Canales plans to play starters in the preseason this year
Canales also confirmed that he intended to play most of his starters in the first two preseason games and then see where they were before the third. They’ll also have joint practices with their opponents (the Browns next week, then at Houston) before the Houston game.
He didn’t play starters until the third preseason game last year, and wanted to change that pattern.
“We have a mix of veteran players, but it’s predominantly a pretty young team,” he said. “And I just can’t pass up the opportunities. The reps in game are valuable, but I think that it goes to the night before, when guys know they’re going to go out there, they’ve got to make a decision to play football. And so it starts the night before with the prep. You start thinking about your plan, taking care of your body, making sure you get your rest. You get up, it’s your nutrition plan in the morning, body readiness, your full game day routines. Those are so valuable.
“We have three opportunities to do that in this preseason, and I just really want to take advantage of that. Plus it’s a bunch of new guys playing together on defense and a couple of new guys on the offensive side. We have a little more continuity there, but I just love the thought of them going through that plan, having a first-15 type of thought process, and taking advantage of the preparation.”
He called last year’s plan “experimenting with an approach,” but reverted back to the way he saw Pete Carroll do it in Seattle, and getting his regulars work in the first two games.