Pre-season NFL

I feel that it has become a right of passage every summer that sports pundits and players need to complain about the length of pre-season football. I acknowledge that the season is too long, opens up players to injury, and the games have no meaning. However, I do feel that there are a few bright sides to the pre-season. Here are my top five:

1. IT'S NOT BASEBALL
Being a baseball fan is like being a marathon runner. You need to train for years and mentally prepare yourself for all 162 games of the regular season. However, most casual sports fans are not marathon runners. Instead, they are weekend joggers. Staying involved with baseball the whole season is a chore and many of us don't have the patients for it, especially if you are cheering for a team that is regularly out of the playoff race. So, for those who can't stand to watch another web gem or are sick of listening to an incoherent John Kruk, then pre-season football is a great diversion.

2. Remember that guy who played at that place...
Another reason to enjoy a pre-season football game is to see who is going to make the team or who is trying to come back from years of obscurity to try and play in the NFL. For example, it was rumored that former Nebraska Quarterback and Heisman Winner Eric Crouch was going to try and make a run at the NFL. Also, a few years ago, Drew Henson made his comeback to football after trying to make it in the MLB. Its great remember these guys and how they were great in college, but couldn't cut it in the NFL.

3. Fantasy Steals
Every fantasy owner is looking to get the edge on their opponents. Watching pre-season football gives owners the opportunity to look at teams who may have had up and coming players that have fallen under the radar. Maybe it's the 7th round pick or the wide receiver that has been fifth on the depth chart until now. Who knows, maybe they could be the next Marquis Coleston or Tom Brady.

4. Watching backups play
Sometimes, the backups are just as intriguing as the starters. For example, I got to see Jim Sorgi play for the Colts a few nights ago against the Bears. In case many of you aren't Badger fans, Sorgi replaced Brooks Bollinger (another awesome backup) after he won back-to-back Rose Bowls. Sorgi was not as successful (did not have Ron Dayne running behind him), but has had the sweetest backup job ever. Not only does he back up the best qb in the game, but he also got a ring for riding the bench for the last few years while getting paid $1 million per year. If you ask me, that sounds like a pretty sweet deal.

5. Who's going to make the team
As most pre-season games reach their final quarter, teams put in guys that are on the verge of being cut. This means that they will do anything to get their coaches attention and hopefully make the team, including starting fights with opponents over unnecessary incidents just to show their devotion to the team. These fights make the games a little more entertaining and make the pre-season, on a whole, a little more bearable than many people make them out to be.