Don’t blame Redskins’ Snyder for trying to win

By Connor Byrne  |   Friday, May 26, 2006  |  Comments( 28 )

 Washington Redskins
Ever since Daniel Snyder purchased the Washington Redskins in 1999, critics have piled on the billionaire, accusing him of being greedy and trying to form an NFL monopoly by throwing huge money at free agents. However, it's not Snyder's greed that's annoying his detractors, it's the fact that the owners of the teams they root for don't go the...
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CommentsComments: 28
 No.1
Cochise		 02:47 AM
05/26/2006
Snyder is a sniveling little punk who should have nothing to do with the game of football. Unlike Connor here, i have more respect for the game than to send my blessings out to some twerp with a lot of money who has turned such a storied assocaition into a mere rich mans hobby. Even though the man is willing to through around the dough, hes never getting his team to the big dance because he is a businessman, and nothing more. If he was willing to let a true football mind operate his finances and take control, the redskins would be better off
 No.2
John W. Motlasz Jr.		 06:46 AM
05/26/2006
At 1 time, I would have agreed with the last comment posted. I'm a "True Redskins Fan" since 1961. Sometimes, it take a new owners to grow-up into the sport. I really think with Mr. Snyder having brought Joe Gibbs back, he brought back the "Redskins Pride"! I hope not, but, it sounds like the the person sounding off must be a Cowboy fan. I sounds like something my son who was born in DC and is a diehard Cowboys fan would say. We always bet pizzas on the game, and I'm starting to collect. I love it! "Go Skins!"
 No.3
Pat Feeney		 12:15 PM
05/26/2006
As a long time skins fan, I have always appreciated Snyder's willingness to spend what it takes to win. As a season ticket holder I would be upset if he did otherwise given what a Sunday at Fedex costs me. If he is going to fleece me, he better spend it on players and coaches.

Without question, Snyder made some dumb and expensive moves early in his tenure as owner. However, he has rightly taken a backseat to Gibbs since he lured the HOF coach back to the team. Make no mistake, Gibbs runs the personnel department at Redskins Park with input from Cerato, Snyder and the coaching staff. Since Gibbs arrival, the team has continued to spend big in free agency but they are now spending smarter. Gibbs' acquisitions in both the draft and FA have paid major dividends for the team. The acquisitions of Marcus Washington, Cornelius Griffin, Philip Daniels, Clinton Portis, Santana Moss, Casey Rabach, Sean Springs, Chris Cooley, and Sean Taylor, stand up against any personnel department in the NFL. Snyder deserves credit for hiring one of the best minds in the history of the game and giving him the tools he needs to turn the franchise around. How many owners would drop millions to hire an offensive coordinator when his head coach is in the HOF in large part due to his genius as an offensive coordinator? Not many and Gibbs went out his way to point this out when he introduced Al Saunders as his new offensive coordinator.

By the way, the hiring of Saunders was brilliant move by Gibbs and Snyder. Not only will Saunders make the offense more dynamic and unpredictable, his hiring sends a powerful message to the team that Gibbs will do whatever it takes to make the team better, including replacing himself as the primary offensive game planner and play caller. In addition, now that Gibbs isn't calling the plays it will free him up to do what he does best, make game time/halftime adjustments. Gibbs was known for being the best game day coach in the NFL. In his second time around, the shortened play clock and halftime has hindered his ability to make changes on the fly. Now that he is free of the tedium of calling plays, he will be able to pay attention to the flow of the game and do what he does best.
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