Redskins find another way to alienate fan base

You can follow Charles Robinson on Twitter at Washington Redskins are 2-5, last in the NFC East and averaging an inept 13.7 points. The owner, Daniel Snyder, has neutered head coach Jim Zorn but refused to fire him. The general manager, Vinny Cerrato, is approaching a fifth straight NFL draft class without a Pro Bowl player. And the team's two biggest free agent signings, defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth(notes) and cornerback DeAngelo Hall(notes), have separately questioned the team's desire and talent.

So what do the upper reaches of management do? They tacitly tell the salary-supporting, skybox-filling, Bentley-providing fanbase to shut up. That's right: Signs have officially been banned. Scream all you want, just don't show up with a message that could land on television screens or in media photos. If you bring them, security will insist you check them with the garbage bin attendants. And if you sneak them, you'll be booted out of the stadium.

Maybe it's just me, but there is something very Detroit Lions-esque about this latest move: Poor coaching choices; mediocre drafts; losses; blowing a soft schedule. Yet, jettison the guy with the "Snyder Sucks" banner? He's really killing the vibe.

Of course, the Redskins say the policy change is because the signs block the view of other fans or could potentially cause a boo-boo.

Said Redskins chief operating officer David Donovan, in an interview with 106.7 The Fan in Washington: "The banners we do have a prohibition against. We don't care what they say, and we take them down. They get in the way of other people watching the game and people getting poked in the head. That stuff happens."

Maybe Donovan hasn't seen his team in the red zone. What happens when you get poked in the head with that? Frankly, maybe the team should go the opposite way and ask fans to bring even bigger, more obstructive banners. Then they wouldn't see what is happening on the field, which would probably be for the best.

The funny thing about this whole deal, this "no signs" provision didn't exist until some point after the team's rough start, when fans started blasting Snyder with both barrels. As Washington Post blogger Dan Steinberg pointed out, the Redskins 2009 season guide said this about signs:

"Banners are permitted at FedEx Field; however, Guests may not display banners that advertise or mention products or services. Banners may not cover existing FedEx Field equipment or signage. Signs may not be made with metal or wood. Management reserves the right to remove any sign, including those deemed to be obscene, inappropriate or which obstructs the view of other Guests. For the safety of all Guests, banner poles are not permitted."

So in other words, most banners were permitted. Then it became obscene to criticize Snyder, so no banners whatsoever were permitted. That's pretty much the typical action when a franchise hits an impotent skid and ownership struggles against mounting discontent. You limit the fans' ability to vent at games. Security at Lions games practiced it at one point, too, stripping fans of at least some "Fire Millen" signs at one of the low points of former team president Matt Millen's tenure. The Lions deny it was ever a team mandate, and that banners of any kind have always been off limits. But the latest message from the Redskins is pretty clear: Buy the tickets and don't question the management – which sort of makes watching a Redskins game like flying coach.

But let's be real here: Going after the fans in any way, shape or form is just another in a long line of mistakes for this team (e.g. suing season-ticket holders). It only makes matters worse, speaking to a thin-skinned owner and his disconnect from the fans who support his team. And in that respect, Daniel Snyder's reign has never failed to deliver.

Here are some of this week's other inconvenient truths …

A Fisher/Adams divorce is drawing near

Vince Young(notes) may be the factor that causes one last irreparable crack between Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher and team owner Bud Adams. Regardless of some of his past comments, it's pretty clear Fisher hasn't been comfortable with Vince Young as his starting quarterback since the beginning of 2008. And now, per Adams' comments to media, it has finally gotten to the point that he may force Young back into the mix

That never bodes well for a relationship, particularly when the coach just happens to be the longest-tenured head man in the NFL, and has more than earned the right to call all of the shots when it comes to who plays. So there is bound to be some serious private friction over this push by Adams, which Fisher already seems to be resisting.

And in the light of some of the other things that have happened (the 0-6 start, the Peyton Manning(notes) jersey incident), you have to wonder if Fisher isn't ready for another challenge. It's not an unreal scenario. Counting his takeover of the team in 1994, this is his 16th season running the Titans. That basically makes him the coaching version of the Rosetta Stone among his counterparts.

Now frame that in the realities of the team. Unless Young suddenly and unexpectedly reverses course, the Titans are in for at least a partial rebuild. This coming offseason, they could be looking for a new quarterback, while also needing help on the defensive line and a continuing chapter at the wide receiver spot. But the quarterback issue in particular could be daunting. Barring another fluky Matt Ryan(notes)/Joe Flacco draft, it's going to be a set of growing pains that Fisher may not want to go through. It's not unthinkable that he could walk away from the Titans, or get fired, then sit out one season and resurface in another franchise that has at least some of the major parts already in place (Chicago Bears, anyone?).

Washington will regret turning down a contract extension

Welcome to lesson No. 1 why 5-foot-8, 195-pound backup running backs should think long and hard about turning down solid contract extensions. Leon Washington(notes) reportedly did just that in the offseason, shunning a deal that reportedly would have averaged $5 million per season with a modest amount of guaranteed money ($5 million to $8 million) and an injury clause that would have netted him another $5 million. Washington thought he was worth more on the open market, the New York Jets balked, choosing instead to head into the final year of his deal this season. Now he'll likely spend the next year (or two or three) regretting that decision, by way of what is sounding like a pretty gruesome broken leg suffered against the Oakland Raiders.

Washington had 325 rushing yards prior to Week 7.

(Bill Kostroun/AP Photo)

I never have a problem with a player seeking his fair value, particularly in a game that uses guys up and then moves on with little remorse. But I also never thought Washington had a good handle on his value. A league source said in the preseason that Washington had sought a contract on the fringes of the 15 most-lucrative running back deals in play this season, and frankly, that's wildly out of whack for his actual production.

Washington was banking on several points of leverage. First, the natural assumption in his camp was that starter Thomas Jones(notes), who turned 31 in August, wasn't far from hitting the wall that many starters at the position encounter when they are 30. So in essence, Washington was negotiating from a stance that he would be the starter sooner rather than later, and thus deserved starter money. Second, Washington's agent, Alvin Keels, was pushing that his client had offered more production per touch than almost any other Jets player.

But both of those stances were, at best, a matter of vantage point. While Jones is near the setting sun of his career, he remains one of the league's physical wonders, and actually tuned his physique over the last few seasons to combat the onset of age. The results have been hard to argue against, as he has continued to play the best football of his career, while also being very well suited for the Jets' offensive style. And while Washington has been unquestionably valuable, his body of work was too limited to suggest he could be a centerpiece running back, let alone continue to consistently produce at the same high level over a 20-25 touch load in a 16-game season.

At the end of the day, Washington is a spectacular change-of-pace back who has a physical frame that almost never holds up well as an every-down player. Eventually, the smallish back breaks down with injury. And even in the free-agent market, every other NFL team would have had those same concerns, and likely refused to offer the top-level running back deal Washington wanted. So the Jets held their ground on his contract demands and stuck with a long-established trend, and in an unfortunate turn, they were right about possible injury concerns. And while they will stick with Washington and hope for the best long term, the cruel reality is that he had a pretty fair deal on the table and didn't take it. Now his long-term value will be more of a question than ever.

An era of shutdown tackles is coming to a close

Only four years ago, the league had multiple Hall of Fame-level offensive tackles – guys who were adept in both the running and passing game and could consistently lock down elite pass rushers. Looking back at that class, four of the best could be headed for Canton: the Kansas City Chiefs' Willie Roaf(notes), the Seattle Seahawks' Walter Jones(notes), the Baltimore Ravens' Jonathan Ogden(notes) and the St. Louis Rams' Orlando Pace(notes). A fifth, Washington Redskins tackle Chris Samuels(notes), would have gotten a spot in that conversation, too, if injuries hadn't derailed him recently.

But with the declining health of Jones (who has yet to play this season), the diminishing play of Pace, and even the possible retirement of Samuels, we're seeing the final chapter on a handful of players who set the standard for the phrase "franchise tackle." Looking back, we probably never appreciated seeing five lasting and dominant tackles in the game at the same time.

That's not to say there isn't potential among some of the NFL young talent now. The Miami Dolphins' Jake Long(notes), who has given up three sacks this season, has an abundant skill set and the nastiness to match. And there are others, too: the Cleveland Browns' Joe Thomas(notes) (two sacks allowed this season), the Denver Broncos' Ryan Clady(notes) (two sacks allowed) and the New Orleans Saints' Jammal Brown(notes) (on injured reserve) all have major long-term potential. Even Tennessee's Michael Roos(notes) and the San Diego Chargers' Marcus McNeill(notes) could be among the best when it's all said and done.

But when it comes to protracted greatness, it's amazing to think that group will have to sustain its current level of play at least another 10 years to push into the class of Jones, Ogden, Pace, Roaf and Samuels. So while the shutdown offensive tackle might not be dead, a pretty significant era in the position's history is definitely headed in that direction.