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John Harbaugh: NFL should implement preseason changes

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh

There is a growing chorus of NFL players and coaches raising their voices in displeasure about the way the league does preseason. John Harbaugh added his voice to the choir after watching one of his key players go down to a season-ending injury on Saturday.

Baltimore Ravens tight end Ben Watson won’t play a single down in 2016 after suffering an Achilles tear last night.. Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo is out indefinitely with a broken bone in his back and isn’t expected back until at least midseason (read more about that here).

Many others have been lost for the season, even more suffered injuries that will cost them multiple games and some careers were derailed before they ever got started, as young players with limited windows to make an impression might not ever get another chance.

Frustrated after watching Watson go down with his Achilles injury Saturday, Harbaugh implored the NFL and players’ union to do something to stop the madness.

“It’s not the ’70s anymore,” Harbaugh said after the Ravens’ 30-9 win over the Detroit Lions, via ESPN’s Jamison Hensley. “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.

“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.”

It appears the NFL’s top executives have already been discussing ways to change the preseason, if not get rid of it altogether (more on that here).

Something has to change. These games don’t mean anything in terms of how the league plays out, aside from the battle of attrition grinding up rosters to a bloody pulp.

Players who aren’t fighting for roster spots hate them, because any play could result in their seasons being lost. Coaches increasingly find them too costly, for the same reasons. And while owners are making money off of the diluted action, they cannot like watching their top players go down in a heap on the field in a game that has no bearing on the standings.

It seems the NFL has reached a tipping point when it comes to how the preseason is being handled. Hopefully some meaningful change is put into effect to stop meaningful injuries from happening in meaningless games.

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