A Confession

[TheDane]

Some of you know me. Most of the new faces don't, since I've kept a low profile over the last two years or so. There's a reason for that. It's because I'm finding it harder and harder to care about the Washington Redskins.

I grew up in DC. My happiest memories are Sundays watching the game with my mom and dad, both of whom are foreign and both of whom are huge Redskins fans. I probably epitomize a decent chunk of the kids born in DC proper in the late 70s. First generation American, die hard Redskins fan.

Why a die hard fan? Because of what Joe Gibbs and Mr. Jack Kent Cooke, may he be resting in peace, did for me. For us. They delivered a Champion to us on three occasions, and a near champion on several occasions more. More than that, they delivered a real team to us. A group of players who we came to love and to hold dearly. With a few notable exceptions, there were no diva superstars. You were more likely to run into Doc or Big Jake or Butz or Donnie Warren at a Five Guys, and not a closed door Louis Vuitton event.

The Washington Redskins that I grew up with were lovable. Literally lovable. And I did so. I loved them. I became die hard, so entwined with the franchise because of the long list of fine memories they gave to me.

Flash forward 15 years, and what do we have. We had endured mediocrity under Norv Turner. I do not beleaguer the franchise for Norv and those years. Looking past the Cowboys tie, his hiring made sense at the time. We had a precarious management situation and an unfortunate and untimely passing of ownership, which helped extend Turner's tenure. Any franchise would have gone through the same directionless, turbulent time after having lost a man of Cooke's stature with no real backup in place.

The Redskins had earned my patience. I weathered the Turner years because I owed it to the team. So I gave it a pass for that time.

Enter Dan Snyder. My beef with Snyder is well documented, and I won't repeat it here. For those unwilling to use the search function, my beef revolves mostly around his desire to earn money outweighing his desire to build a winner (which also exists, but to a lesser extent). His flair for marketing and making the splash in order to increase the value of his asset.

What happened next. We went through four years, 2000 - 2004, of the big name, diva personalities that many of us despised in the 1980s. We even signed some of the men who we specifically despised. We looked the other way, though, when they came to the Redskins. These were our Redskins. They'd do fine in DC.

They didn't.

We went through coaching changes and personnel changes that would have caused trouble in any managed organization. Snyder handled Marty very poorly. SOS seemed like a decent hire, but he wasn't ready. Both were splashy names, which fit with Snyder's MO of marketing-first, substance-next.

Poor coaching decisions. Poor player decisions. I cringed, and my frustration grew. And though I faulted the team for its missteps, I did not waver in my support.

Then the coaching carousel of 2004 came and went. We laughed a little at some of the names, we probably cried a little as well. We wondered what Snyder was thinking, what BIG NAME he would bring in next. For he had earned that distinction by then, by 2004, that Big Name Snyder would live up to his billing.

He did. But this BIG NAME was the only BIG NAME that worked. Joe Gibbs. I think I cried a little in happiness when I heard that Gibbs would return to coach my team. The reason should be obvious: the man was partly responsible for some of my happiest childhood memories. How could I not be thrilled?

We went through a tough year and a half. We blamed some of it on Snyder, for being too meddling. We wondered if Gibbs had lost his touch. We wondered if Gibbs and Snyder would ever be able to co-exist.

My patience wore thin; how could one of my idols be cast asunder by this gremlin of an owner? Then Gibbs pulled off his magic. And for 7 games, we forgot about Dan Snyder and we remembered about Joe Gibbs. And my faith was restored.

Then the unthinkable happened, something that hadn't happened ever during Gibbs I. We laid an egg. The reasons were obvious: no depth, poor personnel decisions...

...and Al Saunders. A move that made theoretical sense with the Coryell tie, yet one that still had us scratching our heads. Just when Gibbs seemed to have gotten his mojo back, leading us to 6 straight victories and the cusp of the NFC Championship Game, we hire another O.C.? Yet for me, Gibbs had earned my trust back and I assumed that he knew what he was doing with Saunders.

2006 seemed to prove otherwise. It marked the turn for me, when years of frustration broke the proverbial camel's back. We had no depth, we had ****ty players at key positions, and we had distinct clashes in philosophy. I wondered how Gibbs could have made such a mistake, and I pointed the finger at Snyder for being responsible. There was no way a man like Gibbs could have done such an uncharacteristic thing on his own. I began to question whether we would ever win with Snyder at the helm, misappropriating cap dollars to big names rather than filling out with depth.

Enter 2007. My what a year. A fast start, a slow middle, an unimaginable tragedy, and a flourish at the end. Through it all, the steady hand of Joe Gibbs guiding the team. And Gregg Williams also, to be honest. Even on the personnel side I was heartened: one of my big beefs with the franchise had been its inability to generate depth. I was wrong, and thankfully so, as we weathered countless injuries to push into the postseason for the second time in four years. Gibbs was back indeed! And Snyder stayed in the background, and I appreciated that fact.

This was Gibbs' team. Tough. Character. Role players earning key spots. I hoped one day to see Anthony Mix or Lorenzo Alexander or Kedric Golston or Todd Collins at Five Guys. I wondered which Redskin of old was most like London Fletcher. I thought of the similarities between Bostic and Rabach.

Then Gibbs quit. Oh god. Crushing, for me. The rudderless team appeared on the verge of reacquiring its bearing, and I was heartbroken. Never fear, I thought, maybe Snyder has learned. Maybe Gibbs will have a say.

Then this. This debacle. There is no other way to explain what has happened over the last month. Forget rationale, forget theories. Simply the manner in which the search has been handled has been atrocious to say the least. I am embarrassed for everyone involved, so poorly has this been handled.

I have no ties to Gregg. I appreciate his defense, his effort, and his steady hand through the Sean Taylor tragedy. But I was wary of his ability to be a Head Coach. Yet for his four years of work, this is how he is treated? And Jim Fassel, a man known for his integrity, is kept hanging like a paper chad? Even Al Saunders, who I came to dislike, is cast aside like some cheap rag doll.

The worst of all, however, is what has happened to Gibbs. Instead of celebrating the four year return of our hero, who delivered the Redskins to the playoffs twice when they had been but once in the thirteen years prior, we are talking about the travesty of our coaching search. Instead of lauding Gibbs for how he kept the team together despite adversity, we are talking about which big name is next.

Gibbs himself has been cast aside like yesterday's soiled newspaper. Joe Gibbs. The Washington Redskin himself.

It was obvious to me what had happened. Gibbs had held the Redskins together despite Snyder. Now, without Gibbs, we have returned to our cursed ways. Rudderless. Leaderless. A team that is not.

And I have had it. I have learned that so long as this petty fool of a man, if he even deserves that word, is our owner, we can expect a circus. These are not the Washington Redskins that I grew to love. They share the same name, they share the same logo, but they are not the same team. This franchise without Gibbs is no better than the Oakland Raiders, or the Arizona Cardinals, or the Detroit Lions.

Damn you Dan Snyder for being our owner. Damn you for turning my hero into a castaside. And damn you for making me not care.

[Thirtyfive2seven]

You'll care again come September brother. Promise

[E-Dog Night]

So what you're saying is, you're pissed off at Snyder. No one else has been expressing that opinion around here, so I'm glad you stood up and said something.

[TheDane]

So what you're saying is, you're pissed off at Snyder. No one else has been expressing that opinion around here, so I'm glad you stood up and said something.

You can take your sarcasm elsewhere. If you don't appreciate my personal story, which this is, then read another thread.

[RFK Lives]

Wow, heartfelt post Dane. I struggle to care like I used to as well. Part due to the Redskins but I think the bigger part is due to the changes of the game.

The Free Agency Era forever changed the NFL. Some may argue for the better but I don't feel that way.

[ttr77]

Some of you know me. /QUOTE]

No, I don't know you. But I feel like I do. Only because I look in the mirror every day....

Well written.

[Aireskoi]

You gave a nice history, but what exactly are you so upset about? You didn't want GW, so who do you support as HC?

[shuler74]

There's a reason for that. It's because I'm finding it harder and harder to care about the Washington Redskins.

Well you live in MA now so if you dont care anymore go root for the PATS and let us be miserable.

[TheDane]

You gave a nice history, but what exactly are you so upset about? You didn't want GW, so who do you support as HC?

It should be pretty obvious what I'm upset about, since that's the entire point of my story.

And I don't really much care right now who the next HC is.

[RFK Lives]

You gave a nice history, but what exactly are you so upset about? You didn't want GW, so who do you support as HC?

I got the feeling that, like me, he was upset that this team seemed to find an identity or direction, something that could be built on going in to next season.

Instead, we are in turmoil again. Joe's fault for retiring? Not really. Dan's fault for not maintaining continuity? Possibly. Dan's fault for conducting a strange series of events during the coaching search and maybe not giving Joe Gibbs' his proper kudos? Definitely.

[Zhouse]

Wow!! That was long. Good post though

[E-Dog Night]

You can take your sarcasm elsewhere. If you don't appreciate my personal story, which this is, then read another thread.

Well, I kind of had to read your post to get the gist of it, ya know? And last time I checked, I am allowed to reply as I see fit, within the forum rules.

Thing is, I feel exactly the same as you. Gibbs won his 1st Super Bowl when I was 13 and I've just about worshiped him ever since. I'm at the point now where Snyder has almost ruined the sport for me. I don't even know if I'm going to watch the Super Bowl because it breaks my heart to even think about football today.

This kind of struck me as yet another Snyder bashing thread, one of literally hundreds around here. It probably could've gone in one of them.

[RFK Lives]

There's a reason for that. It's because I'm finding it harder and harder to care about the Washington Redskins.

Well you live in MA now so if you dont care anymore go root for the PATS and let us be miserable.

I hate dumb regionalism posts.

[Koolblue13]

It would be hard to write that, if you didn't care. I'm as frustrated as the next guy, but if we made it through 7 years of Norv, we can make it through this. This might have been one of the toughest years as a Redskin faithful, but it's over. For those that remeber, Gibbs will never be thrown aside, never. He is why i'm a Skins fan and most likely, always will be. We have a solid core of players, we had a swagger going and we have some depth. We are not blowing everything up and starting over and we are now, thanks to Joe Gibbs, a team most don't want to play. If Joe returned anything to us, it was that and for that, I thank you Joe for coming back.

[TheDane]

Well you live in MA now so if you dont care anymore go root for the PATS and let us be miserable.

Hard to do that, though a part of me appreciates their style. Their "no-namers" who have grown to be namers. Vrabel, Bruschi, Wes Welker, the entire offensive line, Kevin Faulk.

I was a Redskins fan when the Pats won their Super Bowls, though. I gain neither pride nor pleasure from seeing those three trophies at Gillette Stadium.

[Aireskoi]

It should be pretty obvious what I'm upset about, since that's the entire point of my story.

And I don't really much care right now who the next HC is.

Well you created the thread, so what would you have done differently? How should things have gone? What could they do to make you feel better about your team?

You know you aren't going anywhere.

[clskinsfan]

I am still holding out hope the maybe Snyder has learned something and these coordinator hirings are for a coach he has already hired. Most namely Marriucci or Grimm. Unfortunately I believe he has already hired Fasell and these are the coordinators he wanted.

[TheDane]

Well, I kind of had to read your post to get the gist of it, ya know? And last time I checked, I am allowed to reply as I see fit, within the forum rules.

Thing is, I feel exactly the same as you. Gibbs won his 1st Super Bowl when I was 13 and I've just about worshiped him ever since. I'm at the point now where Snyder has almost ruined the sport for me. I don't even know if I'm going to watch the Super Bowl because it breaks my heart to even think about football today.

This kind of struck me as yet another Snyder bashing thread, one of literally hundreds around here. It probably could've gone in one of them.

No.

[fansince62]

Some of you know me. Most of the new faces don't, since I've kept a low profile over the last two years or so. There's a reason for that. It's because I'm finding it harder and harder to care about the Washington Redskins.

great post!

*

Al, you've been here like 37 years. Time to get with the 'excessive quote' program brother. :cool:

- Om

[Gregpeck99]

Dane ... take the Gibbs-colored glasses off for pete sakes ... he was in over his head from the beginning ... made colossal errors of judgment (Brunell, Duckett, etc.) ... was conservative (wimpy) to a fault ... always called the wrong plays ... always mismanaged the clock ... and should never have tried to come back. The Skins will prosper under Snyder ... eventually ... and even the Gibbs-lovers will feel good again.

[Veretax]

I grew up in the 80s, and my first Skin Super Bowl was Doug Williams V Broncos. I'll be honest, I'm still pretty young, and I feel I've endured a lot in the last ten years. I'm hopeful for the future, but I'm not ready to throw the towel in on the skins, even if would EVER do such a thing.

[TheDane]

Well you created the thread, so what would you have done differently? How should things have gone? What could they do to make you feel better about your team?

You know you aren't going anywhere.

Actually, I have gone somewhere. 2006 was the first year I didn't watch every game, and 2007 was the second.

@ Koolblue13: I guess you're right. I put passion into this post, meaning that somewhere I must care. I think it's because I care about the old Redskins, and how this name tarnishes my memory. Not that I care about where the team goes currently. At least, not now. Who knows, something might spark me to gain vested interest once again.

[fansince62]

I got the feeling that, like me, he was upset that this team seemed to find an identity or direction, something that could be built on going in to next season.

Instead, we are in turmoil again. Joe's fault for retiring? Not really. Dan's fault for not maintaining continuity? Possibly. Dan's fault for conducting a strange series of events during the coaching search and maybe not giving Joe Gibbs' his proper kudos? Definitely.

dang...another good post!

[Koolblue13]

Dane ... take the Gibbs-colored glasses off for pete sakes ... he was in over his head from the beginning ... made colossal errors of judgment (Brunell, Duckett, etc.) ... was conservative (wimpy) to a fault ... always called the wrong plays ... always mismanaged the clock ... and should never have tried to come back. The Skins will prosper under Snyder ... eventually ... and even the Gibbs-lovers will feel good again.

Since i've been on this board, you have stood out as a Gibbs basher. Seems to be part of the problem the OP was talking about.

[skinsfan51]

Well written, Dane. I feel your pain. When Snyder said that the one thing Gibbs taught him was patience, I had hoped that he would have exercised it during this very important HC decision. But he really seems to have gone back to his old, unorthodox, ways. It's very hard and sad to watch. I can only hope it turns around in the end.