Does team performance matter in the preseason?

0-1.  We're back to the ole goose egg in the win column.  Not a good feeling to look up your team's record and see them with more losses than wins.  The good news is it's preseason which means after 3 more games, we get to wipe the slate clean and start fresh at 0-0.  Given that the preseason record really doesn't mean anything, what, if anything should we take from it?

Personally, I take absolutely zero from the preseason record.  0-4, 4-0, 0-0-4, it makes no difference to me.  Your preseason record counts for nothing, it guarantees you nothing, and does not put you ahead of nor behind the proverbial curve.  Sure, 4-0 is a lot easier to take going into the season and gives fans less of a reason to complain.   But it doesn't mean an 11-5 season is on the horizon.  The opposite of course is true too.  0-4 does not mean 2-14 is on the way. 

What I look for is similar to what Sander wrote about earlier this month, the individual performance.  While I don't get the "all 22 film" that teams have, I do tape the games and re-watch parts of them (no way in the world I'm re-watching the 4th quarter of the 1st preseason game).  The reason I do this is to watch individual players and units.  While team records generally mean nothing, individual performance means everything.  Watching how the starting units function will give you an idea of what to expect.  If through the entire preseason a team can't pass block, don't expect much to change by Week 1.  If a player can't make a tackle in the preseason, it's hard to think the light will go on once the games count.

After last week's game against Miami, I didn't feel overly disappointed or upset.  It was a preseason game.  There were some good and bad things, but the fact that the Bucs lost means nothing.  Now, if this happens in Week 1, you can expect a different reaction.