By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Manager
Dave Martinez laid the groundwork for the 2019 Washington Nationals last year. It’s
what helped him – and his team – survive an abysmal start this season and
eventually capture a playoff berth.
The
Nats were coming off back-to-back, first-round flameouts when Martinez replaced
Dusty Baker – who himself inherited a club that failed to advance in its two
previous postseason appearances.
Washington’s
reputation was such that being 0-4 in National League Division Series shared equal
billing with its four NL East titles in six years.
Sensing
a team under pressure last year, in his first spring training as a manager,
Martinez sought to replace the steam with a cool breeze. He instilled a light
and loose tone, heavy on fun. There were team relay races, walk-off practices
and golf-chipping contests. There was a Circle of Trust, a la “Meet the Parents,”
including skits and funny speeches.
Of
all the gimmicks Martinez implemented, none was more noteworthy than the three
camels. He brought them to camp so his team could face the elephant in the clubhouse,
the Nats’ inability to get over the hump and win a playoff series.
“My
intentions were to bring the hump to us – the proverbial hump question that we
all try to answer, Martinez told reporters that day in February 2018. “For me,
as I thought about it, the hump is every day. And I want them to embrace it,
not fear it. And have fun with it.
“We
all know why we’re here.”
The
answer, then and now, remains the same. Ownership and general manager Mike
Rizzo confirmed as much upon hiring Martinez, and the rookie manager bought into
the thought process during his introductory news conference. “We’re not here
just to win a playoff game,” he said. “We’re here to win the World Series.”
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
The
Nationals got off to a 19-31 start but didn’t let it stop them from clinching a
postseason berth Tuesday. That accomplishment led to an epic clubhouse celebration,
a raucous bash that World Series champions would struggle to top.
Cue
the party poopers.
“Act
like you’ve been there before,” they sniffed on social media. “Celebrate when
you actually win something.”
No
offense to any grouches, killjoys or sourpusses, but please go far away and
stay there.
Something’s
wrong with your ticker if it didn’t get toasty at the sight of second baseman Brian
Dozier, shirtless and singing in Spanish, surrounded by Latino teammates dousing
him with beer as they sung along. Your facial muscles need electric stimulation
if they didn’t reflexively form a smile as Celebrator-in-Chief Gerardo “Baby
Shark” Parra was in the middle of jubilant teammates clapping to the infectious
children’s song.
The
scenes from Nationals Park after Washington beat Philadelphia – and Pittsburgh beat
the Chicago Cubs (on the centerfield video screen) – epitomized unbridled joy.
Starting
pitcher Anibal Sanchez turned into a different sort of whistleblower, leading a
conga line through the clubhouse. Centerfielder Victor Robles and an
unidentified teammate engaged in some up-close dancing and gyrating that was
funny if a bit uncomfortable.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
LANDOVER
– Washington Redskins quarterback Case Keenum threw three interceptions Monday against
Chicago, including one that was returned for a touchdown.
Dwayne
Haskins could’ve done that.
Keenum
was sacked four times and lost two fumbles, including one that the Bears
recovered to set up an 11-yard TD drive.
Haskins
could’ve done that.
Keenum
made a nice throw for a 15-yard touchdown to rookie wideout Terry McLaurin …
and followed with a bounce pass to wide-open Chris Thompson on the 2-point try.
Haskins
could’ve done that, too.
This
isn’t to suggest that Haskins – not Keenum – should’ve been under center during
the 31-15 loss, Washington’s latest chapter in its Monday Night Fiasco history.
Neither
QB coordinates a defense that insisted on putting lumbering linebackers on speedy
wideouts. Neither throws blocks to slow relentless pass rushers like Khalil
Mack & Co. Neither is susceptible to violations for holding, offsides, interference,
or other various infractions among Washington’s nine penalties against the
Bears.
The
question isn’t whether Haskins would’ve led Washington to victory. Three games
into an 0-3 season that nearly everyone predicted, the starting quarterback in that
trifecta is beside the point. Haskins easily could have the same record as Keenum
in burgundy and gold.
No,
the issue is whether keeping Haskins on the bench is best for him and best for the
team, not necessarily in that order.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
There’s been a lot of coverage lately about players who request – no, demand! – to be traded. Their desire to work elsewhere has caused great consternation among some fans and media members, who fret that these players are upsetting the natural order.
Detractors
insist that the universe isn’t supposed to work like that.
Only
management gets to decide if and when a player is shipped out.
You
say he loves being part of that franchise? Sorry. He and his family are entrenched
in the community? Tough. He’s being sent to a horrible situation with a
terrible organization? Oh well.
That’s
part of the job and comes with the territory.
The
same imbalance of power surfaces in the private sector from time to time. When
a company decides to relocate its headquarters, some lucky workers get to
choose between keeping their job or staying put. I imagine former employees of
the Baltimore Colts weren’t required to steal away in the middle of the night,
but they likely can offer moving advice to current employees of the Oakland Raiders.
The
general public has a lot more empathy for transplanted office workers than,
say, wideout Demaryius Thomas, who earlier this month was traded from New
England to the New York Jets. Thomas didn’t request, demand or suggest a move.
Nonetheless,
he went from a Super Bowl favorite to a contender for the toilet bowl.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times
Fran
Tarkenton retired nearly 40 years ago, having led the NFL in passing yardage (3,468)
his final season. Steve Young hung ‘em up 20 years ago, departing with a career
passing rating (96.8) that ranks No. 7 all-time.
In-between
and since then, several quarterbacks known for running as much as passing have
terrorized NFL defenses. Scramblers of significance include Michael Vick, Roger
Staubach and Russell Wilson.
However,
despite the list of luminaries who have led potent attacks, “dual-threat
quarterback” remains something of an asterisk. It isn’t a full-fledged stigma,
yet it carries a sense of “otherness” … as in other than a “regular” QB.
Baltimore’s
Lamar Jackson isn’t your typical quarterback. For that matter, neither is
Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes, though he distinguishes himself through normal
measures (i.e., passing ability), not the former’s preternatural skills as a
rusher.
Both
have been absurdly good in their first two games this season and they’ll face
each other Sunday in Week 3.
Mahomes
is merely continuing the exploits that made him the 2018 NFL MVP. Jackson is trying
to convince the league that he’s not just a halfback taking snaps.
Putting
himself in the same sentence with Mahomes makes a great opening argument.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
I
suspect several college coaches would like to have a word with Virginia’s Tony
Bennett.
The
Cavaliers’ men’s basketball coach knowingly violated his association’s unwritten
rules, the unspoken agreement that members will always prime the pump for the
members coming behind.
That
sacred code helped Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski more than double his salary, from
$4.1 million in 2011 to $8.9 million last year. It allowed football coach Nick
Saban to do likewise, going from $4 million in 2007 – when he signed with
Alabama after leaving the Miami Dolphins – to $8.7 million this season.
Even
obscure associates like Iowa State basketball coach Steve Prohm and Cincinnati
football coach Luke Fickell ($2 million each) have enjoyed a hefty boost in
earning power.
So
imagine the guild’s chagrin at Bennett breaking ranks instead of breaking the
bank. Having led Virginia to its first national hoops title last season, he was
positioned to move the needle and show solidarity with his peers. All that
remained was following the time-honored script for a coach in his position.
He
executed the opening act perfectly, securing a contract extension that the
school announced Monday. But he flubbed his lines when Virginia offered the
perfunctory financial adjustment.
Bennett
declined to accept a pay raise.
His
fellow coaches probably likened that to blasphemy.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
LANDOVER,
Md. – At least Washington’s offense has the season-opening first half to
remember. The number of forgettable quarters since then is now six and
counting.
The ‘Skins’ scintillating 30 minutes against Philadelphia were a distant memory by Sunday as they hosted the Dallas Cowboys in a 31-21 loss. Quarterback Case Keenum reverted to a pumpkin-like journeyman. The young receiving corps resembled meek mice per its preseason projections.
One
similarity was halfback Adrian Peterson. Like Derrius Guice in Week 1, Peterson
might as well have donned glass slippers for his carries (10 for 25 yards),
though he passed Jim Brown on the all-time list for rushing touchdowns.
It
just seems like the clock struck midnight at halftime in Week 1 and the
Redskins’ offense woke up from a fairy tale beginning.
“We’d
all like to throw touchdowns every play and throw deep bombs to everybody,”
Keenum said Sunday, after connection on two of the former and none of the
latter. “It’d be great if we can throw it to (tight end Vernon Davis) in the
flat and he jumps over people. Those are incredible, incredible plays that
those guys made.”
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Three
cheers for the California State Assembly.
Select
college athletes have tried standing up against the NCAA syndicate. For the
most part, those individuals were swatted down like pesky flies. Incremental
gains have been achieved – cost-of-attendance stipends, “guaranteed”
scholarships, less-stringent transfer rules, more food – but only through pulling
teeth, public shaming and court rulings.
The
few appeasements haven’t hurt the NCAA, which views them as pocket lint more
than pocket change. As long as the core shams of amateurism and
student-athletes remain intact, the billion-dollar industry keeps humming, even
as naysayers occasionally nibble at the margins.
But
on Monday, California lawmakers took a welcome and long overdue step in the
fight against the NCAA’s unrighteous business practices.
By
a vote of 73 to 0, the State Assembly approved the Fair Pay to Play Act, which had
already cleared the Senate. The measure would
allow athletes in California to be paid for the use of their name, image and
likeness, wresting that lucrative stream from schools, conferences and the NCAA
– all of which bar athletes from signing endorsement deals.
The
act falls short of paying athletes a share of the loot they generate, but it
allows them to capitalize on themselves when the opportunity exists. Civil
rights advocates and free-market proponents cheered. The NCAA Board of Governors
booed and on Wednesday sent a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom, who has 30 days to
sign or veto the legislation.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
After
showing contempt for Adrian Peterson before Sunday’s loss at Philadelphia, Redskins
coach Jay Gruden doubled down on the disrespect afterward, claiming that having
the future Hall of Famer in uniform will be a “week-to-week” decision.
That
was the insult on top of the indignity, the put-down on top of the affront. Peterson
was fit but declared inactive against the Eagles, making him a healthy scratch
for the first time in his 13-year career.
Week-to-week?
With
players’ availability being so fickle in the NFL – where a change of plans is
always one play away – Peterson’s odds of suiting up for the home opener improved
exponentially by Monday. Turns out that starting halfback Derrius Guice has a right
knee injury that could keep him out for multiple games.
But
Guice’s misfortune doesn’t let Gruden off the hook for flagrant malpractice
against Peterson.
That’s
not how you treat the eighth-leading rusher in NFL history. That’s not how you
handle a player who rushed for 1,042 yards last season and was the team’s
offensive MVP. That’s not how you manage
a position where the alternatives are unproven and/or injury-prone and/or pedestrian.
Gruden’s
chosen three halfbacks for the Eagles game were Guice, making his NFL debut; Chris
Thompson, a fine third-down back; and Wendell Smallwood, a Sept. 1 pickup who also
plays special teams. No offense to those gentlemen, but they didn’t provide
sufficient reason to keep Peterson in street clothes.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
PHILADELPHIA – Washington got off to a fast start Sunday in its season opener against Philadelphia. The home team took a while to get in gear, perhaps due to excessive confidence and insufficient motivation against a division foe predicted to dwell in the cellar.
But by afternoon’s end at Lincoln Financial Field, normalcy had returned. Philly resembled a Super Bowl contender and the ‘Skins looked like candidates for the No.1 draft pick. The Eagles put Washington in its place and coasted to a 32-27 victory.
The
difference between the first 30 minutes and latter 30 minutes was stark,
highlighting the gulf that separates these teams. In a sense, it mirrored last
season, when Washington started 6-3 but won just once down the stretch.
The
culprits in 2018 were an injury at quarterback and a collapse by the defense.
On Sunday, starting QB Case Keenum escaped unscathed but defensive end Jonathan
Allen was hurt in the first quarter and didn’t return, while both sides of the
ball caved during a second half dominated by Philly.
Of
their seven possessions after Allen departed with a sprained left knee, the
Eagles scored five times. Making matters worse, backup defensive end Caleb
Brantley suffered an ankle injury that ended his day, too, leaving the D-line
with just three healthy players.
“They
took our bulls off the field,” cornerback Josh Norman said. “When you don’t
have that surge up front, (Eagles QB Carson) Wentz is just back their freaking
and extending drives.”
For a squad among the league’s most injured in recent seasons, and a medical/training staff facing internal and external criticism, this was a most inauspicious start. But the ‘Skins did themselves no favor with self-inflicted wounds like penalties and blown coverages, pillars of losing that are all too familiar.
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