Somewhere around 1990, I discovered that local sports bars had the ability to pick up out of market NFL games via satellite—I was 13 years old. It took a little convincing to get my parents to start lugging me to these places to watch my Redskins each Sunday they weren’t on local TV, but being the wonderful parents they are, they complied. They continued this compliance until I was finally able to purchase NFL Sunday Ticket in my own home in 1999.
So, for the past 18 years or so, I have rarely missed a Redskins game. In fact, I’d guess the total number of games I have not watched live over that span is less than 10. I certainly haven’t missed a “big” game or playoff game over that span—although, that hasn’t been a difficult task. I can also probably count those games on two hands as well.
But I don’t think I’ll be watching this Sunday. Yes, I’ve said that in advance of games before out of anger over the latest disappointment and yes, I’ve found myself plopped on the couch come game time, but I say it this week not out of anger or frustration, but out of apathy. I just don’t care.
Many of my fellow fans are furious right now with the Redskins collapse this season. At 4-1, we looked like world-beaters. At 6-2, we looked primed to make a serious playoff push. Even at 7-4, we looked to be at least headed in the right direction. But now, sitting at 7-7, following three incredibly disheartening and uninspired losses, the Redskins look lifeless. First year head coach Jim Zorn has gone from a fresh, cocksure, upstart coach to a disheveled, confused mess. After the Redskins latest debacle in Cincinnati, Zorn looked as if he had been in a tornado; his hair muffled, and his face tattered and wrinkled. He looked lost. Welcome to the Washington Redskins coach; we knew you’d fall in line sooner or later!
In response to this disaster, many fans are staging revolts, trying to organize protests and walkouts. One local radio station is even promoting a “Give Your Tickets to an Eagles Fan” protest this week. It’s all cute and nice, and if it makes people feel better to express their dejection in those ways, then I have no qualms with it. However, I hope they realize that it will all be in vein. It will accomplish nothing. Many fans believe that “hitting the organization in the wallet” will finally force them to make changes. But that doesn't apply here.
In places like Cincinnati and Detroit, where ownership has been notoriously tight with their cash, fans have been staging these types of protests for years to no avail.
But hoarding the fans money is not the problem with the Redskins. Owner Daniel Snyder spares no expense when it comes to his roster and coaching staff. No signing bonus is too high, no price is too steep. And as much as fans complain about getting “fleeced” by the prices at FedEx Field, the bottom line attending a Redskins game really doesn’t differ greatly from that of other NFL teams.
And effort isn’t an issue within the Redskins organization either. I believe that no fan wants the Redskins to succeed
more than Snyder. I do not believe that he sits in the owner’s box counting his pennies and giggling wildly as the Redskins lose another game.
And I do not believe that Snyder longs for the spotlight. I follow the Redskins via television and the Internet on a daily basis year-round, and I can’t remember the last time I saw an actual interview with Snyder. He doesn’t stand on the sidelines and he has actually made requests to the networks to not show him on TV during the games. He seems uneasy in front of the camera. And in the one recent instance where he was
forced to be a public face of the organization—in the aftermath of Sean Taylor’s death—he handled himself quite well and represented the organization with class and dignity. He spared no expense in making sure Taylor’s family and his memory will be forever remembered by the organization.
Dan Snyder
cares. Maybe too much.
I think he learned during his first four years of ownership that the organization desperately needed a leader and desperately needed to reconnect with the fans. He needed someone to right the ship for him. Miraculously, he brought back Joe Gibbs. And while Gibbs never reached the pinnacle in his second stint with the Redskins, Snyder clearly took a step back and let Gibbs run the show. For four years, Gibbs was the face of the franchise, leaving his mark on all aspects of the organization. And for the most part, the fans were content. Not thrilled with the results, but happy that the team seemed to have some direction, some on field success, and most importantly, some pride. During those four years, the Redskins gradually got better during the season, and made two exciting runs into the post-season; the second of which was so emotionally fueled by the Taylor tragedy.
But as so often happens following a tragedy, a family disintegrated. Gibbs was burned out, and abruptly retired four years in to his five-year plan. I firmly believe Snyder was caught off guard by this decision and did everything in his power to get Gibbs to stay on board for one more season to see if he could finish what he started. But Gibbs didn’t have it in him. And Snyder was left on island again. Suddenly, the face of the franchise was gone. It was again in Snyder’s hands.
As a fan, I actually liked and respected the decision to go with Zorn over more qualified candidates. I liked the outside-the-box thinking. I liked the gamble. But in typical Redskins fashion, the
way they did it was a muddled mess. It took forever, there seemed to be deception, confusion, and even rumors of secret meetings. Everyone was in the dark. The players expressed frustration and anxiety over the process, and the fans were up in arms over the indecision. Then, suddenly Jim Zorn was the coach- the guy they hired a month earlier to be the offensive coordinator. It was an odd process to say the least. And odd processes don’t endear themselves to employees (players) or customers (fans).
There was a “rudderless” feeling to the Redskins entering the season and it came to a crescendo after an opening night drubbing by the Giants. Then, the Redskins went on their impressive four game winning streak, and it appeared as if Snyder had perhaps finally made a shrewd move. But the vultures weren’t far away. Two months later, the organization appears to be in chaos—perhaps as much chaos as there was in 2002 before Gibbs came back. It appears as if all of the positive things Gibbs did for the Redskins have been for naught.
I’m not worried about
intentions, I believe Snyder’s intentions are good. I’m worried about
results. And the results seem to indicate that when he is at the forefront of the decision-making, things don’t go very well.
So, where to go from here?
Personally, I like Zorn and I hope he survives what will most likely be a tumult in the coming weeks. I think Zorn is intelligent and forthright, and I believe he can improve his weaknesses and grow into a quality head coach.
But more than anything, I believe the Redskins need a strong,
singular voice to make all football related decisions for the long-term. This is really only General Manager Vinny Cerrato’s first year making football decisions for the Redskins and while I think he is made out to be a scapegoat by many fans, his strong personal ties to Snyder paint him to be a cronie-type figure. He is not particularly well respected among his peers and is more or less hated by local media. Right or wrong, this perception filters throughout the organization and leads to much of the dissatisfaction with the way things run around Redskins Park.
Snyder must find an organizational leader. He found one with Gibbs, and in many ways, Gibbs did accomplish the basic goal of making the Redskins respectable again. But in his next search, Snyder must find someone who plans to stick around for longer than four years. He needs to find someone who has a defined plan and isn’t afraid to make the team significantly worse before it gets better.
Unfortunately for Zorn, this new leader may want to hire his own coach, who will then implement his own staff. The roster will then be built around their philosophies and strengths. And Snyder needs to take a backseat during this process. He did it for Gibbs, but would he be willing to do it for someone less legendary?
I have been a rarity amongst Redskins fans. I have supported and defended Snyder. And I still truly believe that much of what is said and written about him is blatantly false. However, Snyder’s next move could potentially be the straw that breaks the camels back for me.
If Snyder lets Cerrato go, hires a qualified person to make football related decisions, and that person chooses to fire Zorn after one season, I will accept that. I will feel bad for Zorn and say he was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time and wish him the best down the road.
But if Snyder retains Cerrato in his current role and decides to fire Zorn, I will officially join the ranks of the anti-Snyder faction. While my hope is dwindling, it is not lost—but that decision could result in hopelessness that we will never succeed under Snyder. I don’t care if Snyder hires Bill Cohwer or reincarnates Vince Lombardi—if he does so without relinquishing total control to someone who can run football operations, I will consider it a bad move.
Snyder’s third choice would be to maintain the status quo. Retain Cerrato and Zorn and continue on their current path. To me, this is also an unacceptable option. The time has come for someone to step in and truly
run the Redskins. Someone that is accountable and someone that we
know is calling the shots. Someone that understands how to build a team and someone that can help guide some of Snyder’s energy and money into acquiring the right pieces of the puzzle.
I won’t be burning t-shirts or ripping up tickets in disgust this week. I won’t be making derogatory signs or wearing a bag over me head. I won’t be telling my friends and family to return any Redskins items they purchased for me this holiday season. I’ll just be absent. I’ll be absent both in mind and body when the Redskins take the field on Sunday. There is nothing to see here. Nothing they can “show me” over the final two games that matters. Nothing to get excited about.
The man to turn around the Redskins is out there…..somewhere. Does Dan Snyder have the stones to find him and hand him the reins?
If he doesn’t, there may not be too many 13 year old Redskins fans begging their parents to take them to sports bars anymore.
