While eating lunch with a few coworkers the other day, a pharmacy-specialist began asking me questions about the Redskins after she read my post about the 2011 draft. She asked about drafting, upper management, and the fan base, among other things.
After a brief explanation of how teams can trade away future draft picks for (often washed up) players, I decided to devote most of my explanatory time towards the front office and our fans.
Since our most recent regime change (Kent Cooke to Snyder) in 1999, the Redskins have made the playoffs three times: 1999, 2005, and 2007.
I don’t care how anemic your team’s franchise is historically, three playoff appearances in 12 seasons are unacceptable: especially for the best fans in the league.
I admit that some of the moves made by player-personnel over these past 12 seasons have been to my liking; I’ll even admit that it can be very difficult to walk away from blockbuster trades and larger-than-life free agents.
I’m also not being paid to make these titanic decisions.
Now, no one really knows how much input an owner has on personnel decisions, but if Jerry Jones is any example, it’s safe to say owners get what they want.
Dan Snyder, the owner of the Redskins, is first and foremost a businessman: he made his fortune away from the team. And, like any businessman knows, the main goal is overall profit.
Dan Snyder has continued to succeed.
Luring head coaches like Steve Spurrier, Joe Gibbs, and Marty Schottenheimer to head the team were great business decisions, ones the created so much publicity that even Florida Gator fans were seen at home games in DC.
Bringing Hall of Famers Bruce Smith and Deion Sanders to the team, again, was great business.
Jersey sales for these legends made Snyder money, fan attendance to see “Primetime” made Snyder money—everything Snyder does is of the businessman mentality.
Some people were not meant to head a successful on-the-field organization: it’s safe to say that up until now, Mr. Snyder falls into that category. Who knows what the future holds in terms of the team’s success against the rest of the NFL.
One thing is certain: our fans will ALWAYS be there supporting the team we love.
We’ll be there for those eight home games (and heaven forbid a home playoff game), supporting our team with tickets we got from a neighbor, a coworker, or as the lucky winner of some sweepstakes.
All we can do is hope that the recent changes, adding proven successful heads of pro-football organizations like Mike Shanahan and Bruce Allen, will lead to overall success, not just success in the team’s ledger.
(Jonathan Wigginton is the Chat Sports Senior Writer for the Washington Redskins)
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