| I think it’s high time Redskins owner Daniel Snyder
started receiving credit for the outstanding job he is doing. The man has put his stamp
on the team, and that stamp says, "Super Bowl or bust."
He has brought an energy to the team. He has brought a do-whatever-it-takes attitude to
the team. He has brought a belief that anything short of reach-for-the-stars glory is
unacceptable.
So why isn’t he getting more credit?
The answer is that he turned off people to such a huge degree in the early days of his
ownership that they have been blinded to the fact that he has actually done a great job.
If this were a beauty contest, the odds on Snyder winning Mr. Congeniality would be
99-1.
I’ll admit that I was one of those people who was totally turned off by the man
and his tactics. Immediately after buying the team, Snyder displayed all of the subtlety
of a bulldozer in a rose garden.
And while I think he could have displayed more finesse, the characteristics that made
Snyder such a lightning rod for criticism at first are exactly what have put the Redskins
in position to compete for the Super Bowl this season.
If he is going to make a mistake, it is going to be an aggressive mistake. I’ll
take that over an error of complacency every day of the week. The upside to Snyder’s
approach is that this aggressiveness has allowed the Redskins to add so much talent this
offseason that it almost makes it look as though most of the league’s decision-makers
are idly sitting on their hands, their Rolodexes or their checkbooks.
If the Redskins fail to win the Super Bowl, they will not have to spend the offseason
muttering that it was because they failed to do everything possible to put themselves in a
position to grab the brass ring. That fact reflects very positively on Snyder.
Snyder does not get all the credit. Charley Casserly made a number of moves that built
an intriguing foundation for this team before he was pushed aside by Snyder. It was
Casserly who brought in QB Brad Johnson, who has been critical to the team’s growth.
It was Casserly who maneuvered so deftly on Draft Day 1999, allowing the Redskins to
acquire a premium pick in the first round of the 2000 draft and still get future superstar
Champ Bailey in the first round of the ’99 draft. It was Casserly who stole OT Jon
Jansen in the second round of the ’99 draft.
Kudos to Casserly, a fine GM who deserved better than he got from Snyder.
That said, once he decided he could do without Casserly, Snyder and his lieutenants
have done a masterful job.
When Jerry Jones decided he and Jimmy Johnson could no longer work together, Jones
compounded the poor decision by bringing in Barry Switzer. The Cowboys won a Super Bowl
under Switzer, but that was entirely because of the incredible talent Johnson had put
together. They won in spite of Switzer, not because of him. Switzer’s legacy is that
he eventually pulled the Cowboys down earlier than was necessary.
Snyder has not followed this path. After making the decision to let a good man go, the
ship has been righted by making sound, forward-thinking moves.
On his watch since then, the Redskins have added future Hall of Fame DE Bruce Smith.
They have added S Mark Carrier. They have added QB Jeff George as amazing insurance for
any injuries to Johnson. They re-signed DE Marco Coleman. They built on the draft picks
Casserly stockpiled and moved up in Round One to secure the second and third overall picks
and grab difference-making OLB LaVar Arrington and OT Chris Samuels. Arrington has the
potential to be an attention-getting star. Samuels fills the one glaring weakness the team
had.
Plus, the Redskins are expected to make a strong run at signing dynamic CB Deion
Sanders down the road. If Mr. Sanders goes to Washington, the Redskins just might be the
overwhelming Super Bowl favorites. Even if Sanders signs elsewhere, you still have to
admire the full-speed-ahead approach Snyder & Co. are taking to bringing in as much
talent as possible.
What really has to have opposing teams scratching their heads in frustration is the
fact that the Redskins apparently are not mortgaging the foreseeable future by bringing
all of these players into the fold. Because of the strong revenue stream from their
stadium, quality marketing and an owner who has shown he will be willing to shell out the
bonus money to keep renegotiating deals, the Redskins should be able to avoid salary-cap
catastrophe while remaining an elite team. If the Redskins’ high-priced, big-bonus
players remain healthy and productive, the franchise will be in great shape.
I suspect that we will learn in the coming years that Snyder will be like Eddie
DeBartolo Jr. was when he owned the 49ers — a very difficult man to work for
(especially if you are the head coach) whose teams will win and win big.
My advice to Redskins head coach Norv Turner, a quality coach and an even better man,
is that he load up on champagne for the victories ahead and Maalox for the outbursts from
the owner’s box after losses.
I’m quite certain that I wouldn’t want to work for Snyder. That said, his
win-or-else mentality is providing sensational results that should not be overlooked. |
