Firing the Gardener Because the Beds Aren't Made

Dale Lindsey, Western Kentucky University linebacker, 1963-64

So I am not surprised the Redskins let linebackers coach Dale Lindsey go, because the linebackers did not play great this year. What I am surprised at is that Dale is the first to go of the defensive coaches. Even as we roll into the offseason, this team is somehow gripped in the throes of an identity crisis, flailing around for some way to stabilize the ship.

Tom Friend writes an article* about how the secondary coaches were convening meeting separately, the safeties coach is a whiny-ass sulker and Gregg Williams is showing obvious favoritism towards the whiny-ass sulker. Meanwhile back on Earth, the Redskins finished the year with the 31st ranked defense, last in yards per play, 23rd in passing defense, 22nd in passing yards, dead freaking last in passing touchdowns and dead freaking last in INTs.

In other words, the real weakness last season was the secondary, and neither secondary coach, neither cornerbacks coach Jerry Gray nor safeties coach Steven Jackson has had to pay with his job. Sure, maybe it's still to come, but I would think the herald of the mandate to make the defense better would be by vacating a clear position of weakness first, to send a message.

More evidence things are upside down at Redskins Park: back in October, Shawn Springs and LaVar Arrington's former position coach Dale Lindsey took some shots at LaVar about how he didn't know the defense, and it was fodder for quite a number of news cycles. If you'll remember back at the end of the 2005 season, the Redskins beat the Giants to cap off the 5th win in a row, but Mike Wise chronicled a shouting match between Dale and LaVar that started on the field and ended in the locker room after the game.

Today's Jason La Canfora article indicates that Joe Gibbs was upset about that October incident and told Dale as much privately. Shawn was as critical, and yet I have read nothing about Joe calling Shawn in for a one-on-one. Add to this that Coach Joe was already out of character for defending Santana Moss' headbutt in the Indianapolis game and the head coach does not appear to be exhibiting classic or even consistent behavior.

Curly R aside: so LaVar did an extended interview for the Giants' website published the same day as Dale's and Shawn's comments about LaVar were published, and in the article I find two things interesting. 1) he kept the Redskins' playbook. I am certain this happens all the time, and even if he turned it in he could have copied it, but the playbook should be treated by the league as privileged information and when players are stoopit enough to admit they stole another team's playbook, they and their current team should be fined.

And 2) in this interview, LaVar all but admits he did not work hard his last two years with the Redskins. If you get into the wayback machine, you will recall that he had a contract dispute (link 1 / link 2 / link 3) with the Redskins, then an 'injury' that kept him out for 12 games that season, then a full season on the bench in the doghouse. Given that it turns out fault for the vanishing 6.5 million dollars and the subsequent 17 months of wrangling and threatened arbitration before settling lies with his now-disgraced agent, LaVar should give those salaries back to the Redskins. It's a little like getting into an argument at work and then going home to kick the dog; it's not the dog's fault you're pissed.

It's too bad becuase I liked LaVar. It never made sense to me why Dan Snyder would be so free with player money and with LaVar's first contract and then do this. I don't believe the team promised him anything but I do believe there were misunderstandings that both sides thought favored them and allowed to continue to exist without resolution, chiefly because if the agent had brought up that fat bonus the team talked about in that meeting, he would have been forced to confront that the team never promised anything. The rest is all on the agent. When the bonus was not in there, he would not allow that maybe it never existed or that its absence might be the agent's fault. The agent convinced the player that it was 100% the team's fault and told the player he would stake his reputation on it. He did and it cost LaVar his elite status and the agent two years' suspension from representation in the league. Michael Wilbon's take on the whole sad saga.

Continuing down the rabbit hole: so Dale Lindsey has the gruff nature? Isn't Gregg Williams the imperious one that is always alienating players and humiliates them with headgames? If gruff is unacceptable at Redskins Park, Joe better fire his old self and Gregg. In March, when LaVar was released as now in today's piece, Dale's poor relationship with LaVar was cited as a specific factor. Maybe they should have fired Dale in March and kept LaVar.



* The sports fans at ESPN.com have convieeeeeeenently moved the Tom Friend piece behind the Insider firewall. Fuck those guys, their content sucks and I won't pay for it.

Dale Lindsey was inducted into the WKU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1993.