The Pulse Newsletter 📣 | This is The Athletic’s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox.Good morning! Scrutinize newcomers today. Inside:
Why We Watch: How to approach NFL preseason gamesThe start of football season can bring frenzy, much of it unwarranted. There is novelty in having football back on our screens, even if it’s a fancy practice that won’t count toward anyone’s records or career stats. But doesn’t mean the NFL preseason is a useless endeavor. Far from it.We’re gonna excerpt from Jacob Robinson’s excellent NFL Newsletter yesterday, which touched on how to actually watch the preseason. Here’s Jacob:There’s a term for people who religiously watch preseason football: sickos.If that’s you, you’re in good company. If not, and you’re open to a lifestyle change, I spoke with three experts to put together this brief guide on how to watch preseason football.How to watch like a scout, via Ted Nguyen:“You’re seeing the most vanilla schemes on both sides of the ball, so look for transferable skills and growth. For young quarterbacks, you want them to handle the pre-snap operation, make throws in rhythm and not rely on second-reaction play. These games are parts of a larger arc of development, and it’s easy to lose sight of that at times. Carson Beck looked great in the Hall of Fame game, but Beck’s been inconsistent at practice, based on beat reports.”How to scout for your fantasy team, by Jake Ciely:“I’m more interested in snap counts in different formations and with starting units, especially if there has been an offensive coordinator or scheme change.”Before your next appearance on “The Athletic Football Show,” by co-host Dave Helman:“The most useful tip I can give for watching preseason football is simple: Look for the rookies. It’s hard to gauge preseason playing time for almost anyone else on an NFL roster, but rookies will play a lot of snaps these next two weeks, and some of them will be stars in short order.”I’ll add a final note: Consistency. Check if the performance matches what you’ve heard from the camp. Few players check those boxes like 49ers receiver De’Zhaun Stribling. Drafted with the No. 33 pick in April, the 6-foot-2, 207-pound receiver (with 4.36 speed) was a star in training camp. He had a sterling preseason debut Thursday night, catching seven of eight targets for 63 yards against the Titans’ starting cornerbacks.The high target count in limited playing time, flashes of playmaking and a strong offseason make Stribling one of the obvious preseason risers, per the above metrics. Fantasy drafters take note.
