Fri, Jan 09 2009
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Published August 10, 2008 11:08 pm - The ultimate picture of preseason NFL football occurred in the fourth quarter of the game Thursday night between the Browns and New York Jets. A Patrick McManamon column: Preseason scams NFL fans PATRICK McMANAMON Akron Beacon Journal The ultimate picture of preseason NFL football occurred in the fourth quarter of the game Thursday night between the Browns and New York Jets.
Ken Dorsey, the Browns’ third-string quarterback, finished the game with 11 incompletions and one interception. On his last drive, he threw 11 passes and did not complete one. Yet, thanks to two penalties, he “drove” the Browns from their 45-yard line to the Jets’ 5 and had a chance to win the game. If this makes no sense, it’s because it’s preseason football. Which makes no sense, either, when the realization dawns that NFL teams actually get away with charging regular-season prices for preseason games that feature a third-stringer ending the game with incompletion after incompletion after incompletion. This has to be the biggest scam in professional sports. In truth, it’s hard to think of anything close. And it’s an insult to the people who pay for the tickets and support the games. NFL teams sell season tickets in strips of 10, for eight regular-season games and two preseason games. If a fan buys a season ticket, he has to buy the preseason games, as well. There is no price differential, even though the preseason is a glorified exhibition, a glorified practice. The Browns have it correct with Family Night. They charge $5 and give the money to the team’s charity. The league, in its quest for all the dollars it can get, has it all wrong for the preseason. Let’s consider what fans received for their hard-earned dollar Thursday night. A first-team offense that played well — for nine plays. Then came a rain delay of about an hour. This was needed because it looked like lightning was striking across the street. When the rain ended, the starters might as well have been wearing Gilbert Arenas jerseys and reading Dostoevsky on the sidelines. 
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