You’ve heard it all before…ya know, about how the NFL Preseason is a waste of time. How it’s endangering the welfare of players, and how potential starters shouldn’t risk injury for nothing. You’ll hear a lot of this, both from arm-chair quarterbacks and the fellas who get paid to have an opinion.

You may even hear rumblings about how the league should extend the regular season, trim the preseason to nothing, and make more money for all parties involved.

What they don’t tell you is that teams scrimmage against one another before the preseason games — at full contact. They don’t complain about those games, hits, and cuts, because after all, if the team isn’t wearing their full uniform it doesn’t really count — to them.

The whole thought process is a bit irrational. If Bill Belichick is as smart as everyone says he is, and these games are as meaningless as everyone says they are, then why does he trot out his starters for a few series each game like the rest of the league?

Let’s judge this on the Patriots’ curve, and relax with the anti-preseason chatter.

After all, the preseason is where stars are made. The first time you’re able to see your team’s №1 draft pick, and the only time you’ll be able to see most undrafted free agents.

Each year, hundreds of NFL hopefuls get a shot during these four ‘meaningless’ games. Most times, it will be the only chance for a guy to wear an NFL uniform — the Eric Crouch’s of the world. But sometimes, these tiny-school and too-small players explode, catapulting them to NFL contracts and Sunday glory.

Take Tony Romo for example: small college, undrafted, and undersized. He got an opportunity from Bill Parcells in the preseason and ran with it. Can you imagine life without Romo? The story of the NFL literally could not be told without him. Had the preseason been demolished, he would of been a golf pro instead of an All-Pro.

The same could be said for Dak Prescott in 2016…