Thank You, John Riggins.

The latest chapter in the continuing soap opera that is the Washington Redskins pits Hall of Fame running back John Riggins against his former team, and specifically against owner Dan Snyder.  Riggins told Showtime's "Inside the NFL" that Snyder "is a bad guy" and that his "heart is dark".



Harsh words.  It's never easy to see anyone outside of Adolf Hitler to be called essentially evil - especially when you're discussing an entertainment product.  Football is a pastime... a luxury. Snyder is not a political dictator.  He owns a football team, and he hasn't broken any laws, as far as I can tell. 

But still, as a Redskins fan, I am heartened by Riggo's words - essentially because it ensures that the frustration of Redskins fans are being heard and felt in Ashburn.  It's bad enough that the Redskins stink on the field, but it's even worse that we rarely receive any sense of feedback from the team's management.  Dan Snyder simply does not acknowledge the fans who buy Redskins merchandise,  fill the seats at Fed Ex Field and watch his team on television.  John Riggins' voice is too big to ignore, and he knows that. 

And now,  the drama continues.  Assistant head coach Greg Blache showed up in the press room at Redskins Park yesterday and spent four minutes defending Dan Snyder and attacking Riggins for his comments.  You can see the video and read a transcript of those comments here.  Blache praised Dan Snyder for being a kind human being, and as someone who has done plenty of good deeds for Blache personally. 

I respect Blache for speaking up, but I don't think he's helping the boss' cause.  First of all, Blache is never ever going to win over Redskin Nation by attacking John Riggins.  That was a losing battle from the moment Blache opened his mouth. Blache's comments also failed to address many issues that directly relate to fans - from restricting tailgating, to lawsuits against season ticket holders, to banning fans from bringing signs to games, to barring TV stations from interviewing fans on Fed Ex Field property.   The Redskins have an awful relationship with their customers, and Blache's comments addressed none of that. 

Not that they should have.  It's not Blache's job to address the way the team does business off the field - But considering that Blache is the only person from the Redskins' management to speak out, his comments put a spotlight on the team's biggest public relations problem - a glaring lack of communications skills.

In speaking out, Blache broke his own self-imposed media blackout.  He decided a month ago that he was not going to speak with the media for the rest of the season - something that senior coaches are not allowed to do under NFL policy.  In fact, the Redskins had to get a waiver from the league to accomodate Blache. 

When Blache did speak with the media, he did not take any questions from reporters - a move that only served to weaken his statement.  If Blache's words can't stand up to the scrutiny of a few questions from the media, how valuable can they be? 

I hope Riggins continues to speak out.  At least to this Redskins fan, his words speak louder than the team's actions.

Just Kill Me Now.

I was trolling around the ESPN website this afternoon when I saw this headline:

RUMORS: Vick To WAS Gains Steam

It now looks like the Washington Redskins are in the market for former Falcons quarterback and current dog fighting felon Michael Vick. Just what the Redskins need. It's not enough that they have done everything they can to destroy the confidence of their incumbent starter Jason Campbell. They tried to land Jay Cutler from the Broncos, and that didn't work. They tried to trade up in the NFL draft to get QB Mark Sanchez from USC, and that didn't work. And now, they are apparently trying to get Michael Vick - a flashy convict who hasn't played football in two years, and who wasn't all that effective when he was playing! Even if they get him, I can guarantee you is isn't going to work.

Jason LaCanfora of the Washington Post writes in his Redskins Insider blog that a Vick/Skins marriage seems unlikely, because Vick couldn't possibly join the team until sometime in training camp, and because his skills and size don't match the needs of coach Jim Zorn's offense. I 'm sure LaCanfora's correct in his assessment, but the rules of common sense do not apply in fantasy football, and that's the game Dan Snyder is really playing. It's not the NFL... It's all a big fantasy!

Can you name me one big Dan Snyder move in the decade since he bought the Redskins that really worked out the way he hoped it would? Bruce Smith? Deion Sanders? Steve Spurrier (and his star QB's Shane Matthews and Danny Wuerfful in tow)? Even Joe Gibbs? No - you can't.

Snyder has already all but ensured that 2009 will be a disappointment once again for Redskins fans. Now, it's just becoming an embarrassment. It's tough to be a Redskins fan and to try and defend them to fans of other teams. My friends who root for the Eagles and the Cowboys and the Ravens always tend to look at me with a hint of pity on their faces when the Redskins come up.

Can we just skip ahead to 2010?

It's Not Easy Being A Redskins Fan.

Do you ever feel like you're being held hostage as a fan of your favorite sports team? I have been following the Washington Redskins since I was 10 years old, and I am not about to stop being a fan, either. But it's difficult sometimes when you know that the guy who owns the team is an idiot.

Dan Snyder is not only an idiot... He's the worst kind of idiot. He's the kind of idiot who thinks money can solve any problem, and despite the fact that he's spent the past decade being proven wrong, Snyder keeps coming back with more bad ideas.

The latest, of course, was his determination to land the newest, biggest name out there - Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler. Never mind the fact that Snyder's own coach has gone on record to say that Jason Campbell is his guy. Never mind the fact that Campbell's statistics were nearly identical to Cutler's last year, despite the fact that Campbell had to suffer nearly three times as many sacks. And never mind the fact that Cutler has proven himself to be a whiny player and bad teammate.

Dan Snyder has never ever been able to resist finding a new doodad or geegaw that was going to be the next, greatest, final piece of the puzzle that was going to lead the Redskins to the Super Bowl.

When is Snyder going to realize he doesn't have all of the answers? When is he going to learn to be patient enough to let the professionals run his team for him, and to let nature take its course.

By pursuing Jay Cutler, Snyder has now shown his hand. He does not believe in Jason Campbell. He does not believe in his coach, Jim Zorn. Both are now on the short leash and both will likely play out the next season waiting to be fired. That does not bode well for the Redskins' chances of succeeding in 2009, does it?

When Snyder was a young owner, he looked up to Jerry Jones as a mentor. The Cowboys owner had a real flair for marketing his team and keeping his profits out of the NFL's hands... and he was also a proven winner. The great combo of Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin gave the Cowpokes a pocketful of rings, and for a few years there, Jones made winning look easy. He didn't need a General Manager, and coaches were totally over-rated.

Then Jones lost his Hall of Fame players to retirement, and Barry Switzer turned out to be a bomb as a coach. And the Cowpokes have suddenly been without a playoff win in more than a decade. Hmm... Maybe Jerry Jones doesn't walk on water after all.

Well, neither does Dan Snyder. And who's paying the price for Snyder's ego, both literally and figuratively? Redskin fans.

I am not the most knowledgable of football fans. I'm not in any fantasy leagues. But memo to Dan Snyder - neither are you. This is the NFL - the big boy league.


And your diaper is FULL.

Hump Day Stuff!

I have a few odds and ends to discuss today... My schedule is a little whack because I'm working the full week, which really screws with my routine of writing for free! Therefore, just a few quick thoughts...

• It's a good thing President Obama banked a whole lot of positive love during the inauguration, because he's looking positively human this week! Obama is taking his punishment for picking top job nominees with shady tax problems like a man, but when he says "I screwed up", he's not merely falling on a sword. This mess IS his mess.


• Loudoun County is spending 250, 000 dollars over two years for the right to call itself the official home of the Washington Redskins. I love the Redskins, but if I lived in Loudoun, I'd be calling my lawmakers and demanding an eviction! Nothing against the team... but do you really think any local jurisdiction has that kind of $$$ to throw around these days?


• I gotta figure out a way to get a Metro to give ME money! Read this:

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Justice Department has settled a lawsuit accusing Washington's transit agency of religious discrimination.

The complaint filed in federal court accused Metro of discriminating against a woman of the Apostolic Pentecostal faith because she was unable to comply with Metro's uniform policy.

Gloria Jones said she wasn't hired as a bus driver because her religious beliefs prohibit her from wearing pants, which are part of the uniform.The Justice Department announced Tuesday that Metro has agreed to pay more than $47,000 to Jones and $2,500 each to two others who say Metro didn't accommodate their beliefs.

• And finally, Wells Fargo Bank has reluctantly cancelled a 12-night junket for its top employees in Las Vegas after lawmakers on Capitol Hill howled to the moon about it. Wells Fargo lost 2.3 billion dollars in the last quarter, but the funniest thing to me is that the bank tried initially to KEEP the trip. "Recognition events are still part of our culture," spokeswoman Melissa Murray said Tuesday afternoon. "It's really important that our team members are still valued and recognized."In previous years, top Wells Fargo loan officers were treated to performances by Cher, Jay Leno and Huey Lewis. One year, the company provided fortune tellers and offered camel rides, said Debra Rickard, a former Wells Fargo mortgage employee from Colorado who attended the events regularly until she left the company in 2004. Every night when employees returned to their rooms, there was a new gift on their pillows, she said. "I was amazed with just how lavish it was," Rickard said. "We stayed in top hotels, the entertainment was just unbelievable, and there were awards - you got plaques or trophies." Kevin Waetke, another spokesman for Wells Fargo, said the Las Vegas trip provided a "unique opportunity" for employees of Wells Fargo and newly acquired bank Wachovia Corp. "to focus on continuing to do all we can for U.S. homeowners."

I have an idea. I think I'm going to sue my Dad for failing to push me into the banking business when I was a child. How the heck did I miss out on this? Dad - expect to hear from my lawyer!

Monday Musings

Just a few random thoughts and news notes from over the weekend...

• If the Redskins don't get a pass rush, they might end the season 6 - 10.


• I have a small rant. I will admit up front I am a bit of a lead-footed driver, and I've written about that before, more than once. But why is it when motorists drive past speed cameras, they slow down below the speed limit? It drives me insane. People who are tooling along at 40 in a 35 mile-an-hour zone will slow down to 25, when they'd be perfectly fine if they had just stayed at 40. The law in Montgomery County states that the camera will be triggered only for drivers going 10 or more miles over the speed limit. As these cameras mature, you have to wonder how effective they are. Everyone knows where the cameras are, so one-block stretches of roadway are being protected. Beyond that - not so much.


• I filled up my minivan for 30 dollars yesterday at the Costco in Frederick, where the price for regular for $1.89 a gallon. I've been trying to remember the last time I paid this little for gas, and I just can't. I know this is a really bad indicator for the economy, but at the moment I just don't care. I can't wait to fill my Civic for less than 20 bucks! You can't help but wonder what shape the US auto industry would be in if this plunge had happened a year ago instead of now... But then again, if this had happened a year ago, a whole lot of things about the economy - and perhaps the outcome of the election - would have been different.

Finally - A video for you that harkens back to the days when jet fuel was cheap, but jet travel was not. A time before baggage fees and sardine class seating - when people would wear their Sunday best on planes, instead of their pajamas. It's Pan Am - 1958!

In Case Of Election Emergency, Watch This!

There's a mathematical chance that the winner of the popular vote in today's election will not win the electoral vote, and will therefore lose the election, just as Al Gore did to George W. Bush in 2000. If that happens in this year's election, please watch the following video before you light your torches. It explains how our nation works. Thank you - and please vote early and often!



Of course, none of this will really be necessary, because the Redskins election rule is in effect.

In the Redskins 76-year history, whenever the Skins win the game prior to election day, the party that currently holds the White House wins the presidential election. Whenever the Skins lose the pre-election game, the party NOT currently in the White House wins the election. This streak is 16 for 17, with the only exception being Dubya's victory over John Kerry four years ago. With the Redskins' loss to the Steelers last night, it ensures the streak will be back on track, and that Barack Obama will be elected our next President.

So there's no need for you to actually vote. Have a nice day.

Weekend News And Notes And Odds And Ends

...and knicks and knacks... Mutts and Jeffs... yins and yangs... salts and peppers... tweedledees and tweedledums... you get the idea.

We've been so focused lately on the big picture economic issues, with the Dow falling hundreds of points a day and whatnot. Well, I enjoyed two small picture economic victories over the weekend. We drove out to Frederick to go to Costco, hopeful of finding gas under three bucks a gallon, because Costco is always cheaper than conventional gas, and also because Frederick in general is about as cheap as it gets in Maryland for gasoline . (In addition, I always enjoy going to the Frederick Costco, because I can wave to my grandparents, who are buried at Mt. Olivet cemetary, just across the street!) When we arrived, traffic at Costco was spilling out onto the highway, because gas was going for $2.69 a gallon! How ironic is it that Detroit's Big Three automakers are now struggling to survive because the markets for SUVs and Big Trucks dried up when gas prices started to move towards four bucks a gallon?


Meanwhile, even though my garage shelves were already full of soda because of the great deal I found at Shoppers Food Warehouse ($1.99 a case for Diet Pepsi!), I could not resist going to Safeway on Saturday, where Pepsi 2-liter bottles were going for 59 cents! Do I have a life, or what? (Don't answer that question!)


On Saturday night (actually, on Friday, THEN Saturday night), Brad and I accompanied our friends, the Bernsteins to the Sherwood/Quince Orchard High School football game - a HUGE deal in our community because Sherwood has a long tradition as a Montgomery County football power and because Quince Orchard was ranked as the number one team in the DC area.

It's amazing just how much a sense of community there really IS at local high school football games... The stands were packed with parents, most of whom were wearing Sherwood gear, and many of whom seemed to be "regulars" at the games. My friend, Randy, has been going to Sherwood games for years, even when his kids weren't going to school there - and it's easy to see why. The atmosphere is electric... it's fun to see teenage hormones at play in the stands... and the football is not bad, either! Sherwood took an early two-touchdown lead, and held on with excellent defense to shutdown Q.O., 14 - 6, ending Quince Orchard's 20-game win streak!

Finally, I must mention that while I enjoyed watching the Redskins win a defensive battle over the Browns, for me the real joy of the NFL weekend was watching those no-account Cowboys choke like dogs to the Rams. The mainstream sports media have had a Barack Obama-like fascination with Dallas for years, and it's good to see their expectations fall back to earth. The Cowboys suck, and short of a major turnaround, they'll be watching the Skins in the playoffs instead of playing the Skins in the playoffs!

It's Christmas In October For Cowboy-Haters!

Following up on my previous post about the exciting NFL season, I just saw the happy happy news that the Dallas Cowboys have been dealt their fourth or fifth major setback of the week!

Cowboys cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones has been suspended by the NFL for AT LEAST four games, including Dallas' next game against the Redskins, as punishment for getting into a fight with one of his own bodyguards last week.

The Pacman drama adds to what has been a terrible time for the Cowpokes ever since they lost to the Redskins two weeks ago...

• Starting quarterback Tony Romo is going to miss the next 4 weeks with a broken pinkie.


• His replacement is former Redskin Brad Johnson. I like Johnson and I always have, ever since he was a Redskin. But Johnson is 40, and he doesn't have much of an arm anymore, which means Dallas' leading crybaby, Terrell Owens, is going to have plenty to whine about!


• Punter Mat McBriar, perhaps the best punter in football, is out for a couple of months with a broken foot.


• The Cowboys' other starting corner back, Terrence Newman, is out for another five weeks after surgery for a sports hernia, leaving two rookies to anchor a pass defense that was already shaky to begin with!

After being widely touted as the presumptive Super Bowl favorites, it looks like Dallas could be in danger of missing the playoffs altogether... As a lifelong Redskins fan, it doesn't get any better than that!

Tee Hee Hee!

Donovan McNabb Is A Whiny Crybaby Loser!

For those of you who don't follow football, it would behoove you to know that my beloved Washington Redskins came back from a 14-point deficit to beat the Philadelphia Eagles, 23 - 17 Sunday, giving the Redskins their 4th straight win, and the Eagles their second straight loss. The Redskins, at 4 - 1, are now in excellent position to make a run for the NFC East division title, while the Eagles, with a 2 -3 record, will have to struggle to even stay in the playoff hunt.

You would think these circumstances would generate some humility from Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb... But you'd be wrong. Speaking after the game, McNabb spoke about the Eagles' back-to-back losses to Chicago and Washington:

"I was embarrassed these last two weeks," he said. "I mean [to lose] to two teams we shouldn't have lost to. There is no way that you can look at this game and say that, and not taking anything away from them, but there is no way that this team is better than us."

Um, right.

At the risk of being dragged into some sort of bizarro Rush Limbaugh comparison, I will say this about Donovan McNabb. Any quarterback that can lead his team to four conference championship games and one Super Bowl appearance, as McNabb has, certainly has considerable skills. But none of those accomplishments have prevented Donovan McNabb from being a LOSER.

Donovan, your team is a big disappointment, and all you have accomplished is to give the Redskins fodder to gear themselves up for your next game against them.

Classless hack.