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Deron Snyder

Deron Snyder

Deron Snyder is an award-winning journalist and Washington Times sports columnist with more than 25 years of experience. He has worked at USA Today and his column was syndicated in Gannett's 80-plus newspapers from 2000-2009, appearing in The Arizona Republic, The Indianapolis Star, The Detroit News and many others. Follow Deron on Twitter @DeronSnyder or email him at deronwashtimes@gmail.com.

Articles by Deron Snyder

** FILE ** From left are 2012 photos of former Washington Redskins kicker Graham Gano and Billy Cundiff, who was signed by the Redskins two days after being released by the Baltimore Ravens. (AP Photo/File)

SNYDER: In the NFL, foot soldiers are an army of one

One day you're celebrating because the competition was released, suggesting that you won the training-camp battle. The next day, you're looking for work because the Redskins signed another team's discard and gave him your job. Such is the life of a kicker.

August 28, 2012
Officials confer on a ruling during an NFL football game between the Buffalo Bills and the Washington Redskins in Orchard Park, N.Y., Thursday, Aug. 9, 2012. (AP Photo/Bill Wippert)

SNYDER: Throw flag on NFL for a cheap shot with officials

The NFL's stranglehold on our collective sports' psyche is almost incomprehensible. In a Harris Poll released earlier this year, 36 percent of sports fans chose pro football as their favorite, more than twice the number of the next two sports combined (baseball and college football, at 13 percent apiece).

August 23, 2012
rod lamkey jr./the washington times Robert Griffin III has been the Redskins’ undisputed starting quarterback virtually since draft day, despite the pronouncements of some so-called NFL experts.

SNYDER: A QB controversy that never was for Redskins

It's bad enough that sports journalists around the country are shredding the Washington Nationals for the Shutdown Stephen Strasburg project. Most local media, however, seem to agree with the decision, probably due to our proximity and our inherent interest in the team's long-term planning.

August 21, 2012
In this Aug. 12, 2012 photo, Chad Johnson, center, leaves Broward County Jail in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The Dolphins terminated the six-time Pro Bowl receiver's contract about 24 hours after he was arrested in a domestic battery case involving his wife. Johnson was released from jail on $2,500 bond after his wife accused him of head-butting her during an argument in front of their home. (Photo by Jeff Daly/Invision/AP)

Chad Johnson’s value not worth any headaches

There is a humongous difference between treating people equally and treating people fairly. We see it all the time in sports, politics, entertainment and business, where star performers are given much more slack than mediocre contributors.

August 14, 2012
Redskins linebacker Brian Orakpo compiled 11 sacks during his rookie year in 2009 but has failed to match that total in his two seasons since. “At the end of the day, I’m not going to divert from my game,” Orakpo said of any possible changes. (Raymond Thompson/The Washington Times)

Time for Brian Orakpo to fulfill rookie-year promise

There can be a thin line between reasons and excuses, between explanations and rationalizations. But in many respects, either you get something done or you don't, regardless of what else transpires.

August 7, 2012
FILE - In this Nov. 25, 2011, file phot, Central Florida head coach George O'Leary, right, watches as his team huddles on the field during an NCAA college football game against UTEP in Orlando, Fla. UCF will have to sit out the postseason for a year in men's basketball and football under sanctions the NCAA handed down, Tuesday, July 31, 2012, adding to penalties the school self-imposed after major recruiting violations were uncovered last year in both programs. Former athletics director Keith Tribble and assistant football coach David Kelly were cited for unethical conduct by the NCAA last year and resigned. Basketball coach Donnie Jones served a three-game suspension last season. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)

SNYDER: Outside recruiting not always bad

Now that Penn State's shocking stream of sad news has slowed, the NCAA can turn its attention to less-depressing matters ... good, old-fashioned recruiting violations!

August 2, 2012
Washington Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman (11) and right fielder Bryce Harper (34) celebrate after the Nationals defeated the New York Mets 8-2 in ten innings in their baseball game at Citi Field in New York, Monday, July 23, 2012. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

SNYDER: Nationals relax as other teams buy and sell

The Washington Nationals didn't make any moves at Tuesday's trading deadline, which means at least two things: General manager Mike Rizzo likes the makeup of his team, and Edwin Jackson is staying put for just the second time in seven years.

July 31, 2012
FILE - In this April 21, 2012, file photo, Penn State football coach Bill O'Brien gestures during the NCAA college football team's spring scrimmage in State College, Pa. After seven wrenching months of utter turmoil, shock and sadness, Penn State is looking toward the future and trying to change the subject by focusing on their Sept. 1 season opener at 107,000-seat Beaver Stadium against Ohio. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, File)

SNYDER: Penn State fine dining for hungry programs

The Nittany Lions, severely wounded by the NCAA's blast, are down. Naturally, buzzards are in the midst of circling overhead. It won't be long before the pecking begins, and Penn State's recruiting efforts are ripped to shreds.

July 24, 2012
Penn State president Rodney Erickson, center, talks during an interview with the Centre Daily Times in State College, Pa., with interim athletic director Dave Joyner, left, and Board of Trustees chairwoman, Karen Peetz, on Monday, July 23, 2012. The NCAA crippled Penn State football for years to come, imposing an unprecedented $60 million fine and other punishments over the child sexual abuse scandal. (AP Photo/Centre Daily Times, Christopher Weddle)

SNYDER: Severe sanctions against Penn State send right message

The "death penalty" would've been more merciful for Penn State's football program. Instead of being hooked up to tubes and machines and continuing to exist with a pitiful quality of life, Penn State would've suffered less if the NCAA simply pulled the plug for a year or two.

July 23, 2012
Former Washington Wizard Etan Thomas is doing his part to be a positive influence on fatherhood. (Associated Press)

SNYDER: Former Wizard Etan Thomas earns one huge assist

Former Washington Wizards forward Etan Thomas was a youngster when he came home one day and found his mother watching an "ABC Afterschool Special." Tears welled in her eyes as she listened to depressing statistics about kids from single-parent households, which hers became due to divorce when Thomas was 7.

July 19, 2012
LeBron James scored 30 points for the U.S., including two on this dunk, in an 80-69 exhibition victory Monday night. The Miami Heat star conceded that stopping Brazil was essential. “Once we decided we needed to focus on our defense and not our offense, we were able to turn the game around,” he said. (Ryan M.L. Young/The Washington Times)

SNYDER: For Team USA, sluggish starts can’t become a trend

We barely recognized Verizon Center on Monday night. The arena was sold out with a loud, energetic crowd. Unlike similar occasions when the basketball court is in place, the throng was virtually unanimous in its allegiance. Nearly every fan rooted earnestly for the home team, which was stocked with All-Stars.

July 17, 2012
New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin averaged 14.6 points and 6.2 assists last season. Among his highlights were a 38-point effort against the Lakers and a 28-point performance against the Mavericks. (Associated Press)

SNYDER: Knicks need to see value in keeping Lin

An item's value and its worth aren't necessarily the same thing. A person's wedding ring might be valued at X amount of dollars, but it can be worth many times that amount to the owner. Intrinsics and intangibles often are beyond the grasp of a price tag.

July 16, 2012
Anthony Davis, 19, the No. 1 overall pick, is set to compete in his first Olympics. NBA commissioner David Stern has hinted at instituting a 23-and-younger policy for future participation in the Games.

SNYDER: Age limit for Olympic hoops must be multilateral

Commissioner David Stern has hinted at implementing a 23-and-under age-limit for NBA players in future Olympics. That wouldn't necessarily eliminate rookie-to-be Anthony Davis from consideration in 2016, but it would reduce the number of players who ever compete in the Games and create more one-and-done Olympians.

July 15, 2012
Jayson Werth has played in 27 games this season for the Nationals. (Associated Press)

SNYDER: Jayson Werth wild card in Nats’ quest to make playoffs

The season's first half was a blast from the beginning, when the Washington Nationals peeled off to a 14-4 start. They have been playing with house money ever since — no pressure to win, nothing to lose — enjoying their emergence as one of baseball's best and most popular teams.

July 12, 2012
Former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky was convicted on 45 of 48 counts of child sexual abuse. A report by former FBI director Louis Freeh due Thursday may not bode well for former school administrators. (Associated Press)

SNYDER: Justice on the way for Sandusky’s abettors

Dead men tell no tales, offer no rebuttals and provide no corroboration. So aside from potential damage to his legacy, former football coach Joe Paterno escaped further punishment for his role in the Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse case. But Paterno also lost the ability to fight for his name when he died in January.

July 10, 2012
Should Brooklyn pry Dwight Howard from Orlando, it would give the Nets a power base matched only by the Miami Heat. (Associated Press)

SNYDER: Will Nets be the next team we love to hate?

Brooklynites faced a major dilemma this year when the Nets crossed the Hudson River and relocated downtown in New York City's most populous borough, near the intersection of Flatbush and Atlantic. Playing their home games in the brand-new, splendiferous Barclays Center, the Nets are minutes from the team that has owned Big Apple hearts since 1946.

July 9, 2012