It’s funny; the preseason NFL slate doesn’t matter--

--except...when it DOES. 

And WE pick and choose when it does and does not. 

Injuries matter. Cuts matter. Tells matter. Kickers DEFINTELY matter. 

Here are some things we can agree we need to watch for across the league:

* The Cleveland QB situation. Yes, DeShaun Watson is STILL in the conversation. Oddly enough, you may be feel badly enough for Browns fans to root for him. Then there’s Shedeur Sanders...If he wins the job, he wins the job.

* Rookie QBs. Well, one. Fernando Mendoza. This time a year ago, you had to be a die-hard college fan to know who this kid was. Now, he’s playing for Tom Brady, and beside Kirk Cousins in Vegas.

* Rookie head coaches. Notably, there’s Todd Monken in Cleveland, Klint Kubiak in Vegas and, of course, Joe Brady in Buffalo, among others. Hard to tell the tells, but the hiccups will be microscope’d. 

* Whether your kickers are making kicks. The Legend of Tyler Bass emerged like stories of Big Foot sightings at Bills Camp. Now he has to prove he is, indeed, Big Foot. 

* Injuries. Goes without saying. Let’s bubble-tape our starters.

* Highmark Stadium. This will be cool, but the most important thing? The GRASS. See the previous point.

* John Harbaugh in New York. Yes, they ARE the NEW. YORK. (Football.) GIANTS. A heritage NFL franchise, in case any media smart alecks have forgotten. 

* Cam Ward. Let’s see if last year’s No. 1 can make the same strides Josh Allen made under new offensive coordinator, Brian Daboll. 

* HBO’s Hard Knocks: Seattle Seahawks. This is the first time since 2000 when the Ravens opened the matrix. Hopefully it won’t be as boring as last year’s edition with...you know who...

* Overreactions. See the Bills loss to Chicago last year.