Back in 1999, If Dan Synder had to build a new stadium from scratch would he or would he had move the team?

[worstSeat]

If you ask me, I think their current location is better. Reason why is because it's Metro accessible. I believe the closests station to the stadium is Largo Town Center/Blue Line. And from there you can take a bus. Correct me if I'm wrong.

The closest is Morgan Boulevard. Nine tenths of a mile, but a pretty easy walk right up to the gates.

RFK has access. Saw Nats fans piling in on the way to a game at the Stadium exit when they still played there. It's fun to see the old stadium while riding to FedEx.

Seems Snyder has made it pretty clear he's not buying a new stadium any time soon. I can't see any way he builds one himself if FedEx hadn't existed.

[scruffylookin]

I suspect Danny would not have paid a dime to build a new stadium.

I don't know where the new stadium would be build. I suspect it would not be in Maryland because unlike the JKC deal back in the mid 90's, Maryland would have the Ravens already in state and would not be able to build a stadium for them and Danny.

That would leave NoVa or DC. My gut feeling is that DC would still let the Skins walk and Danny's new stadium would be somewhere in NoVa. But then again the whole problem the first time around was the JKC vs. Sharon Pratt Kelly fiasco. Maybe once Kelly was out of office, Danny could have gotten a deal done with Anthony Williams. Don't know. What I do know is that JKC and the Mayor for Life Marion Berry would have gotten a deal done in no time. If JKC could have held on and waited until Kelly left, I bet he or his kid could have gotten a deal done with Berry in the late 90's.

Oh well.

[RichmondRedskin88]

Anyone else find it weird that the stadium has needed so much work because the stadium's construction was rushed by the then owner who never even saw it finished? I wonder what the stadium would have looked like if it hadn't been rushed and was planned out to its full potential. I guess all we can do is dream.

[pjfootballer]

Anyone else find it weird that the stadium has needed so much work because the stadium's construction was rushed by the then owner who never even saw it finished? I wonder what the stadium would have looked like if it hadn't been rushed and was planned out to its full potential. I guess all we can do is dream.

I'm not sure, but at one time I thought I read where JKC wanted the design a little different, but it would take longer and cost more, so it was built "cookie cutter" style.

[Taylor 36]

The closest is Morgan Boulevard. Nine tenths of a mile, but a pretty easy walk right up to the gates.

RFK has access. Saw Nats fans piling in on the way to a game at the Stadium exit when they still played there. It's fun to see the old stadium while riding to FedEx.

Seems Snyder has made it pretty clear he's not buying a new stadium any time soon. I can't see any way he builds one himself if FedEx hadn't existed.

It is always helpful to be at least a little knowledgeable about a topic before you try to speak on it. Just read other posts in this thread and it may help you to see how wrong and off base you are. Snyder has wanted to build a new stadium in DC for YEARS now, but is, unfortunately, tied to the contractual commitments to PG County that JKC made when he accepted their offer for the building site. FedEx was part of the deal when the team was put on the market. He had no choice but to buy it if he wanted the team, and all of the city and county obligations were passed over to him. Yet, he has made many significant upgrades to the stadium since he bought it, with his own money, just like it was his own money (or at least money that he borrowed and is paying back with interest) that purchased the stadium to begin with.

[Darth Tater]

All evidence indicates that Snyder would have built a new stadium. You can argue that he would have tried to get a sweetheart deal at the most. Snyder has shown that he is a good marketer and salesman. His failure as an owner is not finding a Beathard-type. Instead got himself a sycophant and kept the sycophant around to stroke his ego despite the southerly movement of the product. As an owner, JKC didn't get in his own way much until after success on the field while from day one, Snyder has let himself get in the way. Thing is, had the stadium not been built, John probably buys the team or even better, the group that had Gibbs in the mix.

[B55Green]

I don't think the NFL would allow it to happen, but then again who knows. Personally, being that he is a fan of the Redskins, I doubt he would have moved the team, though I'm sure he would have made someone help pay a lot of it.

[scruffylookin]

I'm not sure, but at one time I thought I read where JKC wanted the design a little different, but it would take longer and cost more, so it was built "cookie cutter" style.

I don't think that was the case. It seems to me that JKC really had a thing for Arrowhead/Giants Stadium.

Below is the model of the Potomac Yard stadium that JKC wanted to build back in 1992.

Looks alot like what Jack Kent Cooke Stadium ended up looking like in 1997.

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

[RFKFedEx]

Nice find Scruffy. I've been looking for that photo for years, bc I remember when it was published. That stadium model looks more futuristic than what we have today. Less dead space in the seating bowl, fewer suites, more 2000s and less like a late 1980s airport terminal that we know now.

[88Comrade2000]

If we one day build a new stadium; I can live with a retractable roof so we can get a superbowl. The playing surface would still have to be grass though. I would try to make the stadium have a more college feel to it and have a permanent hog pen section behind the opponents bench.

We need people to fear coming into a Redskins stadium again.

[hail2skins]

If we one day build a new stadium; I can live with a retractable roof so we can get a superbowl. The playing surface would still have to be grass though. I would try to make the stadium have a more college feel to it and have a permanent hog pen section behind the opponents bench.

We need people to fear coming into a Redskins stadium again.

The Giants/Jets don't have a retractable roof in their new stadium and they got a SB, so why do we need one? Plus I get a sense that any city not in the South or Southwest that gets a SB will be a one-shot deal, absent an entirely new stadium (like Detroit did with two different stadiums). Count me as one who doesn't care whether Washington gets a SB or not. Plus, I don't want a roof and then give the owner or league any excuse to close it. Part of football's charm is watching a game in any weather conditions. You don't get memories like the Pats-Raiders playoff game in early 2002 with a retractable roof.

Regarding the college feel.......you can't blame Snyder for the stadium's location, but there were a few things we had at the stadium before he took over that lent itself more to that atmosphere. I liked the NFL Experience thing where little kids and big kids could do football-related stuff before the game. I liked the band being closer to the field and participating in the game more. I liked not having to fork over $35 to park a car (yes, I know there's Metro, but walking a mile to the stadium doesn't sound like a lot of fun, and I don't really have that option anyway). And I liked not having to listen to crappy music over the PA prior to the game.

Making a "hog-pen" section behind the opponents bench would be nice, but those are also among the most prime seats in the joint. Snyder has already converted a good number of sideline seats to Tailgate or Touchdown Club. Unfortunately, that area was the one where I probably saw the highest concentration of people wearing the opposition's jerseys this year. Don't think its gonna happen...............

[Mania]

He would not have moved the stadium as he grew up in this area and knows the fan base as he was one of them. That being said the stadium would have personal seat licenses (PSL's) so for all those hoping to get a new stadium I say to them. Be careful what you wish for. If your a season ticket holder as I am and I'm not paying a PSL, you will be with a new stadium.

[cphil006]

DS didn't have the money to build his own stadium. He barely had enough to buy the skins. Was the most highly leveraged (borrowed money) purchase of an NFL franchise at that time.

The price he paid included the fairly new stadium. He then put $50 million into upgrading it.

Is the TS asking if he would have moved it 5 miles like JKC did or moved it to another state/fan base entirely? I'm thinking he would have kept it in the same area +/-10 miles. It was moved to RalJon, MD (now Landover I believe) because of the abundance of land

[SonnyandSam]

He would not have moved the stadium as he grew up in this area and knows the fan base as he was one of them. That being said the stadium would have personal seat licenses (PSL's) so for all those hoping to get a new stadium I say to them. Be careful what you wish for. If your a season ticket holder as I am and I'm not paying a PSL, you will be with a new stadium.

You've hit the nail on the head twice. Snyder was and is a huge Redskins fan having grown up in the DC area during the Gibbs I era. He would not have moved the Redskins to another town.

And I have to beleive all the fans clamoring for a new stadium are NOT season ticket holders. A new stadium surely would mean PSLs, and that will end my time as a STH and I'm sure will price thousands of fans out of season tickets just like it did in NY and Dallas, as well as other cities.

FedEx Field is not the problem folks....it's the product on the field. RFK was a rat's nest....it is only a fond memory because of all the glory years. Anyone who actually went to a game at RFK knows that there were awful sightlines, few bathrooms, lousy food, leaking pipes over seats, and a small concourse. The only redeeming qualities besides the team, was the overhang for sun protection and noise reflection, and a nearby subway stop. There were very few redeeming qualities about RFK.

I go to FedEX Field to watch football games. How "pretty" it looks means little; especially if I don't have to pay a PSL for my two seats.

[pjfootballer]

Nice find Scruffy. I've been looking for that photo for years, bc I remember when it was published. That stadium model looks more futuristic than what we have today. Less dead space in the seating bowl, fewer suites, more 2000s and less like a late 1980s airport terminal that we know now.

Yeah, nice find Scruffy. I remember the company (HOK?) who started building the stadiums in KC, most of their stadiums at the time were like Giants Stadium.

[scruffylookin]

Yeah, nice find Scruffy. I remember the company (HOK?) who started building the stadiums in KC, most of their stadiums at the time were like Giants Stadium.

Yup.

I was looking for a color pic of it but I don't seem to have one in my collection. It did have a sleeker look to it like RFKFedEx mentioned. The specs for it were the same as the original specs for the Landover stadium. Original seating capacity was going to be about 78K. But there weren't going to be as many club seats.

[SMU Redskin]

I've been to a lot of games at FedEx since it opened and I don't have nearly as much of a problem with it as most people on this board. It's adequately accessible by Metro, and while it's often hellish driving out after a game, most other NFL stadiums I've been to are the exact same way.

As for the homefield advantage issue, it all depends on the team playing on the field. Remember that final drive in the Dallas game last season? That place was loud as hell, and it definitely affected the game. The Boys were so confused before that last play/miraculous holding penalty. Romo sits to pee and Wade both made references after the game about what a hostile environment it is. Now if were 5-8 and there's 50,000 people there on a rainy afternoon it's different, obviously. But if you put a consistently competitive team on the field, I believe the homefield advantage is there.

[Horatio]

Snyder was and is a huge Redskins fan having grown up in the DC area during the Gibbs I era. He would not have moved the Redskins to another town.

Of course, Snyder could have channelled the spirit of Bob Irsay and said "I own the team. It's my team. I owned a belt buckle too. I can move them wherever I want."

[RFKFedEx]

Any team owner can move at any time if they can get a better deal elsewhere. Lawyers can find a way out of most stadium leases. Hometown guys have left for greener pasture$.

Had JKC's stadium battle continued for a few more years, Snyder or any other new Redskins owner might have considered Houston. A new stadium plan was in place for Houston, meanwhile the DC area would have been a dry hole after 15 years of trying to get a stadium deal with no success.

Keep in mind the Rams had recently left LA for a much smaller market with a new stadium being the main selling point.

[Darth Tater]

First, Snyder is a wealthy self-made man in an industry where, like politics, being unethical and ruthless are the keys to success. Further, self-made men are only sentimental when being sentimental gives them an advantage.

[RichmondRedskin88]

I've been to a lot of games at FedEx since it opened and I don't have nearly as much of a problem with it as most people on this board. It's adequately accessible by Metro, and while it's often hellish driving out after a game, most other NFL stadiums I've been to are the exact same way.

As for the homefield advantage issue, it all depends on the team playing on the field. Remember that final drive in the Dallas game last season? That place was loud as hell, and it definitely affected the game. The Boys were so confused before that last play/miraculous holding penalty. Romo sits to pee and Wade both made references after the game about what a hostile environment it is. Now if were 5-8 and there's 50,000 people there on a rainy afternoon it's different, obviously. But if you put a consistently competitive team on the field, I believe the homefield advantage is there.

The Chiefs and Seahawks have sucked until this year(well the Seahawks still sucked but the entire NFC West sucks) and yet they always have hard stadiums to play in.