What else could come from WFT emails?
Jon Gruden’s bigoted rants can’t be the only untenable material among the 650,000 emails turned up in the investigation of the Washington Football Team’s workplace conditions. Apparently, he had a receptive audience in former team executive Bruce Allen and presumably others. What objectionable things might have been included in those dialogs? Nobody’s arguing that Gruden’s dismissal isn’t justified. His treatment just feels very selective.
Bottom line: After years of exposure on the sidelines and Monday Night Football, Gruden is a big celebrity. But if you simply take into account his performance since he rejoined the Raiders in 2018, what we’ve got here is a franchise moving on from a sub-.500 coach.
Hmm: The WFT waited until Thursday to announce that it will retire late safety Sean Taylor’s No. 21 at Sunday’s game against Kansas City. Taylor was killed 14 years ago. For skeptics, it seems all too convenient that the short notice comes at a time when ownership could use a distraction from the email stories. But not even Dan Snyder can be that ham-fisted, can he?
Update: Five years after his last game, Colin Kaepernick says he’s seriously training in the unlikely event of an NFL comeback. The league that now writes “End Racism” on its fields is blackballing a man who took a knee in the name of ending racism. Irony is dead.
Idle thought: The subtitle to the Astros-Red Sox AL Championship Series could be, “If you ain’t cheatin’, you ain’t tryin’.”
Bad reputation: They brought this on themselves, but in the public’s eye, the Astros’ legacy of sign-stealing eclipses their achievement of reaching the ALCS five years in a row.
Sigh of relief: Television networks carrying postseason play are absolutely thrilled that the Red Sox knocked out the ratings-poison Rays.
Good story: I’ve got no allegiance to little Wake Forest, but it amuses me that the Deacons are the ACC’s only undefeated football team. A plucky bunch, for sure.
Sticky fingers: With six interceptions in the first five games, Cowboys second-year cornerback Trevon Diggs has a chance to become the first defensive back in 40 years with more than 10 picks. Should it surprise anyone that he played for Alabama?
Guesswork: Poll voters do what they do, in this case dropping Alabama to No. 5 in the AP rankings after its loss to Texas A&M. As if any neutral fans in their right minds wouldn’t pick Nick Saban’s crew to beat up on No. 2 Iowa or No. 3 Cincinnati.
Stunning stat: Who needs a classic drop-back quarterback when you can have an unorthodox Lamar Jackson? After his scintillating play in the Ravens’ Monday night overtime victory,
Jackson has more total yards for the season (passing and running) than 18 NFL teams. That doesn’t seem possible, does it?
Fan duel: The WFT has the lowest average home attendance in the league. Not sure if that’s surprising for a franchise that’s experienced so much turmoil. The team’s average of 51,002 spectators over three games represents only 62.2% of FedEx Field capacity. The woeful Jaguars are drawing about 7,000 more a game than Snyder’s team. Whatever happened to that yearslong season ticket waiting list the franchise once proudly touted?
An opportunity: No excuses if Taylor Heinicke doesn’t move the ball Sunday at FedEx. What’s got people talking this week is how the porous Chiefs defense is giving up 7.1 yards per play — the most in NFL history.
Nit-picking: The troubles kickers had last week point out again how crucial field goals are to NFL outcomes. But as kickers’ ranges increase, field goals play too big of a role in too many games. I don’t think that’s great for the sport.
Looking back: Taking into account Kyrie Irving’s many eccentricities — for a time he professed to be a Flat Earther — right up to his recent vaccine-related double-talk about sitting out this season, you’re left with a greater appreciation for how LeBron James managed to mesh in Cleveland with this knucklehead.