THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Watch NFL exhibition games at your own risk

Why would anyone spend money to watch an NFL exhibition game?

An even more basic question that doesn’t involve your wallet …

Why would anyone waste the TIME to watch a glorified scrimmage?

We might make an exception, I suppose, for family members if a relative is trying to hang onto his job as the sixth wide receiver on the roster.

Yes, there are a few groups of people each preseason who have a personal reason for serious interest in what goes down in these exhibitions.

Then are the NFL markets where die-hards are staring in morbid fascination.

This summer, otherwise sane people in Cleveland are grimacing — while watching Jacoby Brissett play quarterback in the final fake game instead of the soon-to-be suspended Deshaun Watson.

In Tampa, the locals might have been wondering if Tom Brady had been abducted by aliens.

If Bucs boosters could just spot him in a gym suit on the sideline this week, all would be at peace.

AND YES, we have Seattle — where something bordering on all-out depression has settled like a fog over the Seahawks nation.

Folks are watching meaningless games in the wild hope that things might not be as disastrous as they suspect.

But no one has much faith.

Even the most casual fan knows Geno Smith can’t win many games so, sure, they’re hoping and praying that the COVID-stricken Drew Lock might recover and play like Aaron Rodgers this weekend in the final exhibition at Dallas.

It will be hypnotic viewing, a bit like watching someone fetch out those balls with the lottery numbers — while you cling to a tiny bit of that wild dream.

Fair enough.

But …

Point of interest here: Scouts insist there will be several NFL-level quarterbacks in NEXT year’s draft – with Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud considered the pick of the litter at this point.

Furthermore, pro personnel people believe good evaluation might get you a generational QB (besides Stroud), including the likes of Alabama’s Bryce Young — the smallest prospect in years at 5-11 and 197, who nonetheless is compared to Russell Wilson — or big, strong, cannon-armed guys like Will Levis (Kentucky), Tanner McKee (Stanford), Anthony Richardson (Florida) and several more.

My sneaky pick is former U-Dub reserve and current Fresno State star Jake Haener.

If only he were two inches taller.

The Seahawks will have plenty of shots in the QB derby, considering they have their own, and Denver’s, first- and second-round picks.

Yee-hah!

Also, the flint-eyed oddsmakers in Vegas have put the Seahawks somewhere down near the bottom of this year’s heap alongside Houston, Atlanta and the Jets.

Seattle’s shot at a high draft choice is also aided by a rugged schedule, featuring their own three division bruisers (twice each) and dates with teams from the AFC West.

So, here comes the next question …

DESPITE all of his bluster about competing to win every football game, would Pete Carroll go into a season knowing that he doesn’t have a quarterback who can succeed in the NFL?

The Seahawks have built a nice framework with their recent drafts and acquisitions, and what I think will be a beneficial switch to a base 3-4 defense.

Are they willing to wait a year for THE quarterback — the guy who knits the whole thing together?

Or …

Is Pete honest about Lock’s talent, and that he can become a star with the coaching he didn’t get in Denver?

The Seahawks faithful will tune in to this tap-dance in Texas to judge for themselves about Lock.

I get it, but there are more hopeless cases.

For instance …

Fans of teams with very few questions to address will be watching their own final exhibition of 2022, hoping mostly that no one important gets hurt.

Meanwhile, the NFL continues to count its cash from these silly games.

And more …

HERE IS the case for TV dominance, courtesy of Front Office Sports, that explains the NFL’s desire to turn all of its events into something close to an addiction — even if the result doesn’t count.

Read it and weep …

“Selling tickets, merchandise, and concessions ahead of the regular season has its own merit, but once again it’s the NFL viewership numbers that provide the strongest proof of (the exhibition game) concept.

“Games broadcast on NFL Network from the first week of preseason this year had an average of 1.77 million viewers — up from 1.5 million in 2021, per The Athletic.

“The Jaguars-Raiders Hall of Fame game had an average rating of 3.1 and a total audience of 5.7 million viewers — making it the second-most watched sportscast in the last month, following only the MLB All-Star game on Fox.”

I’m not sure whether to thank Front Office Sports for those numbers, or suggest they should be buried for all eternity.

The Raiders and Jags?

Heaven help us.

On the other hand, Seahawks junkies have GOT to watch this week, because …

Maybe Drew Lock is the next Josh Allen.

Or not.

Email: [email protected]

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press three times each week. He also writes Zags Tracker, a commentary on Gonzaga basketball which is published monthly during the season, beginning in October.

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”