games for the battle between former first-round draft pick Mitch Trubisky and newcomer Nick Foles. Now the Bears won’t have as many opportunities and could have to lean more on practice performances.
Certainly it makes things more interesting for Nagy, who will have to decide if he wants to risk playing starters more in the preseason to sort out the quarterback situation while trying to maintain the health of his roster for meaningful games.
The NFL already canceled the Hall of Fame Game, typically the kickoff of the exhibition season, and nixed any joint practices between teams. That included the Bears’ plan to scrimmage with the Broncos before an exhibition game in Denver.
The Bears are scheduled to play in Denver on Aug. 22 in Week 2 of the preseason and face the 49ers on Aug. 29. It’s possible the NFL might rearrange some matchups.
If the Bears close out the preseason Aug. 29, that would give them more than two weeks until the season starts Sept. 13 in Detroit. Presumably Nagy would pick a starting quarterback weeks before facing the Lions, but less preseason action doesn’t help.
NFL cutting preseason from 4 games to 2
Trimming the NFL preseason to two games creates questions for Bears coach Matt Nagy about his open competition for the quarterback job between Mitch Trubisky and Nick Foles.
With the NFL hopeful teams will be back on the field this month, while still wrestling with exactly how it will complete a full season and playoffs in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the league has cut the preseason schedule in half.
The league is removing Weeks 1 and 4 of the preseason schedule, giving teams an extra week of training camp before their first game so players can get up to speed after offseason programs were conducted virtually. Camps are scheduled to open July 28, but many questions remain with the coronavirus posing a serious health risk globally.
A preseason cut by 50% is not as dramatic as it seems because the fourth game is generally an exhibition of players who are hours away from being cut. Tickets and beers still cost full price, but the game has become an unwanted distraction for teams.
Trimming the preseason, however, does mean each team will have one fewer home date, which means lost revenue.
It also creates questions for Chicago Bears coach Matt Nagy about his open competition for the quarterback job. He has talked about the value of evaluating play in preseason games for the battle between former first-round draft pick Mitch Trubisky and newcomer Nick Foles. Now the Bears won’t have as many opportunities and could have to lean more on practice performances.
Certainly it makes things more interesting for Nagy, who will have to decide if he wants to risk playing starters more in the preseason to sort out the quarterback situation while trying to maintain the health of his roster for meaningful games.
The NFL already canceled the Hall of Fame Game, typically the kickoff of the exhibition season, and nixed any joint practices between teams. That included the Bears’ plan to scrimmage with the Broncos before an exhibition game in Denver.
The Bears are scheduled to play in Denver on Aug. 22 in Week 2 of the preseason and face the 49ers on Aug. 29. It’s possible the NFL might rearrange some matchups.
If the Bears close out the preseason Aug. 29, that would give them more than two weeks until the season starts Sept. 13 in Detroit. Presumably Nagy would pick a starting quarterback weeks before facing the Lions, but less preseason action doesn’t help.
