By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
My stomach turned a bit when news broke that Washington claimed Reuben Foster on waivers.
The 49ers had just put
him on the curb, like a moldy armchair awaiting a bulk trash pick-up. Washington,
acting like a thrift-conscious scavenger driving around neighborhoods in search
of such “deals,” pounced on the chance to haul him to Ashburn.
This marks the second
time in four weeks that a local institution reached a despicable conclusion
that flies in the face of decency. First, the University of Maryland tried to
put disgraced football coach DJ Durkin back on the sideline. Now, Dan Snyder’s
team has embraced a man twice charged with domestic violence.
According to ESPN,
Washington was the only organization to put in a waiver claim for Foster, three
days after he was arrested at the 49ers’ team hotel. The incident occurred less
than 24 hours before San Francisco faced Tampa Bay. Police said Foster had a
verbal altercation with a woman and “slapped her phone out of her hand, pushed
her in the chest area, and slapped her with an open hand on the left side of
her face.”
The 49ers couldn’t cut
him quick enough. They saw no need to let the legal process play out and see
where it leads. They had seen enough since making him a first-round draft pick
in 2017.
“Reuben has had a string
of making bad decisions,” San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters
Monday. “We knew that when we took him. We thought he would improve, and we
were going to do everything that we could to help him.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Some fans who watched
Monday night’s game after not watching games for a long while, might think they
missed a memo. When did the NFL change its name to the New Football League?
The name is the same. But
the sport is different, at least as played by the Los Angeles Rams and Kansas
City Chiefs in their 54-51 scoring spree. It makes you wonder whether those
teams and Washington’s team play under common rules.
All 32 teams use the same
rule book (more on that later). But the personnel and coaching are wildly
divergent. If the likes of, say, Blake Bortles and Hue Jackson form the
quarterback-head coach combo, the offense will resemble the Rams and Chiefs not
at all, even less without dynamic talents like Tyreek Hill, Brandin Cooks, Todd
Gurley and Kareem Hunt.
That’s why we should slow
down on all the “new NFL” talk. At least until more teams have coaches as
imaginative and creative as Sean McVay and Andy Reid, molding young gunslingers
like Jared Goff and Patrick Mahomes. (Never forget that Goff started seven
games under Jeff Fisher and was considered a bust as the Rams won none of
them.)
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
To be clear, hiring Condoleeza Rice as an NFL head coach would
be insane.
It wouldn’t be thinking outside the box. Rather, it’d be thinking
with your head inside a box that’s struck repeatedly with a baseball bat.
This has nothing to do with Rice’s gender. The idea would be
sheer lunacy for a man with identical credentials, too. Their intelligence,
education, and impressive backgrounds in international affairs would make them
fascinating dinner companions. But you wouldn’t necessarily either one with clock
management at the end of a half.
“I love my Browns – and I know they will hire an experience
coach to take us to the next level,” Rice wrote on Facebook Sunday after ESPN
reported that Cleveland wanted to interview her for the job. “BTW – I’m not
ready to coach but I would like to call a play or two next season if the Browns
need ideas! And at no time will I call for a ‘prevent defense.’”
I understand the notion of coach as CEO, someone who empowers coordinators
and assistants to do the heavy lifting. But giving the job to someone who has
never coached at any level would be an insult to the profession.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
LANDOVER, Md. – Every now and then, we get a gruesome reminder of how crazy-violent football can be. The notice comes without warning and often isn’t grasped fully until we watch the wreckage in slow motion.
Then we must decide whether to stomach subsequent replays. Announcers might advise the queasy to look away.
So much can change in that instant, in the flash when limbs and ligaments are bent in awkward, grotesque fashion. Careers can end and seasons can be altered. Fill-ins can emerge and jobs can be lost. Victories can become defeats and losses can be averted.
We don’t yet know the long-term implications of the broken right leg Alex Smith suffered in Sunday’s 23-21 home loss against the Houston Texans. Former Washington quarterback Joe Theismann – who was in attendance – suffered the same injury 33 years ago and never played again.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
The dustup between Kevin Durant and Draymond Green might or might not have a negative effect on Golden State’s quest for a three-peat.
But there’s no question how Monday night’s incident will affect interest our interest in another title run by the NBA champs:
We’re going to need more popcorn. Nothing like a little drama – or a lot – to grab our attention and maintain hold as developments unfold.
The Warriors’ standing as the league’s most popular and most polarizing team was well established before Durant and Green’s verbal altercation that carried from the sideline to the locker room. The latter’s one-game suspension is like manna from heaven for those weary of the Warriors’ dominance and cockiness. For those who enjoy the well-oiled offense and smooth-running operation, dissension between the two All-Stars is like hitting a huge pothole and wondering if the tire will go flat.
Internal combustion is perhaps the only thing that can derail Golden State’s machine. Now that it has surfaced, the extent of the damage is anyone’s guess.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Dear Josh Norman:
I understand your frustration regarding fan support when Washington hosts other NFL teams, when portions of FedEx Field are filled with the visitors’ devotees rooting against you and your teammates.
That must be terribly annoying.
However – through little fault of your own – you have a warped idea of what it means to be “a fan.” The media is partly responsible for that, considering how we glorify and romanticize genuine sports fanatics. The rest of the blame goes to those ardent enthusiasts who prop up themselves – with media backing – as examples of true fandom.
As if there aren’t levels of support, or everything below the gold standard is worthy of derision.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
He’s gone.
What was mere speculation six weeks ago – the last time we saw Bryce Harper in the home whites at Nationals Park – feels like a stamp of finality. We didn’t know for sure at the time, but Wednesday’s news that he turned down Washington’s $300 million offer seems to seal the deal.
“We haven’t gotten anything done, but he’s a guy that’s near and dear to us,” general manager Mike Rizzo told reporters Tuesday at the general managers meetings, after the Washington Post reported on a declined end-of-season bid to keep Harper off the market. “We’re not closing any doors,” Rizzo said.
Then allow me to not only shut the door, but to seal it tight and put a locked gate in front of it.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
It has been said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
Does that also apply to watching the same thing over and over and anticipating a dissimilar outcome? Have the Wizards made us insane?
We’re about to find out.
The team with three max players, a revamped bench, and a recovering-from-injury center with Hall-of-Fame numbers, is off to a slow start. The defense has been porous, leading to concern about effort and commitment. Fingers have been pointed and frustrations have surfaced. Questions about the core’s ability to get over the hump have lingered.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
LANDOVER, Md. – Adding a good player is supposed to make your defense stronger, not softer.
This isn’t to suggest that newcomer Ha Ha Clinton-Dix is to blame for Washington’s showing on that side of the ball. But it looked nothing like the stout unit we saw in the last three games as Atlanta gashed its way to a 38-14 victory.
The defense will see better days. Clinton-Dix will grow more comfortable. And few remaining opponents have an offense as potent: Atlanta entered the week ranked third in passing offense, fifth in yards per play and seventh in yards per game. The production hadn’t paid off much, as evidenced by the Falcons’ now 4-4 record. But quarterback Matt Ryan (350 yards pass and four touchdowns) and his multiple weapons gave Washington plenty to worry about during preparations for the game.
The preparation was for naught, which proved the thin margin of error Washington operates with this season.
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