Rant: Is nothing sacred?

You ever have a situation where you wonder if the decision made by others was done knowing that they were obviously wrong, or if they did it unknowingly? Sometimes you'll notify them of their wrongdoing, other times they'll learn on their own. Then there are the times where you know they know better, but they still do something so ridiculously mind blowing that all you can do is wonder how they actually thought it was a good idea in the first place ... this is one of those times.

Company sponsored coed sports teams, it's what life in the corporate world is about. You get on a team, you get to know people from your office a bit better by playing a sport with them, after the games you all hit the bar and grab a few drinks to really show your camaraderie. Sometimes it's flag football, other times it's soccer, the particular sport in question here, however, is slow-pitch softball.

Why am I talking about softball? Personally, I have no real beef with softball itself, it's a fun game. Played it for the first time last year and really enjoyed it ... which is why I'm on the team again. However, what/who I do take issue with is Loudoun County Parks & Recreation (LCPR) softball schedule creators (is that what they are called?).

The reason I'm mad at them is because our first game is on a day that should be regarded as a sacred day, especially for those of us living in the DMV (DC, MD, VA). Our first game is this Thursday, September 4 at 6:30pm. Have you made the connection yet? If not let me clarify for you. This Thursday, September 4 at 7pm, the Washington Redskins will be opening their football season against the defending champion New York Giants. Now if you're like me, you follow the Redskins like they're your family. Hell, I probably follow my Skins more than I keep up with some people in my family. So you can see the obvious conflict here.

In-fact, it's not as much a conflict as it is inconsiderate, and rude. When I tell people about my upcoming game, and the dilemma at hand, they give me a look of surprise and shock, as if they can't believe that someone would schedule anything during the Redskins' season opener. I mean why would you do this LCPR? Do you not care about the millions of Redskins fans that have cleared their schedules as far back as April (when the schedule was announced) in order to see their favorite team kickoff the best season in all of sports?

On top of kicking off the season, there are a ton of other reasons this is an important game for Redskins die-hards. Let me just run through a few reasons no one in their right mind should have scheduled anything that would possibly hinder them or anyone else from watching Thursday's game.

5 Reasons to watch Redskins football Thursday (and in general):

  1. Jim Zorn: After 4 years of observing the ups and downs of Joe Gibbs second stint as leader of the Redskins, Dan Snyder and Vinny Cerrato have called upon Jim Zorn to take charge in Washington. Zorn is a first year coach, and his highest level of coaching in the Pros is as a QB Coach with the Seattle Seahawks where he helped mold Matt Hasselbeck into a top-tier QB. So far, aside from the West Coast Offense, Jim has brought a certain excitement to Washington with his quirky, honest and football savvy style. Zorn began the Preseason in remarkable fashion, looking like a well seasoned coach who had been under the headset for a number of years ... and not zero. The hot start was quickly tempered after the 47 - 3 drubbing by the Carolina Panthers, in which the team looked lost, confused and generally overmatched. Which was subsequently followed by a lackluster performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars to close out the preseason. Thursday will be Zorn's time to make a case for what type of coach he will be seen as.
  2. Jason Campbell: There's probably no other man, next to Jim Zorn, in Washington who controls the destiny of the Redskins as much as Jason Campbell. Jason is in his second year of starting and in his 7th Offense in 8 years (4 at Auburn, 3 in Washington). Jason has shown that he's got the talent to be amazing, unfortunately mixed in with his talent is his occasional bouts with inconsistentcy. The West-Coast Offense hopefully will prove to be a legitimate stepping stone in the development of Campbell. Thursday will be the start of Campbell's push to solidify himself as the QB of the future for the Redskins.
  3. Greg Blache and the Skins D: Upon being notified that he was no longer a candidate for the Redskins Head Coaching vacancy Gregg Williams, who had spent four years in Washington, was released from his contract and allowed to pursue a coaching position with another team. Shortly thereafter Greg Blache was hired as the Defensive Coordinator. Blache served as defensive line coach for the Redskins for four years under Gregg Williams. Blache was a successful d-coordinator with the Chicago Bears prior to joining the Skins, and plans on keeping the defense the same. But Gregg Williams did some amazing things with the Redskins D, and it's still up in the air as to whether Greg Blache can do the same.
  4. Offensive Line: You ever heard the term "the game is won and lost in the trenches"? Well it's true, if your offensive line can't get a push up front then your running game is going to suffer. Conversely if they can't hold their blocks at the point of attack, then the QB will have no time to make his reads due to constant pressure subsequently resulting in bad decisions, stalled drives and even worse turnovers. The Redskins o-line is still a formidable opponent for any line, however all of the linemen are over 30, except for Stephon Heyer, a second year player out of Maryland, who was surprisingly awarded with the starting right tackle position over the veteran and long time starter Jon Jansen. The major concern with this unit is if they can stay healthy and play consistently for the entire year. If they can stay healthy it should be a good year up-front.
  5. West Coast Offense: Last but not least Jim Zorn has implemented the West Coast Offense in Washington, which is a diversion from Joe Gibbs/Al Saunders run-heavy/I don't know what's going on Offense that we had seen over the past few years. The WCO is predicated on short passes to open up the running game as well as the occasional deep pass. Known to be a "pass-happy" offense the WCO utilizes multi-wr sets to stretch the defense, along with creating running lanes for the running backs. The WCO also uses running backs quite heavily in the passing game, so look for Clinton Portis, Ladell Betts and Mike Sellers to get a number of passes coming out of the backfield. Jim Zorn has committed to keeping the running game the same, however using a WCO oriented passing game. While this is good news, time will only tell how well the Redskins have adjusted to the new system, specifically Campbell, and if it's the right for the personnel available.

As you can see, there is a lot to look forward to with the upcoming season. Which gives credence to my claim that LCPR should have known better than to schedule any games during a Redskins game. Since they did schedule games, I'm now left with a conundrum of sorts. Do I go to the softball game, or do I watch the Redskins game? Some people will say, "Oh just watch it later." to them I say, shut up. You can't do that. You ruin the excitement of the first game, unless of course you close yourself off to the entire outside world (so the outcome isn't ruined) until you watch the game. Maybe I'll go play softball for a short period of time and then book it to the nearest sports bar and watch the game there, but that just screws everyone in the end. Or I'll just take a stand for what's right and go watch the Redskins game and protest the softball game! Who knows, all I know is that this shouldn't happen, ever.

So thanks again LCPR for suffering a major ID 10T error on this one. You guys are obviously soulless Cowboys fans, that's the only reason for doing something like this. You guys suck!


Hail to the Redskins!!!