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NFL preseason games: Preliminary talking folks off of a ledge

This isn't so much meant as a post for 49ers fans as it is for all football fans. Last night the Washington Redskins obliterated the Buffalo Bills 42-17. The victory and overall decimation by the Redskins led to this FanShot by smileyman asking:

Are the 'Skins really this good or are the Bills that bad? Haynesworth is looking good in limited action at NT. 'Skins O-line is looking killer. Joique Bell is looking better than CJ Spiller.

I made a comment in that FanShot, but I thought it was worth pulling out into a separate post the day before the 49ers first preseason game. Back in 2002, Steve Spurrier made his NFL coaching debut with the Washington Redskins in a matchup against our very own San Francisco 49ers.  In that game, the Redskins took the 49ers behind the wood shed with a 38-7 whuppin.

I mention this now because the Redskins ended up going 7-9 in 2002, while the 49ers finished 10-6 and won the NFC West. I'm not saying this dictates what will happen going forward, but for the purposes of this preseason, it obviously means we (all NFL fans) have to take many of the results with a grain of salt. Personally I think the Redskins will actually be solid in 2010, but I don't think their blowout of the Bills means all that much at this point.

What is your philosophy on preseason action and looking ahead to the upcoming regular season?