The-Hogs.net - Washington Football Discussion, Redskins to Commanders Era

The main problem with the Washington Redskins is majority owner Dan Snyder — The Li’l General. I will explain why.

The Redskins finished 8-8 this year, out of the playoffs once again. Opinions are divided about whom to blame. Some blame rookie head coach Jim Zorn, who matched Marty Schottenheimer and Joe Gibbs by winning half of his games in his first season coaching the team. Some blame an offensive line that is old, slow, creaky and injury-prone. Some blame a corps of wideouts that consists of one genuine playmaker — Santana Moss — and a collection of rookie busts and veterans asked to do more than they can. Some blame the quarterback Jason Campbell, who has learned to prevent the big mistakes, but hasn’t learned to make the big plays. Finally, a popular target is “General Manager” Vinny Cerrato, a man with enough free time to host a truly awful talk radio show twice a week and whose services in the job he allegedly occupies are not sought by any other NFL team.

All that misses the point. The problem with the Washington Redskins is Dan Snyder.

Snyder took over the team after the 1998 season, but so late into 1999 did he take the reins that he couldn’t have any impact on the personnel of the team that year. Those Redskins finally made it to the playoffs under Head Coach Norv Turner, winning 10 games and the NFC East division title. The Redskins crushed the Detroit Lions in a home playoff game and then lost narrowly and comically to a fine Tampa Bay Buccaneers team. It seemed the Redskins might have finally turned the corner after drifting between atroicious and mediocre since the retirement of Joe Gibbs after the 1992 season.

Then Dan Snyder began to make decisions.

Snyder paid a mint for an old and over-the-hill Bruce Smith, a once-great pass-rusher the Buffalo Bills didn’t want anymore. Smith had one good season for the Redskins and then lapsed into a lame and purpose-less [for the Redskins, anyway] pursuit of the NFL career sack title. Deion Sanders was also brought in despite repeated warnings from the Dallas metro area that recent injuries meant he only had 9 working toes and wasn’t the player Snyder thought he was getting. Sanders was a slightly-better-than-average cornerback, no improvement on the man shoved into a reserve role, Darrell Green. As a punt returner, Sanders made WR James Thrash look good; Thrash averaged over 3 yards more per punt return than Sanders did. To make room for Sanders on the roster, the Redskins cut RB/RS Brian Mitchell, perhaps the most talented and useful player on the team.

And let us not forget QB Jeff George, who lobbied endlessly for the starter job over incumbent [and future Super Bowl champion] Brad Johnson. George, who famously said leadership is “overrated,” failed utterly in Washington, finishing the 2000 season ineffectually as the starter and then being cut after two weeks by new Head Coach Marty Schottenheimer in 2001.

Dan Snyder didn’t buy the Redskins to make money, though he does intend to make money with the Redskins and does, indeed, do so. Dan Snyder didn’t buy the Redskins to win Super Bowls, though he does hope to do that, too. Dan Snyder bought the Redskins to be general manager because being general manager of an NFL team is fun — particularly if you’ve got a lot of money to spend and have no boss to fire you.

I’m going to repeat that because it is important for understanding Snyder and why the Redskins have endured so much losing: Dan Snyder bought the Redskins to be general manager because being general manager of an NFL team is fun — particularly if you’ve got a lot of money to spend and have no boss to fire you.

I’m going to repeat that because it is important for understanding Snyder and why the Redskins have endured so much losing: Dan Snyder bought the Redskins to be general manager because being general manager of an NFL team is fun — particularly if you’ve got a lot of money to spend and have no boss to fire you.

Redskins cut RB/RS Brian Mitchell, perhaps the most talented and useful player on the team

PulpExposure wrote:Decent article, but it drives me crazy when people throw in useless hyperbole to prove a point they want to make...when it just isn't true.

Notably:

Redskins cut RB/RS Brian Mitchell, perhaps the most talented and useful player on the team

Irn-Bru wrote:No, I think that's a good point, PulpExposure. Piling on to the detriment of the argument is precisely the kind of thing that, over time, made me give up on the idea that Jason la Canfora would ever make a decent analyst.

Bob 0119 wrote:Oh hey, an article bashing Dan Snyder, that's new!

Redskin in Canada wrote:

Bob 0119 wrote:Oh hey, an article bashing Dan Snyder, that's new!

Get used to it. The more mediocrity, the harsher the criticism against the owner of the second most expensive sports franchise in the USA.

Bob 0119 wrote:The fact that he assumes that people can't learn from their mistakes. The fact that he assumes that people are defined only by their failures makes him fair game wouldn't you agree?

Bob 0119 wrote:

Redskin in Canada wrote:

Bob 0119 wrote:Oh hey, an article bashing Dan Snyder, that's new!

Get used to it. The more mediocrity, the harsher the criticism against the owner of the second most expensive sports franchise in the USA.

Oh I ignore it for the most part. I just can't believe people still listen to it. How about we turn the tables on LaCanfora?

Anyway, to me, this is a move the Skins had to make. You're talking about picking up dudes who can, most likely, barely play in the NFL, if at all, versus getting a future Hall of Famer and the premier sack guy in the league over the last 10 years. (Okay, maybe it's Strahan, but he's retired now.)

And Vinny Cerrato was ever-so-confident Taylor is more than a one-year rental, so that's huge, too. It was going to take a second-round pick to get him under these circumstances - the league knew the Skins were desperate as heck now, losing two DEs for the season right off the bat, including a starter.

The Redskins have traded a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2009 draft to Minnesota for defensive end Erasmus James. James has fallen out of favor with the Vikings but Washington has had a glaring need on the defensive line.

Redskins new defensive line coach John Palermo knows James well - he coached him at Wisconsin - and the Redskins are in essence giving up nothing for a player who has had some issues but certainly has potential. The deal is contingent upon James making Washington's 53-man roster. Could be a very favorable move if it works out and kudos to them for finally addressing the lack of depth in the trenches.

Gambling on broken down (Erasmus James) or old (Jason Taylor) ends, as the Redskins have done, makes no sense any more. The problem is too acute for mere Band-Aids.

PulpExposure wrote:

Bob 0119 wrote:

Redskin in Canada wrote:

Bob 0119 wrote:Oh hey, an article bashing Dan Snyder, that's new!

Get used to it. The more mediocrity, the harsher the criticism against the owner of the second most expensive sports franchise in the USA.

Oh I ignore it for the most part. I just can't believe people still listen to it. How about we turn the tables on LaCanfora?

My favorite is how when the Skins traded for Jason Taylor, he was excited and said it was the right move.

Anyway, to me, this is a move the Skins had to make. You're talking about picking up dudes who can, most likely, barely play in the NFL, if at all, versus getting a future Hall of Famer and the premier sack guy in the league over the last 10 years. (Okay, maybe it's Strahan, but he's retired now.)

And Vinny Cerrato was ever-so-confident Taylor is more than a one-year rental, so that's huge, too. It was going to take a second-round pick to get him under these circumstances - the league knew the Skins were desperate as heck now, losing two DEs for the season right off the bat, including a starter.

And when they traded for Erasmus James

The Redskins have traded a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2009 draft to Minnesota for defensive end Erasmus James. James has fallen out of favor with the Vikings but Washington has had a glaring need on the defensive line.

Redskins new defensive line coach John Palermo knows James well - he coached him at Wisconsin - and the Redskins are in essence giving up nothing for a player who has had some issues but certainly has potential. The deal is contingent upon James making Washington's 53-man roster. Could be a very favorable move if it works out and kudos to them for finally addressing the lack of depth in the trenches.

But yet, playing hindsight man...

Gambling on broken down (Erasmus James) or old (Jason Taylor) ends, as the Redskins have done, makes no sense any more. The problem is too acute for mere Band-Aids.

Right...according to JLC, good moves then, but since they didn't work out as the Redskins (AND JLC) thought they would, they're now bad moves. Right. Consistency...

roybus14 wrote:If you look at the organization as a whole, he is responsible but the fact that there is not a solid front office, that is part of the problem too.

If he get's a gm and hc, with a five-year plan, then we'd be fine...

Redskin in Canada wrote:It is true that somebody without moral authority is NOT the most qualified person to object against the competence of anybody else.

Chris Luva Luva wrote:

Redskin in Canada wrote:It is true that somebody without moral authority is NOT the most qualified person to object against the competence of anybody else.

*waves finger...

This is simply a defense mechanism for delusional fans to ignore the facts. Sure, JLC is a dbag ok fine but that doens't make what he's saying not true. But delusional fans don't want to hear that.

PulpExposure wrote:

Chris Luva Luva wrote:

Redskin in Canada wrote:It is true that somebody without moral authority is NOT the most qualified person to object against the competence of anybody else.

*waves finger...

This is simply a defense mechanism for delusional fans to ignore the facts. Sure, JLC is a dbag ok fine but that doens't make what he's saying not true. But delusional fans don't want to hear that.

OR

There actually ARE people who can disassociate the message from the writing.

There is a difference. I dislike and discount JLC's writing simply because the guy has an agenda, and is willing to write whatever he wants to fit that agenda. Even if it completely disregards, and in some cases, directly contradicts what he's written previously. It's a complete failure from the standpoint that JLC is supposed to be an objective, professional journalist. It clearly reveals he's anything but professional. And that bugs the hell out of me, because I expect more from the Washington Post, one of the most prestigious newspapers in the world. Maybe my standards are out of whack, and I should just not acknowledge when a "professional" writer provides substandard work product.

As for the Snyder/Cerrato FO issue...well basically, I embrace reality here. We don't have a great or even good FO (we also don't have the worst front office, but that's besides the point). We all know what it takes to get a better FO; sign a good GM, and get the hell out of his way while he rebuilds the team.

Really, the problem with the Redskins is lack of patience: (1) Snyder isn't patient enough for rebuilding; and (2) the fans are certainly not patient enough for a few years of rebuilding. Both Snyder and the fans are stuck in a perpetual WIN NOW state. I mean hell...a rookie HC just had an 8-8 season, inheriting a team built for a different style of play (smash-mouth versus WCO). In most other places in the nation, that'd be a fine year. Most places would recognize it takes most head coachs a few years to get the people they need to run their team, the way they see it, in place. Not here in DC, though. People on the call-in shows and on this board are saying our draft class was a bust...as if you can really evaluate a draft class after only one year (especially receivers, who historically do not contribute their first year with a team). I mean hell, people were complaining that Thomas and Kelly were busts after only a few games into the regular season. Multiple posters here are saying we should sign half of the big name free agents this year, as if we're only a few guys from the Superbowl. There is no patience here, from management to fans. It's utterly ridiculous.

With respect to how it changes, specifically regarding Snyder and our front office, there's this thing called reality. Snyder isn't going anywhere, and until he decides to change the way he runs our organization (or provide more feedback and transparency into how the organization is actually run, because all of us have nothing but speculation to deal with...and "accurate" reporting from people like JLC), our FO remains as flawed as it has ever been.

Reality - unless you want to jump ship, complaining about Snyder won't get you anywhere. Because Snyder isn't going anywhere. I don't particularly address a need to change our FO, because in my opinion, posting ad nauseum about it won't do a damn thing. I mean hell, RiC's been posting about Snyder, has a little cute quote about the FO in his sig...and all I can tell he's accomplished in the years he's posted the same thing...over and over and over again...is that he's probably on his way to a nice appointment with a hand surgeon for carpal tunnel syndrome.