Posted on September 11th, 2017
By DERON SNYDER
LANDOVER – The 2017 NFL season has begun and Washington’s fans at FedEx Field witnessed a time warp. Fifteen games remain but Sunday felt like 2016 all over again.
Plagued by the same problems. Irritated by the same issues. Contorted by the same concerns.
There were new faces and new names, but too much of the same-old, same-old.
Get on the good foot by winning your season opener? Nope. Get in the end zone when points are there for the taking? Uh-uh. Get off the field when you need crucial stops on third down? Negative.
The Philadelphia Eagles were demonstrably better than Washington in a 30-17 victory, but the game was closer than the score indicates. This was another case of woulda-coulda-shoulda, which the Skins do better than anyone.
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Posted on September 8th, 2017
By DERON SNYDER
One side of the ball must be considered the weak link, the group that deceases your odds of victory each week. It’s a natural law of football. Even teams with a middle-of-the-pack offense and defense are perceived to have one that’s worse than the other.
There was no confusion in Washington last season. The unit with the NFL’s sixth-best quarterback (ESPN rating), two 1,000-yard receivers and a Pro Bowl-tight end wasn’t the side that opponents preferred facing.
Makes sense. Foes would much rather confront a defense that was ranked 28th overall and allowed a league-worst third-down conversion rate (46.6). Third-and-short, third-and-long, third-and-forever … it didn’t matter. Move the chains!
Washington’s defenders really, really loved to play football; they didn’t want to get off the field.
The scales haven’t shifted entering this season. Quarterback Kirk Cousins & Co. are expected to do the heavy lifting again. Their success or lack thereof will go a long way in determining the team’s fortune.
The Skins don’t have to go wild like the St. Louis “Greatest Show on Turf” Rams of 1999-2001. But the offense can’t afford to mirror the 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, either. They won the Super Bowl but ranked 18th in points and 24th in yards.
If the Skins produce at a similar subpar rate, we’re in for a long season and low win total.
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Posted on September 7th, 2017
By DERON SNYDER
“I think he has got four weeks really to try to get his life in order, on and off the field, and figure out where his priorities are and what he wants to do” – Skins coach Jay Gruden on safety Su’a Cravens.
It’s down to three weeks now. That’s how much time remains before Cravens must decide whether he has another season of football in him.
Does he really want to put his body through all that pain and suffering? Does he honestly want to subject his brain to more of those jarring collisions with his skull? Is he truly at peace with the inherent risk of debilitating conditions later in life?
We don’t know for certain what led to Cravens’ attempted retirement. Maybe it’s something physical. But it also could be something mental or emotional, just as real. Whatever the case, the Skins didn’t accept his resignation. Whether the team was sensitive or self-centered is debatable, though I lean toward my colleague Thom Loverro in concluding it was the latter.
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Posted on September 5th, 2017
By DERON SNYDER
Sacrificial lambs’ odds of survival are better than those Maryland and Howard faced Saturday when they ventured to Texas and Las Vegas, respectively.
The Longhorns were unveiling hotshot new coach, Tom Herman, hired to lead Texas back to its presumed rightful place among college football royalty. Herman’s scintillating two seasons at Houston (22-4) made him the sport’s most sought-after up-and-comer before he departed for Austin.
The Rebels were kicking off the second year of a deal with the Las Vegas visitors bureau, in which the season opens against an HBCU foe. Opponents are encouraged to bring the band and cheerleaders for in-town promotional activities. Last year’s arrangement worked out swell, as UNLV routed Jackson State, 63-13.
Maryland and Howard were expected to play their dutiful roles as subservient dance partners – always following, never leading – providing little resistance and less of a threat before returning home with a loss (and in Howard’s case, a check for $600,000). Texas was favored by 18-1/2 points, UNLV by a whopping 45.
Who knew?
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Posted on September 1st, 2017
By DERON SNYDER
We’ll never know how the 2017 Washington Nationals would’ve fared with the fortune of good health.
Their big offseason acquisition, Adam Eaton, failed to survive April before going down with a season-ending knee injury, a sign of things to come. Key cogs Trea Turner and Jayson Werth returned this week after being out since June. Emerging outfielder Michael Taylor was unavailable from early July through mid-August. Various relievers have spent time on the disabled list (though the bullpen often seemed disabled when fully healthy).
Yet, here we are, with Washington enjoying a 15-game lead in the National League East as the calendar flips to September.
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By DERON SNYDER
