Daniel Snyder and Zygi Wilf must be two of the most disgruntled men in the NFL right now. The former is the owner of the Washington Redskins while the latter possesses the Minnesota Vikings.
It must be a little rougher for Wilf at this juncture considering that he is losing massive amounts of revenue from relocating home dates to less lucrative options. This is in addition to the fact that he already had one of the least advantageous lease agreements in the league. His deals relating to suite money, parking, and concessions are not up to par compared to other franchises. At least Snyder can count on having one of the top attendance counts in the NFC East; along with the other benefits that come from being one of the highest profile teams on a consistent basis.
For now, let’s compare who’s been the bigger disappointment in 2010, and cover each area.
By Patrick Herbert
Quarterbacks: Donovan McNabb and Brett Favre have come in way below expectations this season despite being future hall of famers. I doubt either one would hang up on a member of the media like Warren Sapp did this week for being called a potential hall of famer, but it is simply a matter of time for both of them. Sports handicapper Dave Cokin made a tremendous point of citing that all players are future hall of famers until they actually get the votes and are enshrined in Canton. Neither quarterback is even competing on the field this week, let alone thriving. McNabb has sunk to number three on the Redskins depth chart while Favre is conveniently on the sideline now that the streak is over and the club is out of contention.
Defensive Line: The Vikings have recently come off a week where they had a porous run defense against Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs. This thunder and lightning combination steamrolled through the front and required the secondary to make most of the stops. The Redskins have suspended Albert Haynesworth for the remainder of the season because they simply can’t agree on whether he agreed to play the 3-4 defense or the 4-3. Either way spells disaster in the morale department. He was brought in under a different regime and has refused to go with the flow since then.
Running backs: Ryan Torain and Clinton Portis are sidelined with injuries. Adrian Peterson has not received enough carries lately because the team has behind in the second halves of games. The loss of Chester Taylor has hurt the second option possibility for Minnesota. Toby Gerhart may well turn into this in the great white north, but he isn’t there yet.
Receivers: The Washington Redskins have implemented a short passing game all year; probably due to their lack of an effective running game to take off pressure. This inability to play action fake doesn’t allow the quarterback to go down field often enough to big play receivers like Anthony Armstrong. Chad Cooley is a nice player, but he isn’t exactly going to catch bombs for you. Sidney Rice and Randy Moss have basically given the Vikings nothing. A conservative preseason estimate would have put them over two thousand yards collectively if healthy and stable.