Pre-Season Overreaction

We've played one weekend of preseason football and already some dramatic proclamations are being made. One game. That doesn't count. And know we know everything. Here's a sample of what I've seen on the Internet:

* The Buffalo Bills have the best defense in the league, perhaps the best defense ever.

* Jameis Winston's release looks like Tim Tebow. He's slow, unaware and done.

* Ameer Abdullah looks just like Barry Sanders.

* Zach Mettenberger should be the quarterback in Tennessee.

Again, one game. Most players played only a handful of plays. Yet we're supposed to be taking all this as gold when it comes to the regular season.

The preseason serves a purpose. It allows coaches some game action to scout. It helps coaches find diamonds in the rough that can help their team win. But it isn't a solid gold prognosticator of the future. Especially after one game.

Does it give you an idea of who might be good? Yes. Does it tell you who might be bad? Yes. Just look at Trent Richardson running into the back of his offensive line in Oakland last night while missing the giant hole to his left.

I love the preseason as a means of scouting. In 2013, I was impressed by an undrafted running back out of Cal names CJ Anderson. I thought he had the potential to be Denver's best running back. Then he got hurt. But the Broncos kept him. And when he got his chance last season, he was great.

You can find diamonds in the rough in the preseason, just not always in the first game. Abdullah may end up being like Barry Sanders, but I don't think we can know for sure based on a handful of carries and one nice run in one preseason game.

These next three weeks will yield a lot of wild speculation. We'll have to wait a lot longer to see if it bears true.