Photo from Google Images
For most of my adult life the Redskins have not been the team that my father once revered. He promises me that they used to be good. Win or lose we are still fans. One of the most amazing facets in sports is seeing how loyal fans are even when their team never seems to live up to the legacy that they once were.
It’s no secret that when the government shutdown this past fall, so did the Washington Redskins. Only now, the government, minus a few websites, is back to work. But for the Washington Redskins, they were shut down all season.
This season taught us that sophomore slumps can turn a stadium of 91 thousand cheers into boo’s. We learned that Mike Shanahan wasn’t the coach that he still thinks he is and we’ve learned that Dan Snyder will always be the media’s number one villain.
The Redskins started this season as defending NFC East Champs coming off a 10-6 season with the NFL’s offensive Rookie of the Year leading the burgundy and gold. We all assumed that RG3 had learned an ego lesson after undergoing his second ACL surgery this past offseason. We were told that this year the team was packed with talent and Robert promised to lead his team and to win games. Well, RG3 ended the season as RG3-13. BOOOOOO!
When Mike Shanahan came to Washington he was polarized as one of the best coaches in the NFL. Maybe he was at that time. Maybe it was all John Elway or maybe Shanahan spent more time in his office tanning bed than he spent actually trying to win.
It’s no secret that Shanahan’s resume was impressive. A little dated, but still he had a proven past that he could coach and win in the NFL. Part of Shanahan’s contract in coming to Washington was that he would have full control over players and personnel operations with the title of Vice President of Football Operations when he was hired in 2010. He should have worried about having control over his son, Kyle’s, playing calling ability. He left us with a 24-40 record and three last place finishes in the NFC East in four embarrassing years. No one was sad to see the Shanahan’s leave. I was willing to help him move his ‘Ipad and 2 notebooks’ out of his office.
Dan Snyder has taken a bad rap in Washington for his role as the owner of the Washington Redskins for the last 15 years. Around the NFL is he not the most ‘liked’ owner in the league. Depending on whom you ask, he is described very differently. I’ve met Mr. Snyder and I learned that he has a sense of humor, a side of him that is rarely seen. He was nothing like the jerk that some media outlets have made him out to be all these years.
There is no doubt that Mr. Snyder wants to win. The players want to win and for the love of the sports gods the fans really want to WIN. So why can’t we just figure this Lombardi trophy out?
For years, I have heard media and fans bash Mr. Snyder for having too much control of the Redskins. When Shanahan came to Washington Mr. Snyder gave him full control of the team. Shanahan; if you demanded full control, then you should take the full responsibility for this train wreck you’ve left us with. But Shanahan doesn’t care about the Redskins. Mr. Snyder cares! Mr. Snyder listened to what advisors told him to do and even then he takes hits on and off the field. I am one of few, but I don’t blame Mr. Snyder for Shanahan’s mistakes.
In the upcoming future, Redskins fans will learn how much the front office has grown from their previous experiences as they hire the next head coach. This will be the 8th head coach under Mr. Snyder’s ownership and a true measure of seeing who can learn from our mistakes and restore the once legendary franchise.