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The NFL officially decided to do away with the preseason due to the risks involved with playing meaningless games during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Although the downsides to not having any exhibition games have been well documented, San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan feels there are still some major benefits.
Kyle Shanahan said during an appearance on ‘Chris Simms Unbuttoned’ podcast that the longer ramp-up period will help pay huge dividends for their preparation leading into the 2020 NFL season, via Kyle Madson of the Niners Wire:
“This is the first time we’ve gone without preseason, and that does help a lot,” Kyle Shanahan said. “Usually you’ve got to put in those travel days for that. And I don’t care as much about the game, but you miss practice the day before, practice the day of and practice the day after. So knowing that we don’t have those, even if we have less days, I think we might be able to make it up because we don’t have to go to travel to games. So we might be able to get the same amount of work in, but that’s all we’re kinda waiting to see.”
Kyle Shanahan's comments are certainly understandable considering how preparing for this season during an ongoing pandemic has come with its own set of challenges for players and staff. Fortunately, the 49ers appear to be one of the few teams poised to overcome any lingering effects given their status as the reigning NFC champs.
While no preseason means fewer opportunities for the coaching staff to get a real look at players on the roster bubble, they can now focus on making sure that their key players are ready for the grind of a 16-game season along with playoffs. Regardless, this could very well come back to haunt come teams down the road once injuries begin to take their toll. Kyle Shanahan will have to steer his team through this situation.
