Not Time for Favre or Green Bay to Go Crazy

This weekend, Brett Favre will yet again play at Lambeau Field, but for the first time ever, it will not be for the Green Bay Packers. Instead he will be playing for the hated rival Minnesota Vikings. In the years since Favre's leaving Green bay, tensions between the fans and Favre have grown. Now with Favre coming to their home turf, it's important for both parties to realize this shouldn't be about revenge.

No one feels stronger about team loyalty than I do. Hell, I still cheer for the Redskins, but some Green Bay fans are going overboard. When the Packers went to Minnesota to face Favre, a bonfire was proposed in Green Bay so people could bring their Favre jerseys and burn them before the game. A fire marshall eventually ended this idea and only a single jersey was burned. People should count their blessings. They do realize Favre is going to the hall of fame don't they? Years from now they would have looked back and asked themselves what they were thinking. Yes, Brett Favre left your team and now plays for your rival, but one season (which will probably be all Favre has left in the tank), regardless of what he does with the Vikings, will not replace the 16 seasons, 2 NFC championships, and one Super Bowl championship he brought to your team. Rivalries are part of what makes sports fun, so its ok to boo and to make fun, and tape other names over your jerseys, but it doesn't mean you should burn all your soon-to-be-valuable jerseys in a bonfire.

Granted, Favre isn't free from blame in all of this. After refusing to mentor Aaron Rodgers, Favre then contemplated retirement every year leaving the future of the team in doubt. At some point, he forgot that the Packers needed to do what was best for the Packers, not what was best for him. They got impatient with him and eventually he was told to get lost. Green Bay could have handled this better, but essentially they were in the right. You can't go into every single offseason wondering who your quarterback will be, especially when they had a very competent back up to replace him. Did he go to Minnesota to stick it to the Packers? No. He couldn't last year because the Packers refused to trade him to any team that they would face that season, but Favre always was thinking of going to the Vikings who have a very similar offensive playbook. It made a lot of sense for him. But I don't think he realized what this would do to his legacy. Screwing the Packers and then playing for their rivals has not won him many friends amongst the Green Bay fan base. He may be surprised by just how loud the boos are when he steps onto the field.

Wizards Show It's Not a Rebuilding Year, Adjust Expectations Accordingly

The Washington Wizards opened the 2009-10 season on the road with a 102-91 win over the Dallas Mavericks. Arenas had 29 points and nine assists in his long awaited return to action. Not only were his stats good, he looked good. He felt so good he didn't even wear a brace and said afterwards that he felt fine. Starting with a road win against a Dallas team that is hoping to compete in the west is a great way to start the season. This means the expectations for this team are about to sky rocket.

With Gilbert Arenas in the line up, the Wizards have proven themselves to be competitive. The problem is, he's never in. After playing a grand total of 15 games in the last two season combined, the Wizards saw themselves plummet in the standings finishing with a 19-63 record tying a franchise record for worst season. For a team to finish so low last season, why would expectations be so high? Arenas' "healthy" knee is one reason. For a player being paid hundreds of millions of dollars who has not really played for two years, there is pressure for him to perform. If he so much as stubs his toe, people may be questioning whether he can lead this team in the future. No point in paying a player that much money if you can never rely on him to play.

Pressure will also be high because of offseason moves. The Wizards traded their number five pick to the Timberwolves for Randy Foye and Mike Miller. This is not the kind of move a rebuilding team makes. It is clear the Wizards were setting up for a competitive 2009-10 campaign by building a team around their star player who they assumed would be healthy this year. Because of this, they don't get a pass that rebuilding teams usually enjoy. Look at the LA Clippers. Nobody expects much from them this season, but things are different for the Wizards.

While the Wizards may have only won one game, it already justifies some of the growing expectations for the Arenas led Wizards heading into a brand new season.

Zorn the Coach of the Future?

On Friday, Redskins' Vice President Vinny Cerrato announced on ESPN980 radio that "Jim Zorn is the head coach of the Washington Redskins and will be for the rest of this season, and hopefully into the future." This caused quite a stir among analysts many of whom declared this to be a strong vote of confidence for the organization and said it answered all questions for now. While it almost certainly guarantees that Zorn will remain the coach for the rest of the season, this was in not any kind of endorsement for the coach. Don't be fooled, Snyder will still be looking for blood come season's end.

There can be no doubt that Jim Zorn will be looking for a new job in the off season. The Redskins finished only 8-8 last season and have fallen to 2-4 this season by losing to three of the worst teams in the league. While Carolina has won one more game, Detroit and Kansas City have yet to beat any other team. The Redskins only two wins have come against the winless Buccaneers and Rams. While the offensive line is atrocious, this team has enough talent to challenge for a wild card spot, making their record that much more discouraging. This type of performance would be unacceptable in any city, except maybe Detroit, and with Daniel Snyder calling the shots, you can be sure he's not going to forgive and forget.

The Redskins' organization has shown how much trust they have in Zorn with the announcement earlier in the week that Sherman Lewis would be calling the plays from now on. As Zorn was brought in originally as the offensive coordinator, taking away play calling shows that the organization no longer trusts in his abilities. There have also been some unconfirmed reports that Snyder would have made the announcement himself but that he was worried that if he took any questions he would not be able to hold his tongue. Doesn't sound like a vote of confidence to me.

So why keep Zorn for the rest of the season or make any announcement at all? Thinking about it, it makes a lot of sense to keep Zorn. Rarely is an interim coach able to salvage a team's season in the NFL. It's extremely difficult to instill a new system mid season or dramatically change the play calls. While it is unlikely that the Redskins will be able to do anything this season, it's not really in Snyder's character to throw in the towel. Then, there is always the possibility that the interim does ok. If the Redskins were to fire Zorn after the Philadelphia game and the interim coach manages to go 4-5 in the remaining games this season, there may be pressure to remove the interim tag, allow him to build his own system and have a chance to lead this team. With numerous head coaching candidates available in the off season, why put yourself in this position and most likely resign yourself to another two mediocre seasons? Also, there is not a player revolt in the locker room. For bad teams, there may be mounting tensions in the locker room between the players and coaching staff. This is not the case in DC. Many of the players, in fact, have come out in support of Zorn.

So while the Redskins may not trust Zorn, they gain nothing by firing him midseason. The "vote of confidence" was still necessary, however, to end the questions. Snyder does not want a 2-12 season, but it's hard for Zorn and the players to think about football when they face questions about the coach everyday. As far the "future" statement by Cerrato, he was being political. It wouldn't have been much of a statement had he said, "Zorn is the coach for the rest of the season, but then we'll have to see." Let Zorn play out the rest of the season and try to salvage the team, then start over next season. Don't be fooled by Cerrato because the Redskins will have a new head coach in 2010.

Hail to the Racially and Ethnically Diverse People?

Hail Victory!
Diplomats on the path to negotiation!
Compromise for Old DC!

Doesn't have the same ring to it as the Skins original fight song does it? Well it does to many people. It's no secret that the Redskins have once again been dragged into court over their name, but the controversy even goes to Chief Zee. You've probably seen him, he has become the unofficial mascot of the team, showing up in his red jacket and Indian headdress. While many love to see the guy cheer on his team, others find it terrible. The Washington Post published an article yesterday written by Courtland Milloy about Chief Zee. In it, Milloy claims that the Redskins need to retire Zee. He claims that "Having a black man hobbling around on national TV in an Indian costume trivializes both of America's original sins-- the enslavement of Africans and the genocide of indigenous peoples." In his desperate attempt to be politically correct, Milloy has one very important fact. Chief Zee is the unofficial mascot. Why is he unofficial? Because he does this on his own. He goes to games dressed like this to support his team and eventually the Redskins recognized him because he has become a symbol for all Redskin fans. Why does he continue to do this...hmmm...let me think.....BECAUSE HE WANTS TO! The article even quotes Chief Zee as he says "I'm leaning towards retirement, but I'm going to wait until the Redskins win another Super Bowl." Sound like a pitiful old man being unfairly marched around by an evil organization? Not to me. It sounds to me like a guy who wants to continue to support his team. How can you sit there and claim this is racist against African Americans when this poor guy is doing it BECAUSE HE WANTS TO? Yes, he's old. So what? Are old people not allowed to publicly support their team? Ok, old people are no longer allowed outside because some may interpret them as a sign of racial weakness. Give me a break.

The fact that Milloy has a paying job while I'm unemployed isn't all that bothers me, it's the whole debate over the "offensive" team names and mascots. Sometimes people are just looking for things to be offended about. The Redskins, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Cleveland Indians, the Atlanta Braves, the Florida State Seminoles, the Fighting Illini, the William and Mary Tribe, all have names that people complain about. Do these names really trivialize Native Americans? No, they don't. And you can bring up all sorts of people who are offended and people who are upset, but I don't care. If you are offended, it's because you want to be and because you aren't looking at this the right way.

Look at Notre Dame. I have no reason to like them or follow them. I know very few people who have gone there and I've never been to South Bend. Why do I follow Notre Dame? Why do I cheer for them? Because I'm Irish. There are numerous legends for the origin of the nickname, but what we do know for certain is that Irish people in the early 1900s found the team to be a source of inspiration and rallied around them. The fanatical devotion to Notre Dame football started because people saw a win as a win for all Irish. Think that Notre Dame is a totally different matter? Look at the often criticized Cleveland Indian's mascot and then look at the little fighting Irishman. Either could be seen as offensive, but only one is because only one is a hot topic for people who love to be politically correct. One could choose to be offended by Notre Dame or one could use it as a source of inspiration. I'm a lot happier cheering the Irish on instead of being upset by them and trying to end their great tradition.

These teams do not trivialize Native Americans but bring awareness of them. Without them, I would have no idea what a Seminole is or know anything about the Illini. As for Chief Zee, maybe Milloy should be the one to tell him, to his face, that he is an embarrassment to his race and his team and that he no longer should be allowed to publicly cheer his team on. See what he says. But while Chief Zee is still on the field with the team, I'm still going to cheer for him.

Campbell Still the Starter, But How Much Longer?

Jim Zorn has officially announced that Jason Campbell will start against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football. Campbell was benched to thunderous applause during last week's game against the Chiefs after completing only 9 passes for 89 yards in the first half. Campbell was drafted in 2005 with the hope that he would soon breakout and establish himself as a premiere NFL quarterback. He has thus far failed to do so. With the Redskins poised to rebuild at the end of the season, Campbell needs to give the team and the fans some reason to believe in his ability. With the state of the team, however, that ship may have already sailed.

Campbell was brought in to be the future quarterback of the Redskins. In 2006, he took over the team starting in seven games. He threw 10 TDs and 6 INTs. Not bad numbers for his first real season. In 2007, Campbell failed to really inspire with 12 TDs and 11 INTs. He also fumbled the ball 13 times, turning the ball over 8 of those times. While the Redskins did in fact make the playoffs that year, Campbell missed the last three games and the playoff loss to Seattle with an injury. The team's success that season really wasn't attributed to Campbell. In order to help Campbell develop, the Redskins hired Jim Zorn as offensive coordinator after Joe Gibbs retired. Zorn had helped Matt Hasselbeck develop and the team hoped Zorn would help Campbell breakout in the 2008 season. The season started off very well as Campbell was solid setting a franchise record for most consecutive passes without an interception and the team went 6-2. The Redskins then tapered off finishing 8-8. Despite the great start Campbell finished with 13 TDs, 6 INTs, and 7 fumbles. Now six games into the 2009 season, Campbell has 6 TDs, 6 INTs, and 8 fumbles. Hardly the numbers expected of him in his fourth season as a starter.

Clearly, you can't blame all of the Redskins' problems on Campbell. The offensive line is a joke offering him little protection. Still, 8 fumbles is too many, even if only 2 of them have been lost. Fumbles have been a problem his entire career and he is on track for over 20 fumbles on the season. As a quarterback, he has to have better vision and be able to escape the pocket. He was a fairly mobile quarterback at Auburn, but seems to have lost that ability in the NFL. While Zorn has proven he can't really coach, or call offensive plays, he still is a proven quarterbacks coach. Yet, he has not been able to do anything with Campbell. Campbell's stats have not been terrible, but he has not come close to the expectations the organization had when they drafted him. So far this season, Campbell is ranked 17th in passing yards, 18th in passing TDs, and 26th in INTs. Complain about the offensive line all you want, but Campbell has been sacked as many times as Brett Favre this season and less times then Ben Rothlisberger and Aaron Rodgers. The simple fact is that the great quarterbacks in the NFL find a way to get the ball to their receivers and Campbell certainly has plenty to choose from. He was not drafted to be a middle of the pack quarterback and yet that is what he is.

Some people may cut him some slack because of the new offense Zorn brought with him. While he did in fact struggle to learn the West coast offense, Campbell has been much worse in Zorn's second season than he was last year. Even if you are willing to give Campbell a pass you are resigning yourself to another full season. Why? Everyone knows that Zorn will not be the head coach next season. Now Campbell has a whole new offense to learn. Do we then give him another 2 years? If the Redskins do decide to give Campbell another shot, they can't grab another quarterback in the offseason just in case. After Campbell's reaction to the team's attempts to acquire Jay Cutler and Mark Sanchez, it's clear that another quarterback hunt would be the end of Campbell's career in Washington. Sticking with him is an all or nothing gamble. How long are the Redskins willing to settle for a mediocre quarterback before they realize the experiment has failed? If Campbell still wants to wear maroon and gold next season, then he has 10 more games to prove he can do so. Otherwise, you can add quarterback to the long list of problems the Redskins need to fix in the offseason.

The BCS: A Big Crappy System

Midway through the college football system, the debate over who should be ranked where, who will get snubbed, and who's overrated has already begun. Boise State and Cincinnati may both go undefeated and neither will probably receive a bid for the National Championship. There is a debate over whether Alabama or Florida is really the number one team. Texas beat Oklahoma this past weekend, but that can hardly feel reassuring since Texas won last year as well, but Oklahoma was the team to receive a bid for the national title. While the unpredictability of this system may make it intriguing to the fans, there is always a good percentage who feel slighted at the end of the season. Despite the desire of...well, everyone that the system be changed, the people who run the BCS remain maddeningly stubborn.

The current system chooses ten teams to compete in the five BCS bowl games at the end of the season (the Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Rose Bowl, and the National Championship Game). The top two ranked teams in the BCS standings receive bids for the national championship. Conference winners of the ACC, Big East, Big 10, Big 12, Pac 10, and SEC receive automatic bids. Non BCS teams receive an automatic bid if they are ranked in the top 12, but if there is more than one in the top 12, only one is given an automatic bid. Notre Dame receives an automatic bid if it is ranked in the top eight. At large bids are given to fill the remaining slots with various rules as to who can be picked.

You're probably asking yourself the obvious question, why no playoffs? Since pretty much every sport has a playoff why not college football? College football was very popular in the early 1900s. The travel costs and time of a playoff system were just not feasible at that time, leading to the creation of a bowl system in 1902. This system has been changed and modified into what we have today. Certainly the creation of a bowl system made sense in 1902 and the system is very unique. Logically, it also makes some sense. The two best teams play in the championship, the winners of the toughest conferences play in the subsequent bowl games and only other teams that have proven they are good enough are given at large bids. The system, however, has glaring problems that have been exposed repeatedly year after year.

In 2004 USC, Oklahoma, and Auburn all finished the season undefeated. As Auburn was ranked number three, they were snubbed. In 2007 Missouri beat Kansas and received the chance to play for the Big 12 championship. Missouri was beaten while Kansas watched from home. Kansas received an at large bid to the Orange Bowl while Missouri was not invited to a BCS bowl. I guess it would have been better for Missouri to lose to Kansas. That wasn't the only problem that year. Virginia Tech and LSU earned bids for the ACC title game and SEC title game respectively. Viginia Tech was ranked higher than LSU, beat a higher ranked team than LSU and by more points. LSU was given a national title bid over Virginia Tech, however, because LSU had beaten Tech earlier that season showing just how arbitrary the system really is. I could go on and on. Who will be snubbed this year? I guarantee someone will walk away from this season upset with the BCS.

It's time for a change in the system. Look at any league with a playoff system. Do any teams complain about who receives a playoff bid? No. Spots are earned by very clear rules, not arbitrary rankings. Now everyone and their mother seems to have their own idea for how the system should change. Probably any one of those systems is better than what they have now. The BCS, however, is dragging their feet. Despite the fact that EVERYBODY hates the system, they have made it clear that while the bowl games continue to bring in so much money, they will not change the system. It seems unlikely that this will ever change. In situations such as these, something dramatic has to happen to force their hand. Despite the numerous problems of every single season the system remains in place. Despite how unpopular the system is with everyone the system remains in place. If the BCS hasn't felt forced to change thus far, I doubt they ever will. We will just have to keep our fingers crossed that one day they will see the light.

Frustration for the Fans, but will Snyder Listen?

As fans emptied out of FedEx Field yesterday, frustration seemed to be running high. Fans booed the team, shouted at various players, chanted for Bill Cowher, and shuffled out with their heads down. Fans were downright disgusted not only by the fact that the Redskins lost to yet another winless team, but by just how embarrassing they looked. They failed to score a single touchdown and managed only two field goals against the 29th ranked defense in the league. Trailing by three with only about three minutes left to go, the Redskins went three and out and punted the ball. With three timeouts remaining, the Redskins still had an opportunity of they could hold the Chiefs to three and out. They failed and allowed the Chiefs to add another field goal to their lead. Still with a chance, the Redskins took the kickoff and immediately were flagged for an illegal block in the back. On the first offensive play of the drive, Todd Collins was sacked in the endzone giving the Chiefs a safety. Eager to get one more bad play in, the Redskins attempted an onside kick after the safety, but did not kick the ball 10 yards to the waiting players from both teams, but rather 20 yards behind the line where the Redskins had no chance of recovering the ball.

The embarrassing play in yesterday's loss can be added to the list of reasons why fans are so upset. I wonder if Snyder knows exactly why the fans are so frustrated. No doubt he hears the boos and thinks he knows the problem. He will respond by firing Jim Zorn, during the offseason at the latest, bring in a whole new coaching staff, open his deep pockets to bring in the most expensive and therefore best players and build what he hopes will be a winning team. Once the Skins are good again, all the boos will end and the fans will be happy once again. While it is true that winning can fix most problems, what Snyder continually fails to realize is that the fans are fed up with him more than with losing.

As the fans filed out of FedEx Field, the boos and chants were not just for Zorn, or for the terrible team performance. People were shouting at Snyder too, demanding him to sell the team, yelling that we deserve better. This is not just about winning or being the second highest profitable team in the NFL, it is about the fans. Because of Snyder, buses are no longer available to drive the fans from metro stops. Instead they must take the 45 minute walk to the stadium (yes, it took 45 minutes for me to walk there yesterday). He said it was because he was trying to go green. He has restricted tailgaters for seemingly no reason. Prices at the concession stand are unbelievably obscene. Snyder has even gone so far as to deny lids for drinks, no doubt in an attempt to save money and in the hope that someone will spill and have to buy another. He has sued his own season ticket holders who in this rough economy cannot afford to pay for those tickets. The team responded to this criticism by saying that it is a common practice in the NFL, but other teams stepped forward to say that this does not happen elsewhere.

Snyder may be telling himself that the fans are booing because the team is losing and that winning solves all problems, but is he listening to the boos and the shouts? If he was, he'd know the fans want respect. They want an owner who will care more about their needs then penny-pinching. Ultimately, we don't care if the team's profit margin is 2nd or 10th or 20th. While he lines his pockets with our money, our team and the trip to FedEx Field continually gets worse. Why should fans go see the Redskins? The team is terrible and will always be as long as Snyder refuses to give his coaches control of the team. Going to games is becoming increasingly expensive with ticket prices and concessions. Why go see your team beat up for hundreds of dollars?

So the only question I have for Daniel Snyder is, are you listening?