What Matters And What Doesn’t In The Preseason

The Vikings laid an egg against one of the worst teams in football a year ago, and I’m here to tell you how to handle that. Just step back from that ledge, my friend, because some of the worst parts of Sunday night’s game simply don’t matter. Similarly, we need to be careful not to dismiss everything just because it’s preseason. Some of what we saw last night does matter. There’s a false dichotomy with preseason football. It does matter, and it doesn’t matter. Here are some things that fall into each category:


What matters:

  • Sam Bradford’s Struggles: We’ve seen Bradford’s troublesome patterns continue in the limited sample we have so far. Over the offseason, Vikings fans, analysts and fanalysts poured over Bradford’s body of work, and isolated the issues that prevent him from being a premier NFL quarterback. These behaviors persisted in Buffalo, Seattle and last night. Bradford had trouble stepping up into reasonably shaped pockets, threw short passes at inopportune times and did nothing to show us that he’s evolved as a quarterback. In fairness, if you expected Bradford to break six-year habits, you may need to lay off the kool-aid.
  • Trae Waynes Struggled: After getting knocked out of the very first preseason game, Trae Waynes finally returned to action on Sunday night, and did not look ready for NFL competition. This may not matter if it were a player who had proven that he could consistently avoid these issues, but these are the demons of college Waynes, rookie Waynes and last year’s Waynes persisting. For more on what to expect from Waynes, check this out, but if Waynes were to break that modest expectation, this isn’t what it looks like.
  • Laquon Treadwell’s Added Polish: During his catastrophic rookie season, Treadwell left a lot to be desired even in the small sample of his play. On Sunday night, he showed a much more polished ability to be an NFL wide receiver. He was able to create separation, transition quickly upfield, and take NFL hits. Of course, this isn’t a definitive statement that Treadwell is better. When players show they haven’t changed, it’s more indicative than when players have, so grain of salt and all. But if he is to improve and become a core member of the Vikings offense, that’s how it starts.
  • Mike Zimmer’s Big Decision: After halftime, Michelle Tafoya offhandedly mentioned the biggest news drop of the night. After her routine locker room interview with Coach Zim, she said that he had decided who his starting center would be. We don’t know what that decision is, but let’s be honest, it’s no secret. Pat Elflein has unequivocally outplayed Nick Easton at center (Easton may have found his groove as versatile interior depth anyways). He’s flashed with pancakes and had few lapses, especially for a rookie. Considering that this came off the heels of a pretty shaky performance from Easton throughout the night, this is a clear indicator that the Vikings’ 3rd round pick has earned the day 1 start.

What Doesn’t:

  • The Aggregate Result: In a preseason game, it doesn’t matter that the Vikings got shut out through the whole first half. It doesn’t matter that the 49ers generally were able to move the ball on the defense. These things can be caused by singular lapses in a team game. If ten of eleven players do their job correctly, but Diggs dropped the ball, that doesn’t reflect on the other ten players. The way to evaluate preseason football is to look at those individual lapses and see if they matter, and not condemn the whole team, coach and organization for generalities.
  • Sam Bradford’s Statline: Yes, he belongs in both categories. While Sam Bradford perpetuated trends that held the offense back in 2016, he also suffered from poor performances by Stefon Diggs, and made a lot of plays that were quality until they hit him in the numbers. It’s important not to get bogged down in his stats for the night, and rather, look subjectively at the things he did well and did poorly. Bradford extended plays and showed off his elite accuracy, even pulling through in clutch situations. The statline will blind you from being able to recognize the nature of both his successes and failures.
  • The Sloppy Mistakes: These things happen in preseason games. It’s worth paying attention to, since the Vikings play real football in two weeks, but things like botched handoffs, formation penalties and defensive miscommunications are exactly what this dress rehearsal is made for. Ironing out those mistakes will be a lot easier now that they’ve happened in an inconsequential setting. Cook and Bradford will practice handoffs. Kyle Rudolph will pay attention to cadences. It’s why the cliche of “you’d rather mess up now” exists in the first place.
  • Bad Games From Proven Players: When a player shows that he hasn’t changed, it’s more indicative than when a player shows that he has. Players like Diggs and Harrison Smith, with huge bodies of work, can have preseason struggles without them turning into sudden regression. Especially when they’ve lived up to their expected quality up to that point. Diggs may have affected the aggregate result, but we’re not going to parade around, saying that he’s turning into Troy Williamson Part II, are we?

The Vikings struggled on Sunday night. Credit to the 49ers, however, their front seven looks fierce and teeming with young talent, and Kyle Shanahan’s offense is as it was sold. But some of the Vikings’ struggles do, in fact, mean something for the regular season. A lot of them don’t.

Thanks for reading!

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