Rich Tandler's Real Redskins

Jenkins: Blame at the top

I don't know if Sally Jenkins is getting smarter or if my own views are coming into line with hers. In any case, up until about a year ago virtually any column she wrote would be panned in this space for containing misinformed opinions. Lately, though, her contributions to Redskins thought have been right on target, none more so than her column this morning. There isn't much to add to it, just go over and read it. The whole thing is on the money here's the key quote:

For a decade now, Daniel Snyder has made an utter mess of the team, and yet he seldom, if ever, takes responsibility for it. He operates from behind a phalanx of security, proxies and media managers, routinely declining to comment and be accountable. He wants all the fun when they win and none of the blame when they lose. The most damning anecdote I've heard yet about Snyder came this week from his former player-confidante LaVar Arrington, who described how Snyder would stand outside the locker room and shake hands with players when they won, but glared and declined to offer a hand when they lost.

Kudos to Jenkins for nailing it.

Ticket rage

The Washington Post obviously is very anxious to create a buzz about their multi-part series about issues within the Redskins ticket office. When I awoke this morning there I had an email in my box giving the outline of the initial installment of the series and a link to the story. In the first few paragraphs we were led to believe that the throng of Steeler fans that were in full throat at last year's Monday night game happened due to the fact that the Redskins sold general admission tickets directly to brokers. Later in the story, we find out that 443 tickets to that game were sold to brokers. That's not good, but it certainly doesn't account for Steeler Nation disrupting the Redskins' offensive play calling. Many, many more tickets than that were sold to Steeler fans. I think that there were 443 of them tailgating in the spaces immediately adjacent to mine in the Green Lot. But, hey, good bit of investigation there, WaPo, for uncovering that broker deal. Oh, wait, you didn't uncover it? The Redskins themselves did? And they stopped it? And the disciplined the employees involved? All by themselves? Like I said, what happened clearly was wrong. Apparently, anxious to sell some club seats, some in the ticket office packaged up some premium seats with some lower-bowl general admission seats. The former are available to anyone who calls up the ticket office and want them, the latter are supposed to go to people on the season ticket waiting list (or to upper deck ticket holders as an upgrade with the vacated nosebleeds to people on the list). The Redskins uncovered all of this last spring and disciplined the associates involved in an unspecified manner. This is wrong on many levels but it also was a violation of team policy. Judging from Twitter and some message boards there is some inclination out there to go after Dan Snyder with torches and pitchforks. There is no reason to think that Snyder had anything to do with this. Are you going to go after Snyder if the beer guy short changes you? Tomorrow's story in the Post will deal with something with which Snyder probably is more familiar. In order to get the premium seats you have to sign a contract. You can't buy them for just a year. The contracts are for from six to 10 years. Since 2005, according to the Post, the Redskins have filed 137 lawsuits in an attempt to prevent premium ticket holders (club seats and suites) from breaking their contracts. The angle, of course, is that the mean old Redskins are picking on individuals and struggling companies by forcing them to honor contracts that they signed. Certainly one would think that the Redskins could grant some leeway in these tough economic times. And it's possible that they do. According to a statement that they sent out this afternoon in anticipation of the Post's coming story, they first attempt to negotiate a compromise with the party wanting to break the deal. For every lawsuit filed they say "dozens" of successful negotiations have resulted in companies and individuals being able to get out of their agreements. I hope that the Post story on Thursday offers up some key bits of information about these lawsuits. Among the things I would need to know before either condemning the Redskins or taking up for them are:

• What do other NFL teams do in such situations? I'm sure that the Redskins aren't the only team with such issues. What do Jerry Jones and Robert Kraft do when someone wants out of a premium seat deal?
• This would require a legal opinion but I'd like to find out if what happens to future cases if you give someone a pass. In the story there is an account of one club ticket holder who wanted to get out a few years early and was sued by the team. If the team had just let this guy go, would that establish a precedent that would make it difficult for them to go after, say, a corporation with five years and a million dollars left on a deal for a suite?
• Was that one club seat holder offered a compromise? What were the terms of the compromise offered?

I guess when someone wants to break a contract with the Washington Post corporation they are perfectly free to do so. I also suppose that I'm going to be called a Snyder apologist by some. Sorry, but there is plenty to dislike about Snyder without piling on with stuff like this. I'd rather have all of the facts before I make a judgement. Update: TV station USA 9 reports that on his radio show, LaVar Arrington has said that Snyder "had to know" about the ticket sales because he is a "tyrant". Now let's see, Arrington is an unbiased source since he has no ax to grind with Snyder, right?

Skins-Steelers: No reason to get wee-weed up

[caption id="attachment_1459" align="aligncenter" width="256" caption="It doesn't look like Daniel jumped over Brennan"][/caption]

• There's no reason to get, in the words of our President, all wee-weed up over Jason Campbell going one for seven for 10 yards passing. I hate to break this to you but there will be a few games this season that he goes one for seven in the first few series. He then will find his rhythm and start completing passes. To be sure, there will be reason to be concerned if he comes out of the New England game with a passer rating that's not much higher than his jersey number.
• I appreciate all of the Colt Brennan fans that read this blog but I'm afraid I have done him and those fans a great disservice. The Cult of Colt was starting to reel me in and I started to sing his praises. That's frequently is the kiss of death. If you live by the star performance against the third team in the preseason then you die by poor performance in the same situation. That being said and despite Chase Daniel's good game, I still think that there's no question that Brennan makes the team. Daniel is practice squad bound at best. At the same time, let's cool the talk about Colt being ready to step in as the starter or even to challenge Todd Collins for the backup role.
• The Redskins' backup left tackle for the season may not yet be on the roster. Devin Clark was shaky there last week against the Ravens' scrubs. With Clark out with a knee problem Jeremy Bridges played left tackle for the last three quarters of the game. Although the offense went fairly well, Bridges got whipped a few times. Here's what John Keim said about his performance:

Bridges is a bad tackle. No other way to say it. He needs to be a guard, as we've said since, oh, the first day of camp. He let a linebacker slap him to the outside and get inside of him. Bridges does not redirect well; his feet were planted in cement. Another time the end destroyed Bridges, driving him back deep into the backfield.

• The annual call for Marcus Mason to make the roster has begun. I think he runs pretty well but to be a backup running back you have to be able to play special teams. That's why Rock Cartwright is safe and Mason will struggle to find a spot on the final roster.
• Speaking of teams, they weren't very special at all, especially on kick returns. I thought that the fact that other teams can't use a wedge was going to cut down on long returns. Somebody forgot to tell the Steelers that.
• I don't know where Thomas Boswell gets his typical sampling of the feelings of Redskins fans, but it's not from anyplace that I hang out. In his column about the football game (did he miss a turn while trying to get to Nationals Park last night?) he warns Redskins fans not to get too giddy over last night's game. Here's what he said about the most skeptical fan base in the NFL:

The most perilous word, when it comes to Redskin Universe ("nation" isn't big enough) is the word "good" and all the variations that can be played on it: very good, playoff good and, most lethal of all, Super Bowl-good. As soon as the Redskins do anything that incites the faithful to use superlatives, or even think such thoughts in the solitude of their burgundy-and-gold basement lairs (been there), the mischief starts all over again. As the Redskins and their fans start their annual pursuit of NFL Nirvana, it's essential to hold one thought in mind, annoying and antisocial as it seems: The Redskins are not very good.

Certainly, most around town will be happy if the Redskins get off to a hot start again. People were excited last year when the Redskins were 6-2 but I don't think that many non-refundable deposits for Super Bowl trips were lost. There was a healthy dose of skepticism present along with the giddiness.

• I didn't know that there was a post office at FedEx Field but there must be since it's apparent that Mike Wise mailed in his column from there last night. First he wonders why he wasted time going to the game which immediately makes the reader wonder why he wasted the time to read a column with a picture of Wise at the top. He then goes on to deliver an "indictment" of Redskins fans for finding something better to do on a Saturday night than sit in the rain and watch a scrimmage that counts for nothing. Sure, Steeler fans are more loyal; two Super Bowl wins in four years will do that to a fan base. I don't recall a huge presence of black jerseys the last time the Steelers were in for a preseason game, in 2005. Do you think that maybe the fact that Pittsburgh hadn't won a Super Bowl since that 1979 season had anything to do with that?