By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Change is afoot for the Washington Redskins, who have parted ways with president
Bruce Allen, 12 weeks after doing likewise with coach Jay Gruden. The next wave
of NFL leaders in coaches’ offices and front offices is about to spin on the carousel.
Chronicling the comings and goings is essential in my chosen profession.
But all too often lately, discussing our
own “goings” has become a thing in this business.
Today marks that time for yours truly.
While the #FireBruceAllen and #FireErnieGrunfeld advocates were louder,
larger in number, and suffered far longer, a few local sports fans openly disapproved
of my employment as a Washington Times sports columnist. They’ll be happy to
know that belt-tightening at the newspaper has ended my run, effective 2020.
(Frankly, I think Allen and Grunfeld were far more offensive in their performances
with the ‘Skins and Washington Wizards. At least I won first- and third-place
awards from the Virginia Press Association since joining the Times. Bruce &
Ernie didn’t win squat during my tenure!)
The D.C. landscape today looks a lot different compared to 2011, when
former sports editor Mike Harris offered me a column in the newly revived section.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
A picture can be worth a thousand words.
But five sentences 50 years ago have been worth billions of dollars.
About $325 million of that windfall went to pitcher Gerrit Cole this
month for signing with the New York Yankees. Another $490 million, combined, went
to pitcher Stephen Strasburg and third baseman Anthony Rendon, the former for
staying in Washington and the latter for relocating to Los Angeles.
And that’s just counting the biggest deals since the World Series ended.
Earlier this year, Bryce Harper and Manny Machado raked a combined $630 million
for signing with Philadelphia and San Diego, respectively.
Players undeniably have earned a staggering amount since 1976, when Andy
Messersmith agreed to baseball’s first free-agent contract (three years for $1
million). All of that loot sprouted from outfielder Curt Flood’s short letter to
MLB commissioner Bowie Kuhn on Christmas Eve 1969.
“Dear Mr. Kuhn: After twelve years in the Major Leagues, I do not feel
that I am a piece of property to be bought and sold irrespective of my wishes.
I believe that any system which produces that result violates my basic rights
as a citizen and is inconsistent with the laws of the United States and of the
several States.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
On Thanksgiving, actress Gabrielle Union shared a family photo with a message of “praise, gratitude and thankfulness” to her 14.6 million Instagram followers. The picture featured Union and her husband, former NBA star Dwyane Wade, along with two of their children.
What should’ve been a sweet and simple post was neither for Internet
critics disturbed by Wade’s 12-year-old son, Zion, who appeared to sport long
white fingernails and wear a crop top.
“I’ve seen some post-Thanksgiving hate on social about my family photo,”
Wade tweeted to is 8.4 million followers. “Stupidity is part of this world we
live in – so I get it.”
Wade, a three-time NBA titlist, is a lock for enshrinement in the Basketball
Hall of Fame one day. But for now, he’s another kind of champion in a different
arena, proving a blueprint for athletes, leagues, fans and everyone else in responding
to LGBTQ issues.
Judging from the outside, Zion and another of Wade’s sons – Zaire – are polar
opposites. The latter plays with one of LeBron James’s sons on a nationally
ranked high school basketball team. But Zion has never exhibited what’s considered
typical male behavior.
By DERON SNYDER (as published
in The Washington Times)
LANDOVER, Md. – If you squint really hard from a certain angle and hold
up the Washington Redskins so the light hits them just right, you could reach a
regrettable conclusion.
No matter how much you abhor the thought and shudder at the possible
consequences, you might concede that beleaguered team president Bruce Allen was
(swallow hard) right. The ‘Skins ARE close.
At least closer than their record suggests.
On Sunday, for the second consecutive game Washington went to the wire
against a division rival at FedEx Field. The New York Giants needed overtime to
pull out a 41-35 victory.
In the prior contest, the Philadelphia Eagles scored the go-ahead
touchdown with 26 seconds left on the clock. In Washington’s first game against
the other NFC East member, Dallas led by just seven points entering the fourth
quarter before pulling away.
At this point of our conversation, let’s note that Dallas and Philadelphia entered Week 16 at 7-7. That mean the division champion will have a 9-7 or 8-8 record. The distance between Washington (3-12) and the automatic playoff berth isn’t as far as it seems.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
“If you stick a knife in my back nine inches and pull it out six inches,
there’s no progress. If you pull it all the way out, that’s not progress. Progress
is healing the wound that the blow made. And they haven’t even pulled the knife
out much less healed the wound. They won’t even admit the knife is there.” –
Malcolm X.
The NCAA, finally, has sheepishly acknowledged that … um … yeah … there’s
a blade jutting out from college athletes’ backs.
But the organization remains intent on incremental extraction, not full
removal and complete restoration.
That’s the takeaway from NCAA president Mark Emmert’s entreaties Tuesday
on Capitol Hill, where he requested help from Sens. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Chris
Murphy (D-Conn.). The winds of change are howling and Emmert seeks federal assurance
that his so-called “collegiate model” won’t be left in ruins.
“The NCAA wants the status quo and they are praying Congress will grant
that,” Ramogi Huma said Tuesday at a “Future of Sports” panel sponsored by the Aspen
Institute. Huma is executive director of the National College Players
Association, which advocates for college athletes.
Actually, Emmert is willing to concede a tweak to the system – specifically,
granting athletes the rights to their name, image and likeness – provided that the
NCAA retains control of everything else.
His most pressing concern is keeping athletes away from the organization’s
multibillion-dollar pie.
By DERON SNYDER (as published
in The Washington Times)
Missing the mark on quarterback assessments is an NFL tradition, probably
since the days when QBs primarily were blockers in single-wing formations.
Before he became an all-time NFL great with the Baltimore Colts, Johnny
Unitas was selected 102nd overall by Pittsburgh in 1955. Quarterbacks chosen ahead
of Miami Dolphins legend Dan Marino in 1983 draft included Ken O’Brien, Tony
Eason, and Todd Blackledge.
Three-time Super Bowl MVP Joe Montana remained on the board in 1979 until
San Francisco took him with the final selection of the third round. He was a
steal compared to New England’s Tom Brady, who famously lasted until the sixth
round – pick No. 199 – in the 2000 draft.
Conversely, history is littered with the figurative corpses of
first-round busts under center, including co-poster boys JaMarcus Russell and Ryan
Leaf. Recent vintage includes Paxton Lynch (2016), Johnny Manziel (2014), and Christian
Ponder (2011).
Making the right call at quarterback is a front office’s most important
decision. It’s also the easiest to botch. Consider the NFL outposts in Miami
and Tampa Bay.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
LANDOVER – In the NFL, anything can happen on any given Sunday.
The saying typically refers to huge underdogs defeating massive favorites,
pulling off upsets that no one sees coming. But the “you-never-know” factor isn’t
tied to an all-or-nothing outcome.
Sometimes, a team can shock observers by displaying unforeseen levels of
competence, cohesion and competitiveness. Being in a game – as opposed to being
embarrassed – is the next best thing to winning.
The Washington Redskins lost Sunday’s contest, 37-27, against the Philadelphia
Eagles. But for the second consecutive outing at FedEx Field, Washington resembled
a professional football team more than a burgundy-and-gold clown show.
The ‘Skins came up short in the end, with Philly scoring a sack-strip-scoop
touchdown on the final play. However, an onlooker easily could point out several
bright spots.
Especially from a prime perch in the owner’s luxury box.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
To borrow a line from “Cool Hand Luke” and apply it to the New England Patriots and Houston Astros … what we’ve got here is a failure to communicate.
The 2018 Super Bowl champions and 2017 World Series champions find
themselves embroiled in cheating scandals today because they apparently don’t understand
the difference between acceptable and unacceptable forms of stealing.
There’s nothing inappropriate about a runner on second base picking up on
the catcher’s signals and relying the information to the batter. It’s perfectly
fine if an assistant football coach stands on the sideline, decodes the
opponents’ signs, and shares those findings during the game.
We call those actions “sign stealing,” but that’s a misnomer in these
instances.
The power of observation in conjunction with deductive reasoning is to
be celebrated, not viewed as misconduct.
But the Patriots and Astros seemingly crossed the line between honest-to-goodness
brain power and a flat-out breach of fair play. Due to their past
transgressions, neither franchise has earned the benefit of the doubt.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Football demands a certain level of toughness and bravado from players,
who must be genuine only on the former front. Acting like a tough guy is a
whole lot easier than proving you’re the real deal.
Washington Redskins interim coach Bill Callahan gave Dwayne Haskins an
opportunity to display his fortitude Sunday at Green Bay, and the quarterback aced
the test. He hobbled around on an injured right ankle for most of the game, a
20-15 loss to the Packers, earning the respect of his teammates.
But watching Haskins limp badly on handoffs and resemble a crippled statue
on pass attempts created a new round of “What are you thinking?” incredulity
regarding Washington, specifically its handling of a first-round rookie QB.
Callahan was an assistant with the Dallas Cowboys the last time it
happened, in 2012, when coach Mike Shanahan let Robert Griffin III continue to
play against the Seattle Seahawks. At least that malfeasance occurred in the
playoffs, the time of year when decisions can skew toward reckless abandon.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
The Carolina Panthers have standards. They reached the playoffs in four of the last six season entering this year, including a Super Bowl run in 2015. Over that stretch they posted a 15-win season, a 12-win season and an 11-win season before coming in at 7-9 last year.
But some things simply can’t be tolerated … like a home loss to the 2-9
Washington Redskins. As a result, Panthers coach Ron Rivera is now former
Panthers coach Ron Rivera.
Carolina didn’t wait until Black Monday, the day after the regular
season ends. They fired Rivera two days after Week 13 concluded, sending him to
join former Washington coach Jay Gruden on the paid-leave/never-to-return list.
At least they’re never-to-return to their previous employers.
“Absolutely, my intent is to coach again,” Rivera told reporters
Wednesday. “I love coaching. Not just coaching because it’s about winning
football games, but coaching because you have an opportunity to impact young
men and people. And that’s what I want to do.”
Making a difference in people’s lives is an admirable goal.
But if sufficient victories aren’t a byproduct, then the nonprofit arena
might be better for such pursuits.
Follow
