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The 5 o’clock club is published Wednesday to Saturday during the season http://www.redskinsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-jonathan-allen-jersey , and aims to provide a forum for reader-driven discussion at a time of day when there isn’t much NFL news being published. Feel free to introduce topics that interest you in the comments below.After the Tampa Bay game, a reporter asked Josh Norman a question about why the Redskins seem to play better on the road than they do at home.That started a bit of a shitstorm.Josh Norman, perhaps tired and emotional after the ball game, cut loose.Tweets, news articles, talk radio, blogs... everyone wanted a piece of the Josh Norman quote.D.J. Swearinger doubled-down during a radio interview with 106.7 The Fan.Boy.Everyone had an opinion on this one.Players, journalists, blog readers, radio listeners, local media personalities, former players, national sportswriters all chimed in with a variety of opinions.Some blasted Redskins fans; some blasted Redskins players; most blasted Dan Snyder; much was made of the ‘game day experience’ at FedEx, with particular focus on the expense, the difficulty of traveling there and back, and the lack of surrounding facilities.A few players tried to change the narrative from complaints about the fans to an appeal for greater home support.Even Josh Norman, who started it all, tried to re-frame his remarks.Rick Snider had a lot to say about the situation, with multiple tweets and more.But I thought he hit the nail on the head with one sentiment.Nothing good comes from players complaining about fans.I’m often shocked at the things players say.I routinely read comments from players who complain that ‘fans don’t know how hard we work’.I have two thoughts, at least, about that.First of all, I think fans do have an idea how hard professional athletes work.I think we all admire their commitment and their achievements.My second thought is that I don’t think most fans want to have to hear about or acknowledge how hard players work.After all, most people I know work pretty damned hard, too, and most of them do it for a lot less reward than NFL players.Players should say they “feel blessed” and leave it at that.Players shouldn’t need the affirmation; thepaychecks they get for playing football should be thanks enough.I saw a tweet from Junior Galette this past off-season saying that he was ‘tired of proving himself’.I’m a pretty big Junior Galette fan, so I thought I could offer him some encouragement, and I tweeted a reply.I guess Junior wasn’t pleased with the feedback, because his response was to block me on Twitter.I don’t think a lot of players get it.They think they’re paid the big bucks because they work hard, tune their bodies, hone their skills and become superior athletes.That’s not quite right.They do all that so that they can cash in, but no one pays them millions of dollars to work out and practice.They get paid big money to be entertainers.They get paid big money to perform on Sundays, and occasionally on Monday, Thursday or Saturday.And there’s a tradeoff there.Celebrities who make big money because they’re celebrities have to put up with all kinds of compromises, from not being able to go shopping without people staring or asking for a picture, to being misunderstood, to being boo-ed when fans don’t like what they see.Fans feel entitled because most of them work pretty doggone hard to secure a paycheck, and often worry about whether there’ll be enough to pay the rent or mortgage, put food on the table and pay for Junior’s schooling (and I don’t mean Junior Galette).They figure that those big paychecks that athletes get should come with some strings.Pro football players are living the dream, and have more money than the typical fan can even dream about.Heck, Le’veon Bell just sat out a year and gave up over $14m in the process.Can pro football players really understand the situation that most fans are in?Probably... yeah.A lot of football players grew up with very little; some with nothing at all.But still, there’s a lot of antagonism created by the monopoly money contracts that players sign with NFL franchises that gives fans a certain sense of entitement when it comes to the players.Although it takes an indirect route to get there, ultimately, fans pay the money that makes players into millionaires http://www.redskinsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-da_ron-payne-jersey , and most fans feel that gives them certain rights — including the right to cheer for outstanding performance or boo the opposite.It’s the players that owe the fans; not the fans that owe the players.That’s often the feeling.Now, in reality, sports fans feel a kinship and connection to a team and its players.We mostly embrace them, support them, and cheer for their success.Fans outside of Philadelphia don’t want to boo their own team, or simply sit on their hands.But they need some motivation — they need something good to cheer for.The Redskins themselves have spent a lot of years teaching fans that being a Redskins fan is a life filled with disappointment, and that not much good comes from cheering for the home team.Fans want to embrace the team, but, like respect, being embraced by the crowd is something that is earned.Maximus shouts the question and the challenge: “Are you not entertained?!”If he was a player for the Redskins, too often the answer would be a resounding: “No!”Josh Norman and DJ Swearinger, this week at least, didn’t seem to be understanding the experience of a fan who spent a week’s pay to take the family for a day out at FedEx to get gouged for parking, sit in a sub-par stadium, and more often than not, see the team play embarrassingly bad football.Now, Josh & DJ are not to blame for that quarter of a century of disappointment, and they’ve both been doing what they can to change it, but — again — nothing good comes from players complaining about fans.Or does it?The players change the storyEventually, a few players, this week, saw an opportunity to turn things around.Since they were asking for fan support, and, I guess, hearing on talk radio and other sources some of the reasons why fans weren’t filling up FedEx every home game, some players decided to be proactive.I don’t know about you, but I was impressed.This is the kind of do-something-positive action that wrestles control of a negative narrative away and turns it into a new thing that’s positive. It helps to quiet the noise and focus people on a new direction.I wonder if the Redskins organization can learn a lesson from their players?Brian Lafemina is a name that we should all be getting to know if we don’t already.Lafemina was hired at the end of May as the Redskins new President of Business Operations/Chief Operating Officer.His duties, though, are primarily aimed at fans, and the fan experience.I wonder if this latest public row, the loud response of fans and the positive action by the players might give Brian Lafemina a little more leverage with his boss Dan Snyder.I wonder if the organization could start doing more than nibbling around the edges.Sure, there’ll be a new stadium after 2027, but there are a lot of things that Dan could sign off on right now, while he’s got a winning team, that could dramatically re-make the ugly relationship he’s got with fans after two decades of ownership.To be honest, I live on the other side of the world, and I’ve never seen FedEx Field, much less ever been to a game there, but I can read, so I have some general understanding of what fans complain about.If I owned a business that was in the situation the Redskins are in with their fans, I would sit down and brainstorm a whole bunch of ideas that would mark a complete departure from the past. I mean, if I were the boss, I’d go into my meeting and tell everyone that there is nothing that is “off the table”.All suggestions are welcome.The more radical and creative http://www.redskinsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-dustin-hopkins-jersey , the better.I’d toss out one or two of my own to prime the pump.How about if we cut the price of tickets by 40% on the theory that (1) we’ll make most of the lost revenue back by selling more tickets, (2) we’ll energize our fan base, and put more burgundy & gold fannies in the seats, and (3) even if we loses some ticket sales, we make most of our money from TV revenue anyway?I’d address the cost of parking, which seems to be a huge issue for fans.Slash it by half, maybe more.Is it feasible to put in free shuttle buses to the train station or do other things to make travel cheaper and easier?What actions can the organziation take that would be meaningful to fans and make an immediate difference?I read a comment from Brian Lafemina in an article the other day, in which he said that it might take years to turn around the situation with fans.I’m no marketing expert, but I was a successful businessman in my earlier career, and I know that it’s possible to turn a bad situation around quickly, but it takes dramatic action to do so.Brian, if you or your assistant is reading the 5 O’Clock Club, let me say this to you: Don’t settle for a five-year plan!Adversity brings opportunity.This week is a week where you have more opportunity, leverage and power than you are ever likely to have again.Go to Dan Snyder.Remind him that, in the NFL, teams go from worst to first every year.This is his chance to do just that.Tell him that Josh Norman and DJ Swearinger did Snyder a favor by giving people a chance to communicate loudly and in a way that Dan and the organization should be able to hear. The Redskins franchise, its management and the owner should all be paying attention right now.Strike while the iron is hot, as they say.This is the time for action, not inaction.This is the time for innovation, not a retreat into platitudes.This is a time for creative thinking, not the same old ideas that got us where we are now.This is a time to intercept the ball on the goal line, and run it out to the 32 yard line so you can go on offense and score.Brian and Dan should get in a room with the 3 or 4 most creative thinkers they know, and fix this —- not over a matter of years, but a matter of days.Find a way to follow the lead set by the players — Norman, Swearinger, Peterson, Foster, Brown and others — to fill the stadium this Sunday with screaming, excited Redskins fans.And take enough substantive action that the Redskins’ home field stays that way forevermore.Put the challenge back to the players.The fans have showed up, now give them something to cheer for.There’s no time better than right now to fix what’s wrong.Brian, Dan... do it before lunchtime.Implement the plan this afternoon.It’ll be the best decision you’ve made in years. Trent Williams injured his thumb in last week's win over the Giants. He went to visit a specialist in Pittsburgh to evaluate the extent of the injury, and the need for surgery. Dr. Jay Gruden told us yesterday that Williams did have the surgery and would miss tomorrow's game against the Falcons. He said Williams would be week to week, but gave no firm timeline for a return.Dan Graziano reported yesterday afternoon that Williams will be out a few weeks while he recovers from the surgery. "About a month" could include this week's home game against Atlanta, a road trip against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, hosting the Houston Texans, and Thanksgiving Day against the Cowboys in Dallas. Williams has played through injury before, and could return sooner, but we'll have to see how he responds to his second surgery in less than a year.The Redskins will once again turn to backup tackle Ty Nsekhe to man the left tackle spot until Williams returns. Gruden has a lot of confidence in him, and luckily he's needed on the left side of the line where his play has been much better. Third round pick Geron Christian Sr. will be active for the first time in his career, and will be the swing tackle behing Nsekhe and RT Morgan Moses.