Open Letter to Dan Snyder

[StephenDavis]

Dear Danny,

 

    I write this because I'm losing faith in you. You've owned this team for 15 years and we're still a dysfunctional franchise. I'm losing my passion for the Redskins and the NFL. I still believe that you want to win at all costs, but you're not winning. The team is as bad as it ever was. Just make some changes. Hire a real GM. Don't hire people because you are buddies with them. Take a real back seat and throw your money around when the GM tells you to. Other wise just sit in your booth and watch the games. Put all of your efforts on improving the game day experience for us fans attending the games. The one thing I do appreciate is your stance on not changing the name. 

 

 Sincerely,

 

    Depressed Redskins fan.

Again, refer to my previous post.  The record speaks for itself.  The Skins are a Perennial .500 ish team, with the exception of 2 10 year spans where they won.

 

Snyder is NOT the reason for the current culture.  Has he enabled it? Sure, by not allowing the football people handle the football issues.  The fact is the Redskins have historically been mediocre.  I dont like it any more than you do. 

You're right but we do have 3 Lombardi's. There are plenty of teams who have won a lot and probably have a better overall record than us, but championships are all that matters. Ask Philly. 

[TD_washingtonredskins]

1946 - 1970 = No postseason appearances.  1956 - 1968 = Not a single winning season.

 

We are what we are. Since 1932, the Skins are 589 - 569.   With the exception of a 2 10 yr spans, we are generally around a .500 team or worse.  Would I like to change that.  HELL YEAH!, but replacing the owner will not do that.  Changing the culture of the team will. 

 

So, we are 20 games over .500 since 1932, that includes being 35 games under .500 since Snyder has owned the team. 

 

So, without Snyder, we are 55 games over .500 (1932-1998) and with him we are 35 games under .500 (1999-2014). What point are you trying to make exactly? There's nothing mediocre about how we are playing over the past 15 years. 

[Sacks 'n' Stuff]

The notion that what happened from 1946 to 1970 is more responsible for the current culture of this team than Dan Snyder is absolutely ridiculous.

[airborneskins]

You're right but we do have 3 Lombardi's. There are plenty of teams who have won a lot and probably have a better overall record than us, but championships are all that matters. Ask Philly. 

 

Yes, I am agreeing with that statement.  We have 3 Lombardis's and 2 Championships prior.  However; those that are blaming our current owner for the team sucking fail to acknowledge that the team has sucked just as much (or more) prior to the 3 Lombardi's.  Like it or not, you cant blame Snyder for the losses during either Marshall's ownership or JKC's.  It took JKC 21 yrs to win a championship after he took over. 

 

I dont take all of the blame off of him though.  8 coaches in 15 yrs.. Think about that for a minute.  What continuity does that bring a locker room.  These are millionaire players that are changing philosophies every 1.89 years. How in the hell are you supposed to create an identity as a team if you dont trust your coach to build a team?  And its not just Snyder, Look at the history of the Redskins, there have been 3 coaches that lasted longer than 6 yrs (Norv - 6 yrs / George Allen - 7yrs / Gibbs I - 12 yrs).  The 3 Superbowl wins occured during the longest tenured coaches stint.   Thats eye opening. 

 

Im not saying that I am happy with the way that things currently are.  Far from it, However; I am not naive enough to think that the owner of the team is the only reason.  Snyder is not the one that puts on the uniform every week and gets on the field.  He is not the one that prepares the team for each game.  He is not the one that goes out and finds new talent (or the diamond in the rough).  He is the guy that pays the bills.  Sure if he sees a player that he wants, he makes it known, but he is not the guy that ultmately gets that player ready to play week in or week out.  How about placing some blame on the current strength and conditioning program.  I mean who knows how this team would be doing had we not had a rash of injuries early in the season.  Or how about the team scouts that are in charge of finding and identifying new talent that will fit this team (not the shiny object that looks good on paper).  What about improving the quality of the position coaches (I know that this is more than likely a head coaching decision, but again, every 1.89 yrs we are changing coaches).

 

When I say change the culture of The Redskins organization (and Redskins Nation),  Lets start by being patient and allowing our coach to BUILD his team.  (Not start to build and then get run out of town).  Yes, it all starts with the owner being patient and sitting back and letting the football people make the football decisions.  It also falls on the fans to be patient and give the team a shot before going tearing up their team on the airwaves, social media and internet message boards. 

[HtownRocks111]

But that's the thing....we aren't starting over, we are spackling over walls that have termites. We haven't truly rebuilt since the mid-1990s with Norv. Marty was probably going to, but didn't get the chance.

 

 

So where do we go from here?  Look towards FA/draft?  

 

It's all about getting lucky that your draft picks pan out.  I have NO hope of any FA changing our team around.  We need to trade Kirk what whatever draft pick we can get and go from there.  Let RGIII marinade in Gruden's herbs and spices and see what we can do with RGIII.  In the meantime, use a pick to nab another QB to sit behind RGIII and possibly takeover the job if RGIII can't stay healthy.  I say we turn our head at our bad defense next offseason, hire a new DC, and spend high draft picks and free agency attaining quality Olinemen.  If we have to get a defense who can only play with the lead then so be it, we just need an Oline to give our QB the best chance to succeed.

 

We need to score points, and looking at Dallas we can see what a good Oline can do for a team.  They can make anyone look like Montana and Bo Jackson.

[TD_washingtonredskins]

So where do we go from here?  Look towards FA/draft?  

 

It's all about getting lucky that your draft picks pan out.  I have NO hope of any FA changing our team around.  We need to trade Kirk what whatever draft pick we can get and go from there.  Let RGIII marinade in Gruden's herbs and spices and see what we can do with RGIII.  In the meantime, use a pick to nab another QB to sit behind RGIII and possibly takeover the job if RGIII can't stay healthy.  I say we turn our head at our bad defense next offseason, hire a new DC, and spend high draft picks and free agency attaining quality Olinemen.  If we have to get a defense who can only play with the lead then so be it, we just need an Oline to give our QB the best chance to succeed.

 

We need to score points, and looking at Dallas we can see what a good Oline can do for a team.  They can make anyone look like Montana and Bo Jackson.

 

Oh, I don't think it has all that much to do with luck. Sure, some selections are purely lucky (Tom Brady is an obvious example). But there are clearly teams who regularly draft better than others. 

[PartyPosse]

Everyone talks about how Dallas did it the right way, but I say again, when was the last time they won a postseason game?

[bradboyd80]

Everyone talks about how Dallas did it the right way, but I say again, when was the last time they won a postseason game?

Give it time. Most of their OL is from the last couple of drafts. Still very young. I would not be surprised one bit to see them win one this year though. Not necessarily directed at you, but I don't get why so many people are hesitant to give the Cows some props. I hate them, and always will. But I'm not afraid to give props where it's due. They recognized the need to upgrade the line, did so, and are reaping the benefits now.

[Sacks 'n' Stuff]

However; those that are blaming our current owner for the team sucking fail to acknowledge that the team has sucked just as much (or more) prior to the 3 Lombardi's.  Like it or not, you cant blame Snyder for the losses during either Marshall's ownership or JKC's.

Um, ok. Let's all acknowledge that the losses during George Preston Marshall's ownership were not Dan Snyder's fault. Feel better now?

[TD_washingtonredskins]

Everyone talks about how Dallas did it the right way, but I say again, when was the last time they won a postseason game?

 

I think what people are saying is that, after years or messing up and being an organization with more hype than results, they APPEAR to be on the right track by drafting 3-4 starters on their OL with high picks in the past few drafts. They finally have an OL that can open holes for their talented RB and protect their QB so that he can distribute the ball to their talented WRs. Defensively, I have to admit that I'm not sure who they have or how those guys were acquired, but they are solid on that side of the ball too. They seemed primed to contend this year. 

 

Granted, if they pull a Romo and end the season 9-7 and a game out of the post-season, all this praise will be forgotten. But it all looks like it should work. 

[gaskinsfan]

Dan:

Do what is right. Make it about the fans again. Don't sell old stale World Cup beer. Don't have everything about the organization be about how to maximize profits. How about a fan appreciation day where consession prices are cut in half.

Stop hiring yes men that you control.

Do hire a solid personnel man. Let him build a team. Be patient. Use the draft. Put the best coaches with the best players and let them go for it.

Have a change of heart. Or sell the team.

[ANONYMOUS SOURCE.]

The organizational model is crap and therefore produces crap. As usual they think they are better and more talented than they actually are and it probably comes from the top down. This team is junk with a few stars sprinkled in to bring up the average. You would think by now Dan would just say screw it, drop the misplaced pride, and copy verbatim what a successful franchise does. That might be too simplistic and I possibly have no idea what I'm talking about also lol, but as a longtime fan I'm just worn the hell out..

[PartyPosse]

I think what people are saying is that, after years or messing up and being an organization with more hype than results, they APPEAR to be on the right track by drafting 3-4 starters on their OL with high picks in the past few drafts. They finally have an OL that can open holes for their talented RB and protect their QB so that he can distribute the ball to their talented WRs. Defensively, I have to admit that I'm not sure who they have or how those guys were acquired, but they are solid on that side of the ball too. They seemed primed to contend this year.

Granted, if they pull a romoSUCKS and end the season 9-7 and a game out of the post-season, all this praise will be forgotten. But it all looks like it should work.

It seems as if most people base their opinions of teams/draft picks/ free agents after 6 games. Last I checked there's a least like 12 games in a year.

Everyone gets mad they spend money and then get mad they don't spend money. I understand being frustrated but most fans themselves have no clue how to put together a franchise. Honestly as much as scouting goes into it so too does luck. Every player drafted is a crap shoot. No one honestly knows who is gonna thrive and who is gonna fail. Some players take longer to develop, some get it immediately.

Snyder gets a lot of flack but he's done everything the fan base has asked. He spent money freely he let football people in charge. He mimicked the average fan here yet because of the poor results its his fault. It's been a lot of bad luck. RG3 injuries, the death of Sean Taylor... It sucks but we've endured it. There have been what, 7 teams that have won a Superbowl since Snyder took over? That's a whole lot of unhappy fan bases.

[Timmy Smith]

It's kind of an infuriating scenario, having the owner locked in place, and in charge of your franchise.  You just pray your owner's heart and brain are in the right place.

 

Dan Snyder's heart is in the right place, but his brain may not be.  He has yet to put the franchise on the road to greatness.  And he's been in charge for a generation.  We can curse him, mock him, insult him, but from a purely rational perspective, there's no use in any of that.  When you're dealing with someone whom you disagree with, you must always start by looking for common ground.  It's the only way to build lasting change.

 

Snyder can improve this franchise by waiting until the end of this season, before doing anything.  We all know that mid-season changes (especially when you're 1-5) rarely, if ever, spark a playoff run.  Let the season run its course, and if it ends badly, like it looks it almost certainly will, then fire Bruce Allen, hire the best young GM prospect in football, and let him hire the new coach and chart the direction of the franchise.

[Sacks 'n' Stuff]

Dan Snyder's heart is in the right place

I'm not so sure about that. If you mean he wants to win, sure.. who doesn't? Not sure he cares too much about the fans, community, or his employees. By most accounts, he is pretty much a jerk.

[Dirt]

Ok I've seen enough of this doom and gloom stuff.

We're losing because we're playing with our backup qb. He's turning the ball over which is leading to points for the other team. Period.

Everyone is forgetting this. Talking Heads are bashing the Rams too, as if they forgot they're on their 3rd QB.

Zoony, I know one your go to bullet points is "we wouldn't be saying this if we were winning" but it's true. We were bad in 2012 too, then our QB started playing well, we started winning and everyone was happy.

All this "it starts and ends with Snyder". No. It's starts and ends with QB play. I believe if Robert stays healthy we will be fine.

And frankly, all this complaining will accomplish nothing. Nothing with Snyder is going to change, let's just get over it. And let's hope our starting QB can get this team winning.

[TD_washingtonredskins]

It seems as if most people base their opinions of teams/draft picks/ free agents after 6 games. Last I checked there's a least like 12 games in a year.

Everyone gets mad they spend money and then get mad they don't spend money. I understand being frustrated but most fans themselves have no clue how to put together a franchise. Honestly as much as scouting goes into it so too does luck. Every player drafted is a crap shoot. No one honestly knows who is gonna thrive and who is gonna fail. Some players take longer to develop, some get it immediately.

Snyder gets a lot of flack but he's done everything the fan base has asked. He spent money freely he let football people in charge. He mimicked the average fan here yet because of the poor results its his fault. It's been a lot of bad luck. RG3 injuries, the death of Sean Taylor... It sucks but we've endured it. There have been what, 7 teams that have won a Superbowl since Snyder took over? That's a whole lot of unhappy fan bases.

 

I think people running a billion dollar, professional NFL organization should be able to come up with more than mimicking "the average fan" when it comes to football operations. Doing everything "the fan base has asked" is ridiculous too. My original post wasn't supposed to sound like I know the specific moves to make...the point is more that we need the proper structure to allow the right people to make these decisions. 

 

Snyder has let Allen come in and make football decisions. That's improvement over letting each coach do that, but it's also not the best situation since Allen doesn't really have a great track record. I think Allen is a critical piece, but he needs a strong personnel department underneath him. 

 

We might only have 7 teams (roughly 25% of the league) winning titles, but it's not like we are the Falcons, Eagles, or 49ers who just haven't been able to take that final step or two. With the exception of a couple December winning streaks we are a perennial last-place team. If you want to continue to believe that is luck, fine. I don't think results over that long a period of time are impacted by luck. It's more likely that the luck factor explains the moderate success we witnessed 2005, 2007, and 2012. 

 

Yes, Taylor was murdered 7 years ago and that was extremely tragic and negatively impacted on our team. Yes, Griffin has sustained a couple injuries and that has negatively impacted our team. But teams deal with bad circumstances all the time. Neither of those events are the reason we are bad...they are simply things that impact bad teams more significantly than good ones. 

[Renegade7]

How much evidence do you need that nothing had changed? As soon as the new shiny object (DeSean Jackson) became available, the Redskins had to have it. Never mind they had just signed their supposive #2 WR and nevermind the OL is a disaster. Nothing has really changed.

 

Isn't one of the biggest fails we've had since Moss has been here that we never put anyone opposite him that anyone respected?  I certainly didn't see all this uproar on how this was such a bad idea when he signed the contract with us.

That's the issue though...Snyder shouldn't be "trying" things until he happens upon the correct formula. He should use the fact that his organization's value is so high and he's willing to invest in the team by fortifying the front office and personnel department. 

 

You can add a GM under Bruce Allen, add a bunch of scouts, and begin evaluating coaches and players without making immediate changes. Let those people take their time to re-evaluate how we grade coaches and players, etc. and then present to Allen the proposed path forward. 

 

I'm done with Snyder being the football decision maker. He should have very little to do with what approach we take other than signing off on the coaches/players that Allen and the GM decide to hire. 

 

 

And I was under the impression that we all understood Danny has finally gotten out of the picture, especially going into this season.  Sometimes I wonder if we'd all be this crazy if Cousins wasn't out there throwing 4th quarter picks and effectively ending our season in Griffin's absence.

[klwilkins1977]

Dear Mr Snyder,

Like you, I am a diehard Redskins fan. For 32 years I've lived and died with every snap, injury, draft, and signing that the organization has made. I've defended our play and acquisitions with fervor. I've believed in everything Redskins , and you know, I will continue to do all of that until I die.

That's the problem though. You know that and yet you still allow our love to keep you emboldened even against a swelling tide of discontent. You have to understand: you ARE the owner but this is OUR team. The passion and undeniable loyalty we show, even in the face of disrespect and utter lack of common sense that your regime displays time and again, makes us, at the very least, a very loud and vocal minority conglomerate owner.

With that being said, here is our list of our suggestions for the improvement of our product: The Washington Redskins.

1) Change the name. It's an unnecessary and very distracting nuisance. The money from apparel and licensing will help us with,

2) Creating the best scouting/personnel department in the league. No money, technology, or any other expenses should be spared to get this done.

3) Hire an adept Project Manager to oversee this transition. We can ill-afford to handle this in a reactionary way. We have to push this along aggressively, with a clear cut plan towards high achievement, little redundancy, and a clear hierarchy that takes personnel decisions out of yojr and Allen's hands and puts them in a competent, proven personnel department head's hands. Polian is sitting in ESPN... start there.

4) Create a seperate department that uses metrics and gathers history to study the acquisitions and drafts of more successful franchises. This is now a data driven league...get on board. This department should be seperate from the personnel department but should work hand in hqnd during draft and free agency periods.

5) Find men with grey hair and hire them. We have no identity. Borrow the legacies of men who have forged long careers in this league. There's dozens of Bruce Arians who are waiting for thier shot. Find them. Hire them. Pay them. Embolden them. Get out of their way. Coaches have a short shelf life. Why not hire staffs that have a winner's pedigree instead of trying to find the next, young decent coach.

6) Find the funding to build the next billion dollar, state of the art stadium and promptly sell the team...or at least a controlling portion of the team. You'll sell for well over 2x what you paid, will still have some say, but new blood at league meetings and at the podiums is needed. You're an awesome Skins advocate, but a below average owner and executive personnel recruiter. No one wants to work for you because of you.

If you make these changes it will have a direct, immediate, positive effect on OUR organization. If you love our history and are truly invested in our future then you need to listen and follow these guidelines.

Hail Redskins,

Kevin L. Wilkins

[Fred Jones]

I don't think it is fair to blame Dan for specific hires and such.  Meaning drafting this player or signing that player in FA.  He gave that up years ago.

 

No, you blame Dan for the entire fail.  A fail that at this point does not seem it will get better in the near future.  Wouldn't it be sad if Dan never won as an owner.  For the next 20 to 30 plus years he fails until he passes and the team is sold.  Not saying that will happen, but let that sink in as a possibility.

[Sacks 'n' Stuff]

That is exactly what is going to happen.

[NoVaSkins21]

When you have someone who goes out of his way to fight the city paper, there's a problem.  When you have someone who rages a PR fight over the team name and won't let the matter go, there's a problem.  When you draft a OLB in the 2nd as an insurance policy for the guy who was given the franchise tag on a team where are clearly more glaring needs, there's a problem.  Snyder is the same guy, if not worse, who bought the team in '99 and there's really no sign of him changing in the near or distant future.  

[TD_washingtonredskins]

 

And I was under the impression that we all understood Danny has finally gotten out of the picture, especially going into this season.  Sometimes I wonder if we'd all be this crazy if Cousins wasn't out there throwing 4th quarter picks and effectively ending our season in Griffin's absence.

 

He's still involved to the point where he's impacting the football direction and contributing to our lack of a organizational philosophy. I would like to see the owner not really involved much at all. We should have Bruce Allen pretty much doing what Snyder is doing now, a GM doing what Allen is doing now, and a much larger personnel department answering to that GM. 

 

Snyder should be doing rich-guy stuff and not necessarily being at the team facility all the time, etc. 

[DC9]

[TD_washingtonredskins]

I believe this now just as much as I did a month ago. Fix this franchise ASAP.