Giants coach on preseason: “You can’t fake football”

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Pat Shurmur still thinks there’s value in the preseason.

Unless you’re really, really important, at least.

Via Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.com, the Giants coach was willing to stand against the tide and defend the sanctity of preseason football, which has come under attack as more and more coaches bench more and more meaningful players.

“You can’t fake football,” Shurmur said. “And it’s something that you’ve got to play together. I do think there’s benefit to all the players playing — or most all of the players playing — in preseason.”

Shurmur has been willing to create an exception to his own rule. While he’s playing quarterback Eli Manning, running back Saquon Barkley hasn’t played yet in the preseason and isn’t expected to.

“They’re at two different positions,” Shurmur said. “So like anything, you think of the team and you think of the individual and how it affects them. The quarterback does a lot of directing. There’s a lot that he does that’s important for the whole team to function. There’s other position groups where they’re involved with the scheme, but it’s not always quite as integral as it is with other positions.”

While there’s always the assumption of risk — which exists on the practice field as well as during meaningless games — Shurmur thinks the games retain value for some players.

“Absolutely,” he said. “You know, it’s the coordination of playing more than just the individual skills that the players go through. And there’s going to the game knowing you’ve got to play and preparing your mind to play the game. Guys that know they’re not playing in the game, they can’t help it. It’s human nature. Their mindset won’t be as tight as someone who knows they’re playing.

“So there’s something to be learned from that, whether they play a bunch [in the preseason game] or not.”

And, of course, if you’re indispensable, the rules are different.