ESPNMAG.com - Hey, remember me?

No one wants to be forgotten.

Last Friday afternoon, I was in the lobby of Redskins Park, chatting with the receptionist, when Jeff George walked in. We had been rookies with the Colts in '90, and I hadn't seen him since being released by the Colts in '92. I didn't think he'd remember me. But he came over, shook my hand, and asked, "Hey, did they just sign you?" I laughed, and told him I hadn't played since '94. I was pleasantly surprised that one of the more colorful figures in the league actually remembered me.

When George was released yesterday, it struck me as odd. I know he and the Skins have really sucked in the first two weeks, but why cut him? Why not just bench him? Then it occurred to me that Redskins owner Daniel Snyder is a guy who really doesn't like to be forgotten. The combination of the terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and Michael Jordan's return to the Wizards must make Snyder a forgotten man around DC. Look, I know Snyder really wants a ring, but any guy who cuts his starting quarterback two weeks into the season is trying to make a statement. Well, actually, two statements: I want a winning team, and, of no less importance, "Hey, don't forget about me."

***

After last week's column, I received a ton of negative response to my stance on the NFL's decision to reschedule the games postponed in Week Two. I'd like to revisit that issue.

I enjoyed your article but I feel it was off base. You may be right that greed was the reason the owners rescheduled the game. However, I disagree when you say that it was the only reason that they rescheduled games. I also disagree with the overall sentiment of the article that seems to be, they shouldn't have rescheduled. First of all, beyond greed, the fact is that the NFL is the most entertaining league in all of sports. An extra week gives us more excitement with more matchups and one more week of football.
-- Joshua Michael Boraz

Joshua (and the legions of others who strongly disagree with me on this one),

I'm not going to retract my original opinion. I still don't think it's absolutely necessary to reschedule the games cancelled on September 16. But maybe I should tell you why I feel that way. In the wake of this tragedy, I was alarmed by the sense of urgency (from the league, fans, and media) to "salvage" the football season. Maybe it's because I live in New York and just a few miles from this office, bodies are still being pulled from the rubble that used to be the World Trade Center. It makes me wonder: is it really that important if we don't have a 16-game season this year?

Like I said, the games cancelled on September 16 are a memorial to the thousands who died. Trust me, I know, as well as anyone, that life continues after tragedy. But sometimes real life transcends a pastime. Unfortunately, the events of September 11 were very real. And nothing, not even an extra week of football, will make everything "normal" again. At least not right away.

If you were still playing on one of the teams that would lose a home game if the games were not made up and were fighting for possibly fewer playoff spots, you would be singing a different tune. So no need to be so cynical.
-- Lisa Dryoff

Lisa,

Why is there an assumption that if you are an athlete, or, in my case, a former athlete, that nothing else in the world matters? My view of the world when I played is the same as it is now. I could never draw a parallel between a playoff berth and the weight of the worst terrorist attack on US soil.

Peace,
AG

Alan Grant, a former NFL defensive back, writes football for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at alan.grant@espnmag.com.