On Saturday, Baltimore Ravens tight end Benjamin Watson went down with a season-ending injury, leaving the team in an awkward situation at tight end going into the season.
Because of this, head coach John Harbaugh is ready for a big change to the NFL preseason.
Watson tore his Achilles and rookie running back Kenneth Dixon also left the game with an undisclosed injury. He spoke with reporters and expressed his anger with the team’s misfortune and his desire for the NFL to shorten the preseason.
“I know the league and the Players Association is working very hard and trying to figure out ideas to work out the preseason,” Harbaugh said Saturday night, via the Baltimore Sun. “These are big, fast, strong men running around out there. It’s not 25 years ago. … It’s not the 70s anymore. These guys playing in these games – it’s tough – and they’re not meaningful games. They are important to get better, and they improve us. But we football coaches can find ways to get our guys ready and get our players evaluated without the kind of risk that a game necessarily entails.”
However, Harbaugh didn’t mention just the injuries over these past few days, which included Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo going down with a broken bone in his back. He said that it has been pretty clear for years that a change was needed.
“I’m really hopeful that the union and the league can get together and do something that’s good for everybody, especially what’s good for the players and for the fans,” he said. “Maybe it’s more games that are meaningful. Bigger rosters are something I think would really help. If you go more games, fewer preseason games, and bigger rosters, that’s good for everybody. To me, that’s something that they can put their heads together and work out. It would be a positive.”
It certainly seems like coaches around the league want a change and they certainly want it to come very soon.
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