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.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
My wife, a University of Maryland alum who doesn’t follow sports, had what I imagine was the consensus reaction nationwide upon hearing that DJ Durkin will remain in place as the Terrapins football coach.
“What? So nobody is being held culpable for that kid’s death? Wow.”
Wow, indeed.
We live in an age and climate where shocking pronouncements are losing some sting, leaving us numb, because they arrive seemingly daily. But the University System of Maryland’s Board of Regents punctured our punch-drunk senses Tuesday. The board quickened onlookers around the country with a jolting decision to retain Durkin despite his significant role in Jordan McNair’s totally preventable death.
After being roundly criticized from all corners, rightfully so, the regents were forced to reconsider and fired Durkin Wednesday night.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Six games. That’s how long it took before Dan Gilbert’s franchise reverted to its 2010 form, when the Cleveland Cavaliers last resembled a horse’s rear end.
The fault back then was on the owner, who wrote a juvenile letter after LeBron James’ “Decision” to leave for Miami. Gilbert trashed him for exercising free-agency rights, describing the move with terms like “cowardly betrayal” … “shameful display of selfishness” … “shocking act of disloyalty” … and “heartless and callous action.”
He sounded like a jilted lover when he went all-caps, Comic Sans, to “PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER ‘KING’ WINS ONE.”
We knew that guarantee was worthless, like Cavs tickets without James.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The trip to metropolitan New York was more like a trek to sunny Jamaica for Washington’s NFL team. In continuing to rebound from a so-so start to the season, Jay Gruden’s bunch dispatched the Giants and epitomized the island-nation’s well-worn motto:
“No problem.”
That’s the story and we’re sticking to. After winning for just the third time in nine visits to MetLife Stadium, after tightening its grip on the NFC East, after constructing the rare three-game winning streak under Gruden, Washington gets an ‘A’ for its 20-13 victory against the hapless G-Men.
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Old habits die hard, even when we hate them and clamor for their demise. No matter how much we complain and wish they didn’t exist, we often find ourselves embracing and repeating them, over and over and over again.
Take, for instance, the decision to kick extra-points instead of attempt two-point conversions.
For years we’ve criticized coaches for being too conservative, too risk-averse. We’ve advocated that they “go for it” more frequently, whether “it” is a fourth-down conversion or double points after a touchdown.
But deep down, many of us are scared. The consequences of failure make us quiver, even though the only thing riding on the outcome for us is emotion. Conversely, coaches can put their job and career on the line when they buck conventional wisdom instead of staying safely ensconced in the herd.
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