Roger Goodell and Under Inflation

It’s about an hour and a half until the Super Bowl kickoff, and I’m thinking about Inflation-gate and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.  I was among the mystified hoi polloi, when Goodell announced that he had not seen the video of Ray Rice cold cocking his girl friend in an elevator until many months afterwards.  Apparently he had been vacationing in Neverland.  That was kind of sad, but he’s a swell fellow with a base salary of $7.2 million and bonuses which brought his total compensation in 2012-2013 to $44.2 million, so I guess all is forgiven.  I watched his press conference this past week, a full ten days after the under inflation problem was discovered at half time during the NFC championship game against the Indiana Colts.  A reporter asked him how the problem had been discovered.  He didn’t know.  He was asked if there had ever been a case like this.  He didn’t know, but said he would check.  He was asked if there were specific penalties for tampering with equipment.  He didn't know.  There were a few more follow-up questions; he had no answers. I wonder if he would have had the answers if his base salary were $10 million.  Probably not.  He used to be an actor; perhaps he applied to be a Commissioner because he was unable to learn his lines.  I have one other question.  Goodell has been commissioner since 2006 and has a net worth of $75 million.  If he makes $40 million a year, where did all that money go?  (The numbers come from a website called “Celebrity Net Worth).

Renaming the Redskins -- The Washington Football Club

Should we change the name?  The question is out there every day, and momentum is building.  My own preference would be “The Washington Riggins,” because I liked the way John Riggins played -- straight ahead with power.  It seemed to be football as I remembered it from those games in the backyard and on my grammar school and high school teams.  You ran hard and on defense you went for the waist or the thighs to bring your man down.  Helmets almost never collided and no one went for the knees to try to disable an opponent.  I started in pads at 60 lbs. in a 100 lb. league and I don’t remember hurting anybody.

Dan Snyder is so totally opposed to a name change that I don’t suppose we’ll see a contest soon to come up with a new name.  When the time finally comes, it will be difficult.  All the felines except house cats are taken, and I don't  think Huns or Visigoths would have much appeal.  It was fun when the offensive line referred to themselves as “the hogs,” but it’s a little inelegant for the whole team.  The Cleveland Browns named their team after their coach, Paul Brown, and I don’t think they have ever considered changing it, even though they also have “The Dawg Pound.”  Obviously Washington can’t name its team the Lombardis, because that name really belongs to Green Bay.  I suppose we could continue the current ego trip by naming the team the Snyders.  Dano might like it but I don’t think anyone else would.   In any event, we don’t want to end up with an embarrassment like “The Wizards.”

My son in Harrisonburg called me the other night to say he and his friends all agree that Washington should get rid of symbols and mascots and just call the team “The Washington Football Club.”  That’s the way teams are named in Europe and much of the rest of the world.  Somehow it seems like the grownup way to handle the naming controversy.

Comments:  I just got a comment by email that expresses my feelings about "the Redskins" better than I did myself:

"Do you suppose Mr. Snyder has any idea that a preponderance of Indians view the term redskin the same as black people do niggers? And do you suppose he would ever consider renaming the team the spicks, coons, beaners, gooks or hebes or slant-eyed mother fuckers. I have three Indian friends he should meet for lunch. Two of them might just remove his hair although they would never use the term scalped."

Washington Redskins Planning for the Future

Redskins Looking for New Coach

It is rumored that Dan Snyder has  been talking to Bill Cowher about replacing Mike Shanahan for the 2011 season.  Although Shanahan has won 50% more games than his predecessor, Jim Zorn, and could conceivably get one more for a 7-9 record, if the Giants late season collapse continues, Snyder seems ready to make a change.  Cowher would be only an interim solution, of course, and it is likely that Snyder is waiting for Tom Coughlin to be fired and become available for 2012.  Meanwhile Redskin lawyers are studying the 22^nd Amendment to see if it would permit a third term for Joe Gibbs.  In anticipation of that possibility, Snyder has already signed several experienced players to shore up the offensive and defensive  lines.  Joe Jacoby, Dexter Manley and Hall of Famer Russ Grimm have all been seen working out at Redskins Park.  Sam Huff has declined to come back to lead the defense, unless Sonny Jurgensen agrees to come back for at least one full season at quarterback.  When interviewed by Lindsey Czarniak about his possible return to the Redskin roster, Manley said: “That would be better than a wet dream.”  Lindsey kicked him in the groin and observed she had the same thing in mind for Snyder.

I received a comment by email that said it's the curse of Crazy Horse and the Redskins will never recover their winning ways until they get rid of the name and Dan Snyder.