 }})
Below is a blog I wrote on another website - 13 years ago. Sadly, it remains timely...
I've been a Daniel Snyder supporter/apologist for a long time. In actuality, I'd characterize it less as support than grudging belief that ultimately his heart and money were in the right place. In other words, not believing Snyder was Satan incarnate = support. I based my support on a couple of things:
Snyder was a lifelong Redskins fan. I knew about his Pat Fischer crush, his belt buckle. All of that. How could he not be a kindred (albeit it RICH kindred) brother?
Snyder's coaching choices were flawed, but it wasn't his fault. He inherited Norv. Shottenheimer wasn't willing to scale back his role so Snyder cut him loose 'for the good of the organization' and besides the coach with his 'my way or the highway' mentality didn't have the buy-in of the players. Snyder's 'Spurrier Experiment' was a disaster, but lets be fair, at the time Spurrier was the toast of college coaching, the 'next big thing', and an exciting potentially franchise-turning choice. And Snyder amazingly, incredibly did something we thought we'd never see, he brought our beloved revered Gibbs back. So all the chaos and multiple changes were forgiven. He'd learned the importance of bringing in a class, proven winner. Right?
Sure Snyder was rich beyond rich - most NFL observers even claimed he was interested in simply buying his way into a Super Bowl appearance, wasn't actually interested in building something meaningful long-term. But to my eyes, he was an owner who'd bust the bank to bring in talent. Sure, he'd overspent at times on free agents, meanwhile seeming inexpicably to let budding stars depart for what seemed like peanuts. But that was likely based on his coaches preferences, and ultimately, unlike many other team owners, he seemed willing to spend whatever it took to put a winning team together. Who could fault an owner for a willingness to spend at any cost?
I find myself viewing things more cynically of late. And Mr. Snyder, when the homers start falling by the wayside, its time to pay attention. What you've done as a Redskin owner - it hasn't worked. We're not winning. We're not getting better. Gibbs II is beginning to look like a disaster. This franchise has not been resurrected. The team built to win now is losing now. Generations of Redskins fan are turning into self-loathing cannibals. Turn on your radio stations, read your own messageboard, its falling apart, and its going to get ugly soon. Fans can only take so much. Ultimately you are a CEO. Your stock just fell for the gazillionth straight quarter Mr. Snyder. The natives are restless. And they deserve better. The bucks, and there are a lot of them, they stop with you.
What you've given us - no matter how hard you've tried - it isn't enough. Its not nearly enough. And I'll tell you another secret - I'm done buying Redskins tickets, making trips up from NC, buying jerseys, gear for my son, I'm done with all of it until I start seeing something meaningful from the team I've followed and loved since I was a 7 year old in Alexandria. I had a belt buckle too. I'm just beginning to forget why it was so appealing. Thats a sad sad thing. And at some point, I have to ask, what is Daniel Snyder going to do to bring my beloved Redskins back? Because you are not getting the job done sir. The only thing thats kept the Washington Redskins from being the Detroit Lions or the Arizona Cardinals all these years was the fan's undying belief that we were somehow genetically different from those types of perennially pathetic teams. I think we're on the verge of losing that pride and arrogant hopefulness.
What are you going to do Mr. Snyder, to turn this franchise around?
I've been a Daniel Snyder supporter/apologist for a long time. In actuality, I'd characterize it less as support than grudging belief that ultimately his heart and money were in the right place. In other words, not believing Snyder was Satan incarnate = support. I based my support on a couple of things:
Snyder was a lifelong Redskins fan. I knew about his Pat Fischer crush, his belt buckle. All of that. How could he not be a kindred (albeit it RICH kindred) brother?
Snyder's coaching choices were flawed, but it wasn't his fault. He inherited Norv. Shottenheimer wasn't willing to scale back his role so Snyder cut him loose 'for the good of the organization' and besides the coach with his 'my way or the highway' mentality didn't have the buy-in of the players. Snyder's 'Spurrier Experiment' was a disaster, but lets be fair, at the time Spurrier was the toast of college coaching, the 'next big thing', and an exciting potentially franchise-turning choice. And Snyder amazingly, incredibly did something we thought we'd never see, he brought our beloved revered Gibbs back. So all the chaos and multiple changes were forgiven. He'd learned the importance of bringing in a class, proven winner. Right?
Sure Snyder was rich beyond rich - most NFL observers even claimed he was interested in simply buying his way into a Super Bowl appearance, wasn't actually interested in building something meaningful long-term. But to my eyes, he was an owner who'd bust the bank to bring in talent. Sure, he'd overspent at times on free agents, meanwhile seeming inexpicably to let budding stars depart for what seemed like peanuts. But that was likely based on his coaches preferences, and ultimately, unlike many other team owners, he seemed willing to spend whatever it took to put a winning team together. Who could fault an owner for a willingness to spend at any cost?
I find myself viewing things more cynically of late. And Mr. Snyder, when the homers start falling by the wayside, its time to pay attention. What you've done as a Redskin owner - it hasn't worked. We're not winning. We're not getting better. Gibbs II is beginning to look like a disaster. This franchise has not been resurrected. The team built to win now is losing now. Generations of Redskins fan are turning into self-loathing cannibals. Turn on your radio stations, read your own messageboard, its falling apart, and its going to get ugly soon. Fans can only take so much. Ultimately you are a CEO. Your stock just fell for the gazillionth straight quarter Mr. Snyder. The natives are restless. And they deserve better. The bucks, and there are a lot of them, they stop with you.
What you've given us - no matter how hard you've tried - it isn't enough. Its not nearly enough. And I'll tell you another secret - I'm done buying Redskins tickets, making trips up from NC, buying jerseys, gear for my son, I'm done with all of it until I start seeing something meaningful from the team I've followed and loved since I was a 7 year old in Alexandria. I had a belt buckle too. I'm just beginning to forget why it was so appealing. Thats a sad sad thing. And at some point, I have to ask, what is Daniel Snyder going to do to bring my beloved Redskins back? Because you are not getting the job done sir. The only thing thats kept the Washington Redskins from being the Detroit Lions or the Arizona Cardinals all these years was the fan's undying belief that we were somehow genetically different from those types of perennially pathetic teams. I think we're on the verge of losing that pride and arrogant hopefulness.
What are you going to do Mr. Snyder, to turn this franchise around?
