Rant

Now that the Ravens and other NFL teams have their first exhibition games under their belts, it's time to seriously talk about shortening the preseason. After the first quarter of last night's game, did you have any idea who some of these guys were?

It's true that some rookies (i.e. Joe Flacco) need as many repetitions as possible in exhibition games. But judging by his performance Thursday night, there won't be enough exhibition games on the schedule to get Flacco ready.

So let's cut one exhibition game and add it to the regular season. The final exhibition game is worthless, with most teams playing their waiver-wire fodder so their starters don't get injured. It costs fans a ton of money, and the games aren't very good.

Most players don't use training camp as a way to get into shape. They come into camp in shape and ready to hit. It's not like the old days when players sometimes had to work jobs in the offseason to make ends meet. Football is year-round now. Players keep on top of their conditioning in the offseason.

For the sake of the players and the fans, it's time to knock off one exhibition game. Let's start the season earlier, and just about everyone will be happy.