Posted on January 10th, 2016
By DERON SNYDER
LANDOVER, Md – The 2015 NFL season has ended for Washington. But it was quite a start.
The games are over, but they represented a new beginning in Ashburn. Players and coaches don’t like to accept such consolation prizes after a loss. But no matter what happened in Sunday’s game against Green Bay – which the Packers won, 35-18 – there would be no reason for dropped heads in lockeroom.
“I’m very proud of these guys, and it’s still a sick feeling any time you lose a game at the end of the year, no matter when it is,” Washington coach Jay Gruden said. “With the opportunities that we had out there today, it makes you ill. But with the guys battling the way they did, I’m very proud of the guys and I like the future of this football team.”
There’s no shame in losing a playoff contest against an MVP-winning quarterback such as Aaron Rodgers. He hadn’t looked like himself for most of the season but regained his form when it mattered most, after the Packers fell behind, 11-0.
There’s no disgrace in being out-smarted by a Super Bowl winning coach such as Mike McCarthy. Green Bay lost four of five games during one stretch and closed the regular season with back-to-back defeats, but McCarthy had his team ready for red-hot Washington. He called the right plays and exploited the right match-ups as the Packers rallied for 17 unanswered points before halftime.
When Kirk Cousins came out for the first drive after intermission and engineered a five-play, 73-yard touchdown drive – scoring on a perfectly executed quarterback draw to recapture the lead – there was a sense of more to come. But it never materialized.
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Posted on January 7th, 2016
By DERON SNYDER
“Started from the bottom now we’re here
Started from the bottom now my whole team [bleeping] here”
Virtually every year this century, at least one NFL team could’ve blasted Drake’s popular rap song throughout the locker room at season’s end. I wouldn’t be surprised if commissioner Roger Goodell, who began working for the league as an administrative intern in 1982, hums the tune each time he walks into his office.
Finishing last in one season doesn’t preclude teams from finishing atop the division 12 months later. The NFL credo of “any given Sunday” can be extended to “any given year.” You never know which team will execute the worst-to-first turnaround, but chances are great we’ll see at least one.
Beginning with the 2001 Chicago Bears, 22 teams have gone from cellar-dweller to division champ in one season. The feat failed to materialize only twice in the last 15 years, 2002 and 2014. Even more amazing are the multiple reversals of fortune that occurred within the same season.
Chicago, Tampa Bay and the New York Giants pulled it off in 2005. Baltimore, New Orleans and Philadelphia did likewise in 2006. In fact, more than one team has made the journey in seven of the 15 seasons since 2001.
Granted, NFL teams only have to leap-frog three division opponents (compared to four in MLB, five in the NBA and a minimum of six in the NHL). And all NFL worst-to-firsts aren’t created equal. But it goes to show that cities like Washington can keep hope alive against all logical expectations and sometimes be rewarded.
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Posted on January 4th, 2016
By DERON SNYDER
The thing that baffled me the most was their certainty, their staunch and steadfast belief that Kirk Cousins was a bum, period. Critics looked past his glimpses of excessive competence and downplayed his paucity of meaningful experience, concluding that Cousins’ NFL destiny was as a clipboard-holder, at best.
I wasn’t positive Cousins could take his skill-set, overcome his habit for bad interceptions and become a bona fide starting quarterback. But I definitely thought it was possible and wanted to find out. Robert Griffin III’s performance through the preseason only confirmed my belief that Cousins deserved a shot and gave Washington the best chance to win.
Coach Jay Gruden clearly was correct in naming Cousins as the starter. It’s safe to say Washington has its quarterback of the future. He’s the one who led the NFL in completion percentage and threw 23 touchdowns against three interceptions in the final 10 games. During the four-game winning streak that clinched the NFC East, he threw 12 touchdowns and one pick.
I suppose skeptics still exist, needing to see more than one exemplary season. They can point to fools’ gold such as Matt Cassel and wonder if Cousins fits the profile. Cassel was a New England backup for three years before Tom Brady went down with a season-ending injury in the 2008 opener.
Cassel threw for 3,693 yards and 21 touchdowns against 11 interceptions. The Patriots packaged him and linebacker Mike Vrabel in a trade with Kansas City, netting a second-round pick they used on defensive back Patrick Chung. Cassel was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2010 but has been overwhelming disappointing since he left New England. His career quarterback rating is 79.3, which ranks 70tth among passers with at least 1,500 attempts.
We could spend the rest of our lives trying to break the code for quarterback predictions, sorting the Cassels and Scott Mitchells from the Bradys and the Kurt Warners. The stakes are such that teams willingly spend multiple first-round picks to find “the one.”
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Posted on December 31st, 2015
By DERON SNYDER
Before we close the book on 2015 and ring in the new year, it’s time to check off some items on my “TIDU List” – Things I Don’t Understand:
*HOW JAY GRUDEN COULD TREAT THE DALLAS GAME LIKE THE FOURTH EXHIBITION.
“Rest the starters” sounds good when you’re playoff-bound with only an inconsequential regular-season finale ahead. But Gruden doesn’t have the ability to sit Washington’s first-stringers as if Sunday was the preseason finale. “There are only seven guys we can keep inactive,” he told reporters Wednesday. Besides, he’s wants to keep the momentum going.
Playing the Cowboys offers enough incentive to win, no matter who sits out.
*WHY ANYONE IS SURPRISED THAT ANOTHER SUITOR WENT AFTER AROLDIS CHAPMAN.
The NYC Council Speaker said she’s “very disturbed” by the Yankees’ acquisition of the All-Star closer under investigation for domestic violence. Melissa Mark-Viverito accused the team of “condoning this kind of violence,” allegations that Chapman assaulted his girlfriend and fired eight gunshots in his garage. The Nationals ended their pursuit in response.
The Yankees are just gracious, willing to build character in a 27-year-old with a 100 mph fastball.
*HOW CHIP KELLY WORE OUT HIS WELCOME IN PHILADELPHIA SO QUICKLY.
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Posted on December 29th, 2015
By DERON SNYDER
Being falsely accused can create a visceral feeling unlike any other, an instinctual reaction that roars the very moment untruths about you reach you. I can only imagine how much worse the experience is when you’re a public figure and falsehoods spread across the world in a matter of minutes.
From that day forward, your story includes an unwanted page. Subsequent proof that the allegations were bogus don’t rewind the tape or erase the memory. Over time, some folks grow fuzzy on whether claims were true. Others simply believe they were accurate, no matter how evidence to the contrary was presented.
Then there are those who never believe anything negative about a beloved celebrity. They contend that the women are lying, the police are crooked, the informants are untrustworthy, the prosecutors are biased or the sources have ulterior motives. To true believers, there’s always a good reason to discount damaging charges.
At least until an accused party drops his vehement defense and finally fesses up (see: Lance Armstrong).
The latest case in the court of public opinion is NFL legend Peyton Manning, who vehemently denies an Al Jazeera report that he used human growth hormone as part of his recovery from neck surgery in 2011. According to the weekend report, performance-enhancing drugs have been used by several other athletes, including Washington Nationals first baseman Ryan Zimmerman, but combined they don’t have the same cultural impact as an accusation against Manning.
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Posted on December 24th, 2015
By DERON SNYDER
The nation’s leading scorer in NCAA Division I men’s hoops plays in the hotbed affectionately known as “the DMV” (District-Maryland-Virginia), home to nearly a dozen programs in liberal definitions of “Washington area.”
But he doesn’t attend Maryland or Georgetown. He’s not at George Mason, American or George Washington. Stretching the boundaries south to schools like Virginia and Norfolk State, or north to Loyola and Towson, won’t lead you to him, either.
You’ll find junior James “J-Byrd” Daniel III and his 28.4 points-per-game average at Howard University, where coach Kevin Nickelberry recruited him to anchor a major rebuilding project.
Three years later, the Bison are on schedule. Their 16-16 record last season snapped a streak of seven consecutive 20-loss campaigns. Daniel scored a season-low 19 points in Tuesday night’s loss at Central Michigan, but Howard still has a winning mark at 7-6.
“Unfortunately for the last couple of games more of the load has been on James with so many guys out,” Nickelberry said, referring to injured starters James Miller and Marcel Boyd. Opponents can put more focus on Daniel, who scored 39 against William & Mary, 38 against Radford and 30 in the season-opener at UMass.
“It’s probably going to make him a little better,” Nickelberry said. “You watch him and think he’s senior, but he’s just 12 games into his junior year.”
Daniel, a wispy 5-foot-11, 165-pounder from Hampton, Va., made his presence known immediately by leading all Division I freshmen in scoring (21 ppg). His averaged dipped to 16.7 ppg as a sophomore, with his 3-point field-goal percentage falling precipitously, from .394 to .286.
He returned this year determined to improve his pull-up jumper and decision-making on the pick-and-roll. Nickelberry also wanted Daniel to use his speed and help the team play more up-tempo. More importantly, Daniel came back at all, instead of transferring for more publicity at bigger schools that were interested.
“It’s just the bond I have with the coaches and this team, “Daniel said. “I could tell we were going to have a good group if we stick together. I just really felt we could be special.”
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Posted on December 22nd, 2015
By DERON SNYDER
There is no dispute that the NFL employs double standards, inequities that have proven to be quite profitable. They cater to the majority of fans who prefer scintillating offense opposed to suffocating defense. The crowds gathered in stadiums, sports bars and living rooms want to see teams march down the field or cover it in huge chunks, via long, beautiful passes.
Quarterbacks are bubble-wrapped in protective measures to keep them upright and in throwing position. Linemen routinely get away with holding to give passers more time in the pocket. And wide receivers, who can run unencumbered after five yards, have mastered pick plays better than the Philadelphia Sixers.
Defensive players are in the way, bad guys out to spoil our enjoyment of exciting scoring plays. We don’t mind if they put up some resistance but eventually we want points hung on the scoreboard, preferably through highlight-worthy action that’s routine for players like Odell Beckham Jr.
The Giants’ second-year receiver is the youngest player to grace the cover of a Madden video game. It shows him making a spectacular, one-handed grab like the catch against Dallas that vaulted him to national acclaim last season. Beckham has been a huge star ever since, arguably the league’s most marketable non-quarterback. The numbers support his status as a premier target, especially compared to another high-profile receiver in the NFC East.
In 26 career games, Beckham has eclipsed 140 receiving yards nine times; the Cowboys’ Dez Bryant has surpassed 140 yards receiving eight times in 84 career games.
But regardless of Beckham’s – or any offensive star’s – value in attracting eyeballs, the NFL must look after all players’ safety, no matter which side they play. And I’m certain the outcome would’ve been different in Sunday’s New York-Carolina game if Josh Norman hit Beckham in the head instead of vice versa. There would’ve been an ejection.
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Posted on December 20th, 2015
By DERON SNYDER
LANDOVER, Md. – Prognostications aren’t worth much and you don’t have to be an “expert” to make one. That said, there were a couple of consensus thoughts regarding Washington as the NFL season began.
For starters, the team wasn’t expected to be very good. Most predictions fell between five and six wins. That forecast has proved a bit low after Sunday’s 35-25 victory against Buffalo. Washington improved to 7-7 and maintained its division lead in the NFC East. Shockingly, a win against Philadelphia on Saturday would clinch the title and ensure one more game this season at FedEx Field.
But the other thing most everyone agreed on was the question mark under center. The belief was any success surely would come on the strength of Alfred Morris and Matt Jones running behind an improved line coach by Bill Callahan. When Kirk Cousins supplanted Robert Griffin III at quarterback, conventional wisdom held that the less Washington relied on passing, the better the team would fare.
Nothing positive would result from Cousins throwing 30-plus times per game.
But as things have unfolded, that theory carried less weight than Dallas being a Super Bowl contender. It turns out that Washington can do just fine with Cousins slinging the ball. He threw for his sixth 300-yard game of the season Sunday (surprisingly, a team record), crisply leading the offense to touchdowns on its first three possessions.
“I don’t think anybody ever cringed when he dropped back, except maybe you guys,” defensive back DeAngelo Hall said, refuting a notion that early-season anxiety rose in direct proportion to Cousins’ pass attempts. “We have supreme confidence in him and feel like – with the weapons we have – we can be dangerous.
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Posted on December 17th, 2015
By DERON SNYDER
Wearing a black lace leotard and black stilettos, staring into the camera like the boss she is, Serena Williams sits on a throne with her legs to the side, the right one propped on the chair’s arm. That’s the fill-in-the-blank – powerful, provocative, puzzling, perturbing – Sports Illustrated cover photo that announced her as the magazine’s 2015 Sportsperson of the Year.
As with everything concerning Williams, this has caused a stir. End-of-year lists and rankings are natural starting points for conversation and debate. But most of the hullabaloo in this case arises because Williams elicits such strong feelings, positive and negative, among sports fans.
The other factor is SI listed a horse among 12 candidates in online balloting and the thoroughbred ran away with the readers’ vote.
Forty-seven percent of the voters selected Triple Crown-winner American Pharaoh as the one who “embodied the spirit of sportsmanship and achievement this year.” The Kansas City Royals came in second place with 29 percent of the vote, followed by soccer star Lionel Messi in third place with 6 percent of the vote. Williams was next-to-last with less than 1 percent of the vote; only track star Usain Bolt fared worse.
Horse lovers were furious. “Once again, Thoroughbred horse racing has been denied by mainstream sports media,” editor Brian Zipse wrote on the Horse Racing Nation blog. “Despite an overwhelming victory in the fan vote by American Pharaoh, maybe this sad announcement should come as no real surprise.”
What’s sad is the fact we’re having this discussion. American Pharaoh shouldn’t be in the mix for sportsperson of the year any more than, say, J.J. Watt should be a contender for horse of the year.
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Posted on December 15th, 2015
By DERON SNYDER
Those who dislike Cam Newton have their reasons. His bright-white smile – as flawless as the Carolina Panthers’ 13-0 record – is a good place to start.
Misery loves company and Newton clearly would ruin the best pity party. The quarterback’s effervescence as he runs roughshod over the league gets on some folks’ nerves. If his smile is “fake,” as was infamously alleged in a scouting report ahead of the 2011 draft, Newton should be up for an Oscar as well as the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award.
Then there are his touchdown celebrations. Calling them “dances” would be an injustice. They’re more like elaborate productions, some of which last 12 seconds, seemingly broken into stanzas. Even some fans who don’t have a problem with rump-shaking in the end zone might agree that Newton’s choreography can run a bit too long.
His college days also cause some resentment, especially among rabid fans of the Southeastern Conference, where football is king, emperor and grand pooh-bah. Newton spent two years as a little-used reserve at the University of Florida before allegations of theft accompanied his departure. He later transferred to Auburn University – about 110 miles south of Birmingham, Ala. – where he was investigated for receiving improper benefits but won the 2010 Heisman Trophy and led the Tigers to a national championship in his one and only season there.
At 26, he’s rich and famous, blessed with good looks, light feet and a rocket arm. His bookshelf contains an NFL Rookie of the Year trophy in addition to the Heisman. Talk that he might need room for an MVP trophy apparently is too much for some detractors, leading to a multitude of recent headlines like “Why Cam Newton Isn’t the NFL MVP” (Rolling Stone), “Cam Newton Isn’t the NFL MVP and it’s Not Even Close” (USA Today) and “Cam Newton Should Not be in MVP Discussion” (Sports Illustrated).
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