WP: For a Troubled Organization, Blame Resides at the Top

[Chris]

For a Troubled Organization, Blame Resides at the Top
By Sally Jenkins
Thursday, October 1, 2009

The Redskins are full of talk about personal responsibility this week, mouthing all the right words and saying they can still turn things around if they are individually accountable and stick together. But my question is, how much can a team really subscribe to personal responsibility when the guy who is by far the most responsible for the state of the franchise, the owner, ducks it?

For a decade now, Daniel Snyder has made an utter mess of the team, and yet he seldom, if ever, takes responsibility for it. He operates from behind a phalanx of security, proxies and media managers, routinely declining to comment and be accountable. He wants all the fun when they win and none of the blame when they lose.

Click on the link below for the remainder-

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/30/AR2009093004775.html

 

[Chris]

Okay, so fess up. Which of you here are Sally Jenkins?

 

[Jimbo]

I'm Sally Jenk.......no, wait.....I'm Spartacus!

"It's absurdly early to write off the 2009-10 Redskins as a failure at 1-2" is about the ONLY line I disagree with. From what I've seen, it would take a minor miracle for this team to rebound.

 

[Sarge]

He wants all the fun when they win and none of the blame when they lose. The most damning anecdote I've heard yet about Snyder came this week from his former player-confidante LaVar Arrington, who described how Snyder would stand outside the locker room and shake hands with players when they won, but glared and declined to offer a hand when they lost.

Snyder personality in a nut shell

Can we, as a collective, sue Sally for plagerism?

It's obvious she's been here

 

[Yusuf06]

The really sad and interesting thing to me is that Jenkins, like many of us has been saying this stuff for years. The responses from other fans generally ranged anywhere from "Just more media haters" to "Find another team to root for".

I'd much rather that those of us that refused to drink the Kool-Aide had been proven wrong about Snyder. However, I guess the next best thing is that the light seems to have finally come on for some folks. :new_idea: Maybe, just maybe, fan discontent has finally reached a tipping point where the seeds of change might find conditions suitable to germinate and grow.

 

[Hog Fever]

Man, I hope you’re right Yusef.

As a rule I can’t stand Sally Jenkins. It's just the tone of her articles that grates on me. She also makes some mistakes in this article. If Snyder was more out front than what he is now he’d be crucified in the press for sure. She's be writing articles that he needs to sign the check and disappear. We all know that regardless of what he says people are going to hate him. Now she wants him to give interviews after every loss? Come on. Here is the only statement that matters regarding Dan: Until he wins he will be hated by most in DC. Win, and almost everything else will be forgiven. Just ask George Steinbrenner.

Sally gets damn near everything else right this time. We’ve all said the same here. This year has been the first year that I feel myself starting to get numb to all of it. I hate feeling that way. All the Skins’ issues definitely start at the top. It’s like that with any organization. The question becomes, will Dan ever get it? If he doesn’t the team will never be better than about .500 regardless of how much cash he throws at the team.

 

[Billfishead]

Hog Fever,I cordially disagree with you that all Snyder has to do is win and all will be forgiven. Snyder has driven the "Redskin Bandwagon" not only down a hill, but off a cliff. He has alienated almost every Redskin fan by mismanaging and mishandling every aspect of this organization. From Vinny down to parking, tailgating and everything in between. I and everyone I know is fed up with Dan Snyder and how he is destroying this proud team. I only wish I new how to get rid of his stinking ass.

 

[PennSkinsfan]

Hog Fever,I cordially disagree with you that all Snyder has to do is win and all will be forgiven. Snyder has driven the "Redskin Bandwagon" not only down a hill, but off a cliff. He has alienated almost every Redskin fan by mismanaging and mishandling every aspect of this organization. From Vinny down to parking, tailgating and everything in between. I and everyone I know is fed up with Dan Snyder and how he is destroying this proud team. I only wish I new how to get rid of his stinking ass.

Good post and I could not agree more. Winning will make me feel better as a fan, when I sit and cheer my team on, argue with friends, wear my gear, but I am not sure it is good enough to lure me back to FEDEX and hand Dan Snyder my money.

 

[Hog Fever]

I understand the feeling, believe me. I just don't agree. If the team was in the playoffs year after year the focus would be less on Dan Snyder and more on the teams winning ways. That is the goal right, to win? We're all upset because the team sucks. The other stuff is secondary. Because the team is not winning everything regarding the team is under more scrutiny by fans and the media: Vinny, Zorn, ticket prices, parking, everything.

If we had a 12 win team year in and year out with a Super Bowl victory or two in the past ten years, there wouldn't be too much to complain about. The stands would be full whether you or I choose to be there or not. People love winners. There is a reason that when a team wins a Super Bowl they sell a lot of jerseys the next year.

If Dan had been a more "fan friendly" owner and had some goodwill in the bank maybe it wouldn't be as big of a deal when the team was bad, but I bet what most people would say is something like "Yeah, he's a great guy but his teams suck. I'm not going to the games or buying any of their gear until they put a winner on the field."

 

[Spence]

Winning solves almost everything. The Redskins have a terrible home game day experience and the prices for everything are outrageous -- even by the degraded standards of American pro sports. Nevertheless, people would grumble far less about it if the team was good. It's amazing what sports fans will put up with if the team is bad. They'll put up with just about anything if the team is good.