Over the years, there’s been numerous complaints about the length of the preseason. Four games is just entirely too much, especially when you see star players like Jordy Nelson go down.

At the same time, the preseason gives new coaches and young teams a chance to establish an identity, which is why you’ll see these kind of teams try harder to win. Since we’re at the midway point of preseason play, this is a good opportunity to see how certain teams take this time of year more seriously than others.

Minnesota Vikings – This franchise hasn’t made the playoffs in three years, but they showed improvement last year after going 7-9 in Teddy Bridgewater’s first season. With Adrian Peterson back in the fold, they’re looking to take the next step.

Thus far, Minnesota has a record of 3-0 in preseason play. Before the team’s first contest against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Hall of Fame Game, head coach Mike Zimmer set the tone.

“We want to look crisp, we want to look sharp and I want to see the things that we have been practicing being taken to the game field,” Zimmer said. “Whether it is techniques or alignments, certain things against people that you really haven’t prepared for and how they react to certain things that they’re not prepared for. Obviously, it is evaluation of a lot of different players going against other players.”

When it comes to efficiency, there hasn’t been many much better than Bridgewater. The second year quarterback has a completed 78.6 percent of his passes to go along with a touchdown and no interceptions. Also, Bridgewater’s quarterback rating is a whopping 111.2.

Although Bridgewater is still learning, Zimmer decided to say the following:

“I think when Teddy decides to be the leader of the football team, because right now he’s still feeling his way a little bit and his personality is just do what you do and do what you have to do,” Zimmer explained. “This franchise is Teddy’s. I know that was a good headline for you.”

Philadelphia Eagles – When you consider the amount of turnover Philly has endured, there’s probably not another team that values the preseason more. Through two games, Philly is undefeated and their offense has been explosive just as you would expect from a Chip Kelly led team.

Philly ranks first in points per game (38.0), first in yards (444.0), second in rushing yards per game (182.5) and fourth in passing yards per game (261.5). However, forget the offense for a moment, let’s talk about the defense, especially the secondary.

Last year, Philly was prone to give up big plays in the air, but so far, the secondary hasn’t allowed a pass of more than 20 yards. Sure it’s a small sample size, but Chip Kelly believes there’s legit reasoning for the early improvement.

“I think they are lactose intolerant in terms of they do not bite the cheese in front of them,” Kelly said. “When they have a deep zone, they play the deep zone. A lot of mistakes we made in some of those deep balls last year were we were just biting each either a play action fake or we are biting an underneath route when that’s not our responsibility.

“I think our guys are playing their responsibility.  So right now we are good lactose intolerant secondary.”

Philly’s secondary has totaled four interceptions with Ed Reynolds leading the way with two.

Carolina Panthers – 2-0 is 2-0, right?

Well, that’s not the case with the Panthers. First of all, their top receiver Kelvin Benjamin went down with a torn ACL and their offense has been looking spotty to say the least.

During Carolina’s first game against the Buffalo Bills, the first team offense trotted onto the field three times because the first two tries were sub par. Cam Newton was 1-of-6 passing during the first two series, which is why it was vital for him and crew to go out for a third time.

“Thank coach,’’ Newton said, “Thank you for giving me another chance. It’s kind of irregular to see the ones stay out on the field, especially in the first [preseason] game.”

On the third drive, Newton was a perfect 4-of-4 for 83 yards to go along with a touchdown.

In their second game against the Miami Dolphins, the Panthers rallied to comeback and win in the fourth quarter 31-30, but Newton struggled yet again. As the Panthers get closer to regular season play, these last two preseason games are essential for their receiving core with Benjamin no longer in the picture.

New England Patriots – Typically, the reigning Super Bowl champs aren’t a team that cares about preseason football, but with Tom Brady suspended for the first four games of the regular season, this is a time for Bill Belichick to see what he has in Jimmy Garoppolo.

Through two games, Garoppolo has shown flashes of his potential, as he’s completed 76.2 percent of his passes to go along with 428 yards and a touchdown. On the flip side, the 23-year-old has thrown two picks.

However, when you look at Garoppolo from a week to week basis, you’ll notice the improvement. Against the Packers, Garoppolo was sacked seven times and was hesitant to get rid of the ball, but it was a totally different story against the Saints.

“There weren’t a lot of incomplete passes,” Belichick said. “He threw the ball pretty accurately. A lot different than last week when, you know, [he was] getting hit a lot. But there really wasn’t a lot of pressure on the quarterback tonight. That’s always a good thing for the passing game.”

Garoppolo went 28-of-33 for 269 yards with a touchdown and interception against New Orleans.

While the preseason catches a lot of flack, for these teams, this is a time to build confidence and a true identity going forward.