1907

Rumors out of Cleveland are that Dorsey also will be out as GM today. It never ends.
Edit: Rumors confirmed. I need a drink.

1908

Well, Dorsey hired Kitchens, right? Along with a lot of other pretty terrible decisions. That doesn’t really seem that surprising.

1909

Frankly, the Cleveland owner should just list the team on Ebay, or Craigslist. Surely SOMEBODY could do a better job.

1910

I don’t disagree. It’s that here we are starting over for the umpteenth time. . . . .

1911

I really admire Arthur Blank for sticking with his staff for another year. He understands the value of continuity and recognizes how much they improved after an awful start.

1912

The current ridiculously hot takes up here are around Jerreh trading for Zimmer and the Vikings promoting Stefanski to HC.

I mean, fuck it, it’d be entertaining!

1913

I genuinely feel for you. Cleveland has deserved better than they’ve gotten out of Haslam, and frankly out of their entire front office and coaching staff. Well, and their QBs. Well, and certain defensive line players.

Until I typed that, I’d never really thought how really deep the dysfunction went. I mean damn, there are bad teams like the Dolphins, etc., but they’re just bad teams. Not like Trent Richardson/Manziel/picking Baker first in the draft bad. I mean, Baker may end up playing well, who knows, but he just kind of continues that line of “What the fuck were you thinking, this guy is an asshole” picks that the Browns have made for so long.

1914

I used to mark on my calendar when to change my furnace filter. Now I just do it when the Browns change head coaches.

1915

True. Atlanta managed to turn it around or Dan Quinn probably would be unemployed.

1916

Pass interference is the most obtuse rule in all of professional sports. You’ll get more consistency at the roulette table than referees deciding what’s PI…

1917

When looking back at so many obviously bad calls one has to wonder…

As he says, they moved from the players themselves on to the referees/umpires who are much more vulnerable based on their salaries, yet have a lot of leeway to affect the outcome of a game.

1918

I have no doubt that “bought refs” are a lot more common than people imagine. There are a number of calls that are rather subjective, which can change a game dramatically. For example you can call holding on almost any play. A well timed holding call can kill a drive, a couple of them could easily alter a game’s outcome.

1919

With gambling going so mainstream it seems like it’s only going to get worse.

1920

So my second teams coach is now at my first team (Ron Rivera picked up by the Redskins.) Jack del Rio is DC. GM Bruce Allen is fired like the piece of shit should have been a long time ago.

Is this real life? I have high hopes we will win at LEAST 4 games next year. I’m putting it out there right now. O.25 season or bust!

1921

So one of the bigger questions with the Redskins is will Alex Smith try to come back?

1922

He says yes, but it’s still open if you ask me. He’s on contract though, so I’m assuming yes on the roster slot. As for starter, who knows. Like everything else with the team, it’s a shit show. Heres hoping riverboat Ron will calm that shit down and bring crappy normalcy, if only that.

1923

Haskins seems raw still. Keenum has a modest ceiling. Alex Smith if he could play like the old Alex Smith would be the best QB. Can he play like that? Part of his game was being able to tuck it and run now and then, and use his good athleticism to avoid pressure.

If I was Smith I might continue to rehab and show up for training camp, and then see if I could negotiate a settlement to my contract and walk away, knowing that still being able to walk without a cane is my future.

1924

He sat up in the box with Dan Snyder this year. Very non-player-like in action, IMHO. I’m not sure what that means, either he’s trying to keep pertinent as a player, or as something else. Either way, I don’t care if you’re on IR, you are with the team when they play. I’ve seen Ron do that with players in Carolina, and I’m sure he will stomp that crap down up there, or at least I hope he will. Then again, as a Redskins fan I’ve seen coaches come and go and Dan allow whatever he wants to happen, player-wise or otherwise.

Besides being a crappy owner, it’s his constant meddling with the front office, coaches and players that highlights why the team has been dysfunctional in the first place. Again, my opinion. And I’m not sure a strong coach will be able to overcome that. Despite the record, I have zero issues with Ron Rivera as a coach. He’s good, he’s a strong influence on the players and a coach that means business. I’ve seen that here in Charlotte. Despite the firing he is WELL respected here. He’s also WELL respected by the players and known for running a tight ship. It’s what the Redskins need, the issue is if Snyder will get out of the way to let that happen. The only thing that makes me think, yes, is that he fired Bruce Allen. It’s a small sliver of hope I’m holding on to.

1925

That is strange for a player to do. Most will stay down on the field. Leaving the field is like retiring.

1926

Well after saying that, I KNOW I saw it but can’t find when/where he did it. Perhaps it was a one-off game and my hate on isn’t applicable. He’s been out for over a year now, November 2018.

If he does return, the starter will still be up in the air. That’s a very long recovery.

EDIT:

Aha, found it:

There was a time when Smith wasn’t even medically cleared to stand on the sideline this season, but as his health improved, he began to make more public appearances with Snyder on the sideline and in the owner’s box at FedEx Field. Rumors of Smith potentially joining the front office in some capacity continued to percolate after he was seen tailing Snyder after Sunday’s ugly season-ending loss at Dallas, with both looking on as Allen walked past the group alone.