Yes, former Vikings owner Red McCombs was stuffed full of enough hot air to fill a carnival barker back when he was spending his summers declaring preseason games to be "one of the greatest dramas in all of sports."
On the flip side, preseason games aren't as devoid of purpose as most fans have griped about as they've nodded off long before a bunch of no-names started mopping things up in the second half.
Just ask some of those former no-names who needed those games to turn heads, make rosters and forge NFL identities.
"I've thought a lot about that with all that's going on with coronavirus and there being no preseason games," said Audie Cole, a perennial bubble-guy linebacker who played for the Vikings from 2012 to '16.