Posted on January 14th, 2013
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Technically, the Wizards opened their current campaign Oct. 31. with a road game at Cleveland. But for all intents and purposes, they really didn’t begin until Saturday, when Atlanta visited Verizon Center.
They had limped to a 5-28 record, including three losses against the Hawks. Atlanta needed overtime in two of the prior contests, but Washington had an advantage entering Saturday. Not only were the Hawks on the second night of back-to-back games, they were in town for the season debut of point guard John Wall, the Wizards’ most dynamic player.
Sidelined with a left knee injury, he had to wait 33 miserable games before beginning his third year in the NBA. But he wasted no time in making his presence felt, especially when he put the Hawks away in the fourth quarter. Wall scored three of the Wizards’ final five field goals (and assisted on one of them) in a 93-83 victory.
Washington, which miraculously beat Oklahoma City on Monday, became the NBA’s final team to win two consecutive games this season.
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Posted on January 10th, 2013
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Football is a violent and dangerous game. I get that. But there has been too much misdirection in the aftermath of Robert Griffin III going down against Seattle.
It’s not hindsight if you questioned the wisdom of continuing to play Griffin after his injured right knee buckled in the first quarter.
It’s not second-guessing if you thought calling his number on running plays foolishly put additional strain on the knee.
And it’s not looking in the rear-view mirror if you believed injury-induced ineffectiveness — not just the risk of further damage — should have led to his benching before the fateful fourth quarter.
Everyone acknowledges the perils of padded human beings slamming into each other repeatedly for 60 minutes. You don’t need abundant foresight to know that bones, brains, limbs and ligaments are put in harm’s way.
The evidence speaks for itself every week as NFL teams report on their wounded.
But the inevitability of injuries doesn’t absolve the league, coaches or players when they disregard preventive measures. While it’s unclear how much pain can be avoided, that’s no excuse for acting as if we’ve learned nothing over the years.
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Posted on January 8th, 2013
By DERON SNYDER
Nick Saban’s three national titles at Alabama arguably are more impressive than Paul Bryant’s six. The Bear never had to contend with scholarship limits, early entries to the NFL draft, or a conference in which football and breathing are equal in importance.
Under Saban, the Crimson Tide have become a marvel to behold. He has created a standard of excellence that shows no signs of eroding. The good folks in Tuscaloosa extended his contract in March — making him the game’s highest paid coach at $5.5 million per year though 2019 — and they’ll dole out another raise if NFL teams sniff too closely.
No, he doesn’t have the warmest personality in fulfilling his media obligations. Saban comes across as an insufferable control freak, an automaton programmed to coach as passionately as possible while doing everything else as dryly. That makes him easy to root against, unless you’re a fan of Bama or a team he left in the past.
But something about the way he approaches his job is very appealing at its core. Not on an average, human level, but in terms of pursuing perfection.
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Posted on January 7th, 2013
By DERON SNYDER
He was given short shrift entering the season, primarily due to his diminutive stature. He went on to win Seattle’s starting job, but nationally played second fiddle to Robert Griffin III and third banana to Andrew Luck in this season of high-profile rookie quarterbacks. But Russell Wilson is the one who has advanced to the playoffs’ next round while the other two have begun their offseason vacations.
Only a special player could out-RG3 in RG3’s house, flip the script and force the Redskins to swallow what their face of the franchise dished out all season. But Griffin couldn’t keep up with Wilson, not with a bum right knee entering the game and a banged-up passing hand suffered in the first quarter.
Unencumbered by a bulky brace, aching joints and bruised extremities, Wilson demonstrated why his name has crept into Rookie of the Year conversations, flummoxing Washington in a 24-14 victory in a NFC wild-card game Sunday at FedEx Field.
Wilson didn’t produce eye-popping statistics, but he provided steady leadership and a calm demeanor as the Seahawks fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter. His passing and running on three consecutive drives to end the first half resulted in 13 points and a one-point game at intermission.
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Posted on January 7th, 2013
JAKE LAYMAN
By DERON SNYDER
The stream of early season cupcakes didn’t leave Maryland soft and weak Saturday when the Terrapins faced Virginia Tech in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener. Although opponents hadn’t offered much resistance as Mark Turgeon’s squad reeled off 12 consecutive wins, regular practice sessions made his team hard, strong and hungry to devour a real foe.
The Hokies qualified in name and league, but they were treated like another Monmouth or South Carolina State. In the process of a 94-71 rout, Maryland provided ample evidence that it’s deep and dangerous, with multiple assets inside, outside and in-between.
You want 3-point shooting? Freshmen Jake Layman and Seth Allen hit a combined 7 of 15. You want presence in the post? Sophomore Alex Len hit 6 of his 12 shots and finished with a quiet 16 points and nine rebounds. You want ball movement? The Terps recorded 18 assists on 31 field goals. You want solid bench play? Maryland’s reserves outscored their counterparts, 32-9.
Turgeon had expressed concern about the preparedness of his four freshmen stars, including big men Charles Mitchell and Shaquille Cleare. The coach was worried about their rate of progress and lack of consistency as the team meandered through a decidedly easy schedule.
Turns out he fretted for nothing.
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Posted on January 3rd, 2013
By DERON SNYDER
The sneers and snickers are decreasing. The contempt and ridicule are fading. Skeptics are becoming believers, and pessimists are becoming fewer.
Decades in the making, a fundamental change has seeped into the NFL, altering points-of-view on the sidelines and in front offices: College-style offenses are no longer laughing matters.
Now the joke is on those who would dismiss the success of Washington’s Robert Griffin III, Seattle’s Russell Wilson and San Francisco’s Colin Kaepernick. They merely quarterback half of the NFC’s playoff field. Carolina’s Cam Newton, another dual-threat signal-caller, owns the NFL record for career passing yards through two seasons (7,920), topping Peyton Manning’s 7,874 yards set in 1998-99.
Manning still gets it done the old-fashioned way with Denver, as does Tom Brady with New England and Matt Ryan with Atlanta. But adding the ability of pocket passers to the mobility of scrambling QBs — like, say, Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers — has produced hybrids previously known to flourish primarily in college.
The performances of RG3, Wilson and Kaepernick in college-influenced offenses have made the NFL reconsider long-held beliefs that Saturday-style attacks can’t work on Sundays.
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Posted on January 1st, 2013
By DERON SNYDER
Examining and evaluating one’s self is routine when calendars flip from one year to the next. Folks think about some desired behaviors and make a determination to achieve them during the next 12 months.
Making such declarations are easy and fun — as long as they’re for someone else. So I hereby make the following resolutions for these sports figures in 2013:
• Redskins coach Mike Shanahan: “To limit any ‘I-told-you-sos’” Doubts were high when the team fell to 3-6 this season, 14-27 overall under Shanny. But now the project is on schedule for completion, just like he envisioned when he signed on. No one saw RG3 coming, but that’s beside the point.
• The NFL coaches fired Monday: “To be better, not bitter.” Andy Reid, Lovie Smith and Norv Turner can’t complain after lengthy stints in the corner office. Pat Shurmur (two years) and Romeo Crennel (one year) didn’t get much time, but probably as much as they deserved.
• The NHL owners and players: “To get something done or get off the pot.” The Winter Classic was scheduled for Tuesday, but the sides have opted to play a different game, seeing who can hold their breath longer. Thankfully, a drop-dead date is approaching and they should use it — one way or the other.
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