Ranking 6 difficult moments that prove that the NFL pre-season is not so bad

There are many reasons to want to get rid of the NFL preseason. Players get hurt, games can be boring as starters tend to stay away, and there is no real stake in the outcome.

The NFL will not let the preseason go anywhere, though. Although the owner of the Falcons, Arthur Blank, said that four preparatory matches might not be necessary, he also pointed out that still important for players on the sidelines of the final roster of 53 players. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he enjoyed the pre-season as it was a chance to see "hundreds of millions" of talent competing on the field (and probably the income these games bring). The future of the pre-season could change with a new CBA in the coming years – the number of games will be reduced, but it will still exist in one form or another.

So, we might as well find things to appreciate about it.

Despite its shortcomings, pre-season can be fun if you examine its uncomfortable beauty. Negligence and poor performance can lead to hilarious moments that we do not have in the regular season.

At times, the preseason 2019 has managed to capture perfectly the essence of competitive football. Here are six moments of this year, ranked according to their pre-season.

6. Ron Rivera called a break to help the Bears debacle

When looking for the definition of "loyalty," you'll see a picture of the smiling face of Panthers head coach Ron Rivera.

In the 1980s and early 1990s, Rivera played for the Chicago Bears and won a Super Bowl with them in 1985. Rivera decided to help his former team solve a problem that dominated the entire off-season by slipping the Bears kicker in their pre-season game.

He was also very open to the idea of ​​doing it.

Bears head coach Matt Nagy appreciated the move:

Elliott Fry managed Rivera's pressure on him, scoring 43 yards before half-time. However, he was cut after the second preseason game. To date, Eddy Pinerio has won the job, although Nagy does not seem very attached to him.

5. Danny Etling is thrown into the fire with the Falcons

This summer, LSU's former quarterback, Danny Etling, was transferred to the wide receiver at the Patriots' training camp. Etling is an above-average athlete for the quarterback position – he ran a 4.76 yard 40-yard dash in the 2018 NFL Combine – making him a candidate for position change. Jarrett Stidham, the Patriots team, does not have much room for the quarterback.

The move was short-lived, however. Etling was dropped after the first preparatory game of the Patriots and claimed by the Falcons. Atlanta made him back to the quarterback and offered him all the clichés of the second half of his match against Washington.

A player changes positions twice in a few weeks and then plays half a week after joining a new team? This is the advanced pre-season.

Etling has only six assists in one half of football and has completed two. Naturally, he did not have much knowledge of the Falcons game notebook and looked uncomfortable as a smuggler.

However, Etling has launched something that the Falcons fans have not really seen since Michael Vick was the starting quarterback in the early 2000s: the area to read! Etling completely defended Washington unprepared for a first run on one of them.

Etling has been roughed up and will probably not be on the final Falcons list of 53 players, but he is intriguing enough to become a general athlete, which would allow him to be part of the training.

Players like Etling are why the pre-season may be worth it. He had a chance to show that he can survive a difficult test and has produced a strong moment in the process.

4. A.J. Moore misinterpreted a play

The reel is an important part of any pre-season NFL. There are guys who are not sure of their field assignments and this can lead to crazy games.

Here's an excerpt from the Texans vs. Lions game. Texans security A.J. Moore had a free kick against Matthew Stafford during a blitz, but for some reason he returned and tried to return to the cover after crossing the line of scrimmage.

Then Moore turned around and headed for Stafford, but he had just lost enough time to miss a crushing sack. Stafford finished the pass for a first try.

These are the games that let you give you the skin of football. There was no one to stop him from absolutely leveling Stafford, but he was confused. Moore has only one season of experience in the NFL, primarily as a special teamer. Maybe we can excuse this one.

3. Lamar Jackson was distracted by a choice of six people during a secondary interview

The vast majority of pre-season football is unassailable, but sometimes things are so bad that it's hard to look away.

Tanner Lee produced a performance similar to that of week 1 of the pre-season. Lee dropped to pass six times. In these six games, he was sacked three times, missed all three attempts and made a six-goal decision against his opponent. A week later, he was cut by the Jaguars.

The broadcast captured a fun moment in the middle of the room. Ravens quarterback, Lamar Jackson, was interviewed on the sidelines during the interception and Jackson paused while he was talking to watch the rest of the room.

Look at Jackson's subtle smile – that's the goal of the pre-season.

2. Kyler Murray had several false starts by applauding

The Cardinals are trying to innovate with their coach Kliff Kingsbury and quarterback Kyler Murray leading their team. Until now, they just seem to be at the forefront of penalties for false start.

In his second pre-season game against the Oakland Raiders, Murray got a false start by applauding, which can be interpreted as a simulation of the slam. This is really the only way for a quarterback to get a penalty for false start.

Do not believe? Search for yourself.

Murray had two false starts against the Raiders. Next week, substitute quarterback Brett Hundley has played two more games in the Cardinals game against the Vikings, although Kingsbury does not think it will be a big deal for the offense all year long.

With the Cardinals' porous offensive line and extremely young players, the first year will likely be long for Kingsbury. This is an area that they should be able to solve at least relatively easily.

1. Nathan Peterman was confused by the size of the Canadian field

We were so close to seeing Aaron Rodgers make his debut in Matt LaFleur's offense, until a rare situation in Canada prevented him. The Raiders and Packers traveled to Winnipeg for an international pre-season game and then had to play on shortened court because the grass was damaged during the move of the goal posts. Canadian football is played with goal posts at about seven meters deep in the end zone, which is obviously different from American football.

None of the starting teams competed and ended up playing on 80 yards to avoid injury. As a result, one of the end zones started at the 10-meter line and the goal line represented the back of the end zone.

Raiders quarterback Nathan Peterman had some trouble throwing the ball – but it also gave him the opportunity to add to his legacy in the NFL.

The first throw was at least in the field of play, but he did not leave any margin to the receiver to bring the ball.

The second was a way out of bounds. To be fair to Peterman, he is a little disoriented to see the pitch end before the goal line.

At least the Raiders can return to their national stadium, which also serves as a baseball field for half of the season.