Posted on October 22nd, 2018
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
LANDOVER – Adrian Peterson is making Jay Gruden lazy.
Who needs drive, ingenuity and creativity, when you can trade those in for the luxury of handing off to an age-defying runner who’s turning back the clock? Why try to devise new and innovative ways to maximize your limited offensive attack, when you simply can let Peterson do the heavy lifting?
That wasn’t a bad idea 10 years ago, or five years ago, or maybe even three years ago. In 2015, at age 30, Peterson led the league in rushing and carries. But he missed 15 games the following year with a torn meniscus in his right knee … which occurred five seasons after he suffered a torn ACL and MCL in his left knee.
Peterson has cheated the odds twice in his Hall of Fame career. Asking him to do so once again, is probably asking for trouble.
But that hasn’t dissuaded Gruden from putting the offense on the veteran’s back. Peterson rewarded his coach by carrying Washington to a 20-17 victory Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys. A.P. rushed for 99 yards on 24 carries, but it seemed like he toted the ball twice as much.
Perhaps that had something to do with the predictability of Gruden’s play calling. Four of Washington’s first five offensive possessions began with quarterback Alex Smith handing off to Peterson. Washington had three drives in the third quarter. Care to guess what happened on first down each time?
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Posted on October 17th, 2018
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Welcome to a new NBA season, where a “vacancy” signs hangs atop the Eastern Conference.
The team that occupied the penthouse for eight years remains in the building. But it was forced to downsize and relocate to a lower level when its head of household departed for Hollywood. Several tenants, including the Washington Wizards, are vying to move in and replace Cleveland.
We can guarantee that the coveted digs will have a new occupant to represent the East in the NBA Finals. We can also guarantee that LeBron James won’t enjoy his customary view now that switched coasts. Like everyone else out west, he’s looking up to the Golden State Warriors, who show no signs of vacating the premises.
But at least James isn’t blocking upward mobility back here anymore. That good news for all parties involved. The Wizards aren’t among the favorites to replace the Cavaliers, but at least the stone wall has become a cracked door.
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Posted on October 15th, 2018
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Fifty years ago on Oct.16, Tommie Smith and John Carlos walked to the podium to accept their respective gold and silver medals after the 200-meter sprint at the Olympic Games in Mexico City.
Wearing beads and a scarf, as their first sign of protest, they took off their shoes and stepped onto the stand. And when the United States national anthem was played, they lowered their heads and raised a black-gloved fist in a salute beamed around the globe.
Just six years old at that point in 1968, I didn’t realize the impact of those actions – or the consequences Smith and Carlos faced – until many years later. The iconic photograph had been etched in my brain long before then, but I had no idea of everything behind their act of defiance.
It’s a lesson worth learning, especially now, as some of the same issues still resonate lead to other forms of protest.
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Posted on October 15th, 2018
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
LANDOVER – Now comes the real test for Washington’s NFL team. This upcoming week will challenge players to dig deep and search their souls. They’ll have to look in the mirror, stare themselves in the eye, and prove that their manhood is sufficient to handle what lies ahead.
For most teams, overcoming adversity means conquering troublesome circumstances and bouncing back after heartbreaking defeats.
But in Washington, overcoming adversity means riding out good times and preventing victories from bringing you down.
The Carolina Panthers didn’t know this, but they came to town at the worst possible moment, with the home team reeling from an embarrassing defeat. Cam Newton & Co. might’ve thought Washington would be easy pickings after it was shredded by New Orleans.
Wrong.
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Posted on October 11th, 2018
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
It appears that Jay Gruden’s tenure in Washington won’t end well. At least he’ll have plenty of company to commiserate with him.
His immediate predecessor, Mike Shanahan, left a pile of burnt ash in Ashburn. The saga careened from Donovan McNabb to Rex Grossman to Robert Griffin III – with a splash of John Beck and a hint of Kirk Cousins – before the veteran coach departed with 24 wins against 40 losses.
Before that, Jim Zorn completed one of the craziest coaching stints in NFL history. He’ll forever be the sole answer to an absurd trivia question: Who was hired as an offensive coordinator in January, named head coach the following month, and later was stripped of play calling and replaced by a bingo caller?
Joe Gibbs 2.0 wasn’t nearly as exquisite as the original model. But it was farcical to expect anything close from a 64-year-old who hadn’t coached in more than a decade. Gibbs reached the playoffs twice but had a 30-34 overall record. The NFL had largely passed by the Hall of Famer, like his Tony Stewart overtook lesser drivers in Turn 3.
Steve Spurrier? Ha! He was Costello to Zorn’s Abbott. Spurrier tried to establish D.C. as a University of Florida satellite campus. But his former Gators should’ve gone straight to a retirement home because most weren’t cut out for the NFL. Only Spurrier saw that which didn’t exist.
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Posted on October 9th, 2018
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
There are two schools of thought about the fracas that ensued following UFC 229’s main event Saturday night in Las Vegas.
One, the post-match melee – with Khabib Nurmagomedov in the crowd and Conor McGregor in the octagon – won’t hurt the sport at all.
Two, the extracurricular activity – simultaneous bonus brawls featuring MMA fighters, trainers and goons – actually will help the sport.
Forget about the notion that fans and potential fans were turned off when Nurmagomedov climbed out of the cage to confront McGregor’s jujitsu coach, while three Nurmagomedov associates hopped inside to attack McGregor. Anyone truly offended by those antics aren’t part of UFC president Dana White’s target audience.
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Posted on October 3rd, 2018
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
The FBI calls them “bribes.”
I prefer to call them “signing bonuses.”
Those discrepant views just might determine your stance on what happens in college basketball. But none of us should ever confuse NCAA violations for federal crimes.
Adidas, Nike and Under Armour understand the distinction. So do players, their families, college coaches, and grass-roots basketball organizers. Their secret economy is an attempt to compensate for unjust NCAA policies that perpetuate the sham of amateurism.
Yet, here we are, forced to endure the charade as federal prosecutors put recruiting tactics on trial in New York, where the first of three cases off an FBI probe of college basketball’s so-called underbelly has begun. James Gatto, a former high-ranking Adidas executive, is first up, charged with two counts of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
But the real fraud is wasting our tax money on what’s essentially a matter between the NCAA and its member institutions.
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Posted on October 2nd, 2018
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Once again, it’s time to check off some items on my “TIDU List” – Things I Don’t Understand:
*WHY THE NATS SHOULD OVERPAY BRYCE HARPER.
Outfield is far from Washington’s most pressing offseason need. The position doesn’t crack the Top 3, but the right fielder’s future is our town’s No. 1 question. Harper said he loves D.C. and wants to return if he’s in the Nat’s plans. That sounds great, but his head must agree if the Nats aren’t the highest bidder – which they shouldn’t be. He easily can prove his love.
Accepting hometown discounts are decisions of the heart.
*HOW JIMBO FISHER COMES UP WITH HIS LESSONS.
The Texas A&M football coach yanked the face mask of linebacker Tyrel Dodson during Saturday’s game, because Dodson was scuffling with a player. “There ain’t no sense to go out there and push and shove and do dumb things out there,” a tone-deaf Fisher said by way of explanation. So, he lost control of his emotions while trying to teach a student about self-control.
Fisher must be a real treat when the cameras aren’t rolling.
*WHY STRANGERS CARE ABOUT LE’VEON BELL’S MONEY.
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Posted on September 27th, 2018
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
In an effort to reduce players’ risk of brain damage, the NFL is trying to “take the head out of the game.”
But who knew they were speaking figuratively, too?
The term became a mantra in 2012 when USA Football and its sugar daddy, the NFL, rolled out “Heads Up Football,” a program intended to make the sport safer for youth through new tackling techniques, improved coaching and better-fitting equipment. The effort netted commissioner Roger Goodell the Neurosurgical Society of America’s “Medal for Outstanding Service” in 2013.
“We want to take the head out of the game,” Goodell said at the time. “The helmet is for protection. It is not a weapon.”
And the brain is designed for thinking, not just filling space in a skull.
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Posted on September 24th, 2018
By DERON SNYDER (as published in The Washington Times)
Twenty-two years ago, in a brilliant ad campaign from Nike, dozens of multi-hued, multicultural boys and girls were pictured playing golf or carrying clubs. The youngsters were filmed on golf courses and city streets, looking into the camera or looking into the distance. Several made a bold proclamation:
“I am Tiger Woods.”
The message was clear. They were inspired to follow the lead of Woods, a 19-year-old phenom whose “Hello World” commercial and $40 million Nike contract – not to mention his wildly successful amateur career – suggested he could be a force for a long while.
But neither those children nor marketing executives, neither pro golfers nor golf fans, imagined Woods would go through everything he’s endured, yet wind up in the winner’s circle again at age 42 after a five-year drought.
None of us is Tiger Woods.
And I’m not sure, notwithstanding his fortune, we’d want to be.
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