Grantland: Snyder Stays Silent: Why Washington’s Quiet Offseason Provides a Welcome Change in D.C.

[MattFancy]

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/2015-nfl-offseason-washington-redskins-scot-mccloughan-daniel-snyder/

 

Not too long ago, the Washington Redskins would have been considered a primary bidder for Ndamukong Suh, who signed a contract with Miami that would make even Albert Haynesworth blush,¹ and Darrelle Revis — the shiny, big-name, expensive defensive prizes of the 2015 free-agent class. Instead, the franchise went for the cheaper and younger (and, yes, inferior) versions of those players, signing Stephen Paea and Chris Culliver to palatable four-year deals. For those accustomed to the annual March ritual of Redskins owner Daniel Snyder sidling up to the nearest aging defender with checkbook in hand, it has been a disorienting offseason.

 

The national media remained largely silent about Washington over the past month, instead caught up in an unexpected maelstrom of trades that don’t involve a 4-12 team. But it’s a noteworthy development in itself when the offseason quacking in the NFC East is now coming from somewhere else.

 

After years of lunacy, Washington was placed in a financial straitjacket for, um, spending money during the uncapped 2010 season. The NFL’s $36 million punishment was unjustifiable, but the Redskins apparently took notes when forced to pinch pennies. Now, they’re doing it by choice.

This change in philosophy coincides with the January arrival of general manager Scot McCloughan, who is quickly blazing a trail similar to the one that led him to success on each of his previous NFL stops.² McCloughan earned Super Bowl rings with the 1996 Packers and 2013 Seahawks; in between, he built the core of a 49ers squad that would eventually make three consecutive conference title games. Now, the Redskins GM is focused on rebuilding a dismal Washington defense that allowed 27.4 points per game in 2014, third-worst in the NFL.

[Bantu]

Fingers crossed Scot can work miracles.

[skinsnut1823]

It bears some comfort in knowing we have someone driving the bus toward long term talent and stability than one who is looking for the flashy pickup....so far. It still is a bit too early to pass judgement if Scott is truly above the Redskins past histories of the owners choice over the right choice. Time will tell.

[RFKFedEx]

The timing of this article would have been more relevant in the off seasons of 2011-12. Spring time in Ashburn was quiet in the early Shanallen admin. That was a change of pace for the first time in many years. Bringing up a Haynesworth reference today seems a little dated. Aside from RG3, we haven't had a blockbuster March since 2009. JMO

[Bantu]

The timing of this article would have been more relevant in the off seasons of 2011-12. Spring time in Ashburn was quiet in the early Shanallen admin. That was a change of pace for the first time in many years. Bringing up a Haynesworth reference today seems a little dated. Aside from RG3, we haven't had a blockbuster March since 2009. JMO

I have to kind agree with this. I don't think much of Bruce Allen but i admit he is great when it comes to contract and salary issues. I loathe Dan Snyder, too, but bringing up Fat Albert, Deion, etc is just lazy reporting and just plain inaccurate as of the last few years.

[HAILSKINSNYC]

once again, the perceptions are not the reality when it concerns Snyder.....I'm probably one of the few Snyder supporters out there, but every time I see this nonsense, I'm not sure whether to laugh or throw something.

 

I already see the narrative being formed by the media that when RG3 leaves and becomes successful elsewhere, it will be Snyder's fault that he wasn't successful here....what a joke.

[Probos]

once again, the perceptions are not the reality when it concerns Snyder.....I'm probably one of the few Snyder supporters out there, but every time I see this nonsense, I'm not sure whether to laugh or throw something.

 

I already see the narrative being formed by the media that when RG3 leaves and becomes successful elsewhere, it will be Snyder's fault that he wasn't successful here....what a joke.

 

So what you're saying is the failures, on multiple levels, of this franchise over the past 15 years have nothing to do with Snyder?

[HAILSKINSNYC]

So what you're saying is the failures, on multiple levels, of this franchise over the past 15 years have nothing to do with Snyder?

 

I never said "nothing".   The biggest problem the past 15 years has been coaching and subpar QB play.    Throw in Cerrato; which you can blame Snyder for.....but to think that Snyder's so called meddling has been the biggest issue or even an issue is pure, utter nonsense.

 

You have to be really naive to think all owners aren't involved to a certain extent.

[SkinsGuy]

The timing of this article would have been more relevant in the off seasons of 2011-12. Spring time in Ashburn was quiet in the early Shanallen admin. That was a change of pace for the first time in many years. Bringing up a Haynesworth reference today seems a little dated. Aside from RG3, we haven't had a blockbuster March since 2009. JMO

I agree.

What the author of the article says is true, but it is half a decade too late.

The Redskins haven't gone after big, splashy free agents for a while now. The fact that they have to go back five years to Haynesworth (and even further back to Deion Sanders) to make his point shows that.

[Bishop Hammer]

What has me worried is if the team isn't a powerhouse next year and people freak out. Its easy to say "we'll be bad for a couple year but be better off in the long run" when games aren't being played.

[SkinsGuy]

What has me worried is if the team isn't a powerhouse next year and people freak out. Its easy to say "we'll be bad for a couple year but be better off in the long run" when games aren't being played.

So true. LOL

You see so much of that right on this board. It's so easy for folks to say now, in March, they are only expecting five wins, six wins, and that's fine, because we are building for the future. A little pain now for a lot of gain later.

However, come September and October, boy does that attitude change. They are the loudest when it comes to the team not winning in a season they claim they weren't expecting many.

Sacrificing is easy in the Spring. Not so easy in the Fall.

[Shiv]

Scot told Danny boy "Shhhhhhhhhhhh, go to sleep little baby, I'll take care of this."

 

[Califan007 The Constipated]

"For those accustomed to the annual March ritual of Redskins owner Daniel Snyder sidling up to the nearest aging defender with checkbook in hand, it has been a disorienting offseason."

 

No, it hasn't been disorienting. It's been more of the same for the Redskins under Allen, only with what appears to be much better FAs signed to those reasonable contracts we've been dealing in since 2010. There also seems to be a specific FA plan -- target the defense, specifically the D-Line.

 

 

After years of lunacy, Washington was placed in a financial straitjacket for, um, spending money during the uncapped 2010 season. The NFL’s $36 million punishment was unjustifiable, but the Redskins apparently took notes when forced to pinch pennies. Now, they’re doing it by choice."

 

No, the Redskins were doing this before the cap penalties. It's not due to being restrained by the cap penalty...it's due to Bruce Allen.

 

 

 

"This change in philosophy coincides with the January arrival of general manager Scot McCloughan..."

 

No, it coincided with Bruce Allen's arrival.

 

We have been linked to every big-name free agent since 2010 and outside of Desean Jackson (and Hatcher if you want to consider him a "big name" FA in 2014) none of those speculations and rumors have come true. In 2010 the story being regurgitated ad nauseum was that in the uncapped year Snyder was planning on "spending like it's Monopoly money" and Julius Peppers was going to be given a monstrous contract by "little Danny", seeing as he was the big ticket item and there was nothing stopping Dan Snyder from doing so. Instead, Allen used the uncapped year to clean up the cap mess of years past and we brought in "big name" free agents like Artis Hicks, Larry Johnson, Ma'ake Kemoeatu and Rex Grossman. I don't think any of them made more than around $3 mil for the season.

[Sacks 'n' Stuff]

Snyder has made great strides. I'd bump him up to the 2nd tier of professional sports owners.

 

Of course, my previous rankings looked like this.

 

3rd tier: Snyder & Sterling

2nd tier: Haslam

1st tier: Everybody else

[TSO]

What has me worried is if the team isn't a powerhouse next year and people freak out. Its easy to say "we'll be bad for a couple year but be better off in the long run" when games aren't being played.

Same exact thing was being said with regards to Gruden last year as well. "Give him time to turn this disaster around" and "it's going to take a few years, he's a rookie HC inheriting a crap team".

It's the exact same posters who loathe him, now, too. And most of us know why and even when that change occurred.

God help Scot if he does anything they perceive as wrong to you-know-who.

[RFKFedEx]

Reputations are built on actions. Changing the rep around here is going to entail several years of inaction from ownership. The author's perception mirrors that of the non burgundy & gold public. We're still paying the price for the Snyder 2000s in the court of public opinion. The RG3 trade ramped up the public's perception for Snyder's meddling, despite the fact that no free agents were involved in that deal. It'll take a full decade of no big name FA's to change the public's mind. We're half way there. 

[Califan007 The Constipated]

Reputations are built on actions. Changing the rep around here is going to entail several years of inaction from ownership. The author's perception mirrors that of the non burgundy & gold public. We're still paying the price for the Snyder 2000s in the court of public opinion. The RG3 trade ramped up the public's perception for Snyder's meddling, despite the fact that no free agents were involved in that deal. It'll take a full decade of no big name FA's to change the public's mind. We're half way there. 

 

So which is it...several years or a full decade? lol...

[ZRagone]

Same exact thing was being said with regards to Gruden last year as well. "Give him time to turn this disaster around" and "it's going to take a few years, he's a rookie HC inheriting a crap team".

It's the exact same posters who loathe him, now, too. And most of us know why and even when that change occurred.

God help Scot if he does anything they perceive as wrong to you-know-who.

 

Here's at least my difference between Gruden and Scot.

 

First, a HC is usually judged by the season. A GM is judged by free agency and the draft.

 

Both guys had people saying "give them some time and let's see what can happen" when they were first grabbed.

 

However, a true test of how peoples perceptions may change, in my eyes, can't be had until after free agency period.

 

The change on Gruden wasn't a sudden thing. It grew over a season (where the coach is more likely to be judged) where he was making a number of decisions that people found to be questionable. Whether that was the makeup of his coaching staff (not bothering to have a QB coach, partially taking on that AND OC responsabilities on top of HC duties), his in game play calling/decisions, his attitude with his press, or the seeming manner in which he handled players......it was stuff related to what he actually DID that turned some posters off on him.

 

Had we won 10 games and those same things somehow still happened, would people have been as down on him? Probably not.

 

If we had only won 4 games, but by and large people were happier with play calling, he had a relatively normal coaching staff under him, and he handled the media and his views towards players better, would bpeople have been as down on him? Probably not as well.

 

Clou is in the middle of the time period where GM's are generally judged. And thus far, unlikely Gruden, he seems to be doing and saying things that are viewed as favorable to the vast majority of fans. When it comes to communicating, by and large people seem to be pretty happy with what he's saying (recent comments about O-Line, BPA talk, etc). When it comes to actions, the view of free agency this year has been overwhelmingly positive. We'll see what happens with the draft and how that effects how people view him.

 

If he has a good draft, but we still do poorly this year, I think there will some people who may be a bit impatient. However, I think by and large he'll get more of a benefit of the doubt than Gruden did. That's because unlike Gruden, it seems that his actions during the period where he's reasonably being evaluated by the fans will be viewed as positive from the vast majority of folks. As such, it'll be easier to swallow a "bad result" because it will still feel like we are going in the right direction.

 

The problem for many people with Gruden was that based on HIS ACTIONS and HIS DECISIONS during the time of the year where fans evaluate him, it felt like we were not only losing football games...but we were actively not going in the right direction.

 

Telling people to be patient on a 4 hour trip because you want to go the speed limit is one thing. They may want you to go faster, but they at least undrestand you're going in the right direction even if you're going there slowly, and your slowness has a purpose (not to be pulled over).

 

Telling people to be patient on a 4 hour trip, and then it seems you're driving in the completely opposite direction, is generally going to make some people suddenly have a little less faith in giving you that patience.

[BRAVEONTHEWARPATH93]

Jason Hatcher (aging, oft-injured defender) and D Jax (granted I love his game ) weren't splashing signings? Overpaying Andre Roberts didn't reek of Vinny?

 

 

I'll just leave it at I prefer offseasons like the present one. 

[RFKFedEx]

So which is it...several years or a full decade? lol...

Lets go with several YEARS bc that sounds sooner than a decade. 

[Califan007 The Constipated]

Jason Hatcher (aging, oft-injured defender) and D Jax (granted I love his game ) weren't splashing signings? Overpaying Andre Roberts didn't reek of Vinny?

 

 

I'll just leave it at I prefer offseasons like the present one. 

 

I already mentioned Jackson (and possibly Hatcher).

 

And, no, Andre Roberts is most definitely not a "big name"/"splashy" FA signing, regardless of whether or not he performed up to the contract we gave him. Signing a 35 year old Santana Moss to that contract would have "reeked of Vinny", though.

[zoony]

This article (and most relating to Snyder) completely miss the point as to why he is a terrible owner.

 

Doesn't do us any favors.

[RFKFedEx]

Jason Hatcher (aging, oft-injured defender) and D Jax (granted I love his game ) weren't splashing signings? Overpaying Andre Roberts didn't reek of Vinny?

 

 

I'll just leave it at I prefer offseasons like the present one. 

At least the perception of the DJax deal was  the number$ were favorable to us for a change. The two years allow for an easy exit strategy if things don't work out. Past free agents were given huge deals that punished us for years after FA X's departure. 

 

I fully agree with you about the pleasant tone of this off season.

[HAILSKINSNYC]

This article (and most relating to Snyder) completely miss the point as to why he is a terrible owner.

 

Doesn't do us any favors.

 

Why is he a terrible owner?    because the media says so?

[Califan007 The Constipated]

This article (and most relating to Snyder) completely miss the point as to why he is a terrible owner.

 

Doesn't do us any favors.

 

The article wasn't about Snyder being a terrible owner, though. It was about how the Redskins are finally approaching free agency the right way and chalking it up to the cap penalty and Scot M's arrival, neither which is anywhere close to true. They just use the "Snyder finally shut up"angle for the same reason they got a lot of factual stuff wrong....lazy journalism.