Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur announced that he would play his starters in the first preseason game against the New York Jets. LaFleur cited studies that said that playing your starters actually results in fewer early season injuries than holding them out of preseason games. The NFL and NFL Players Association have reached agreements in recent years to reduce the contact at practices and to go from four preseason games to three. If the league gets its wish and increases the regular season to 18 games, the preseason will likely get cut to just two. But are these moves increasing or decreasing injuries and how do they impact the caliber of play?
There are several different issues at play here. Obviously, the long-term physical and mental well-being of the players should be a major concern for both the league and the players union. Nobody wants to see players suffering later in life due to CTE and other physical and neurological ailments if they can be prevented. That has to be part of the decision-making process ultimately.
We have seen improvements in this area from helmets that do a better job of absorbing the impact of collisions to a reduction in the number of padded practices that we see.
But, as LaFleur indicated at his press conference a week ago, it seems players suffer more short-term, soft tissue injuries if they don’t practice in pads as often and if they don’t play in preseason games than when they do.
Part of this likely has to do with the difference between being “in shape” and being in “football shape” as the old cliché goes. You can run a lot, eat right and life weights, but unless you’re out there on the field, hitting and being hit, you’re not in football shape. That takes time and repetition.
Ask any member of Vince Lombardi’s Packers about the training camps he used to run including the dreaded “grass drills.” Of course, back then, training camp was for getting players back into shape after they had offseason jobs. Now, football is a 365 day per year job.
In the 1970s, Miami Dolphins head coach Don Shula had his Miami Dolphins go through four practices a day in the heat and humidity of a Florida summer to get ready for their six preseason games. The regular season back then was just 14 games. Most teams back then did two-a-days with at least one of those practices featuring contact in pads.
That may be the extreme in the other direction, but now, the number of padded practices in all of training camp is probably lower than what Shula or Lombardi did in a week or two back in the day.
Many coaches in recent years have held their veteran players out of preseason games altogether. Others play them for a series or two all preseason.
In the not-too-distant past, with four preseason games, many coaches would play their starters for a half in the third preseason game to get them sharp physically and mentally. Then they would hold them out of the fourth preseason game and allow the players who were fighting for roster spots to play as much as possible.
In addition to allegedly causing more injuries, we also have seen a reduction in the quality of play in recent seasons since padded practices and preseason games were reduced. Most fans and members of the media view the quality of September games to be almost what preseason games were 15 years ago with more mistakes, muscle pulls, and generally sloppy play. By October, the players seem to be back in the physical and mental groove.
Ironically, despite LaFleur’s decision to play his starters in the first preseason game against the Jets, the Packers are dealing with a lot of injuries. Running back, wide receiver, and safety seem to be the hardest positions hit as of now. Key players like Xavier McKinney, Jordan Love, Rasheed Walker, and Nate Hobbs have all gotten hurt already and are missing valuable practice time.
So, is there a way to balance the quality of play and player safety? Where do technology and common sense intersect with the need to get players in the best shape to play the game at the highest level at their physical and mental best? How do you balance short term safety, player performance, and long-term health? There are no easy answers to these questions as Matt LaFleur, and the Packers deal with a multitude of injuries in training camp as they prepare for the 2025 season.