A fundamental problem: We don't understand what kind of bad owner Snyder is

[SkinsFTW]

Dude, you bought a BLUE Redskins Super Bowl sweater?

[kleese]

Dude, you bought a BLUE Redskins Super Bowl sweater?

I was about to say the same thing

[Rocky21]

Looks like I'm late to the party but back to LKB's point, here is what I know about how Snyder made his money.

Companies To Pay $3.1 Million To Settle Slamming Allegations

TALLAHASSEE -- A telecommunications company and its former marketing agent will pay $3.1 million to settle allegations that they switched consumers to the company's long-distance telephone services without permission, Florida Attorney General Bob Butterworth announced today.

Verizon Select Services Inc., formerly known as GTE Communications Corp., Verizon Florida Inc., and Snyder Communications Inc., including Snyder Direct Services Inc. and Snyder Communications LP, agreed to the payments without admitting any wrongdoing.

The attorney general alleged that unauthorized long-distance provider switching, known commonly as "slamming," had been carried out by Snyder Communications on behalf of GTE/Verizon, as well as by the telecommunications company's own sales personnel.

"In the case of Snyder Communications, our investigation revealed thousands of instances in which the marketing agent's representatives forged customers' signatures to switch them to GTE long-distance," Butterworth said.

http://www.forbes.com/forbes/1999/1213/6414081a.html

Forging customer’s signatures (mainly minorities) to get sales.

Snyder soon expanded into field sales and services for telecommunications companies. He landed a big account from AT&T by marketing long distance service to anyone with a foreign-sounding last name, and hired telemarketers who collectively spoke 23 languages. Snyder got paid for each customer he converted to the long distance carrier; in turn he kept the data he collected. By the time he took his company public in September 1996, 80% of its $83 million in revenues came from just two customers--AT&T and MCI. The offering raised $132 million.

http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/history2/50/inVentiv-Health-Inc.html

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read on this board that Snyder has changed. It’s ****ing comical that people seem to think that. Snyder’s approach as far as the Redskins goes is obviously not working. Look at the win loss record (or check out my sig) if you’re still confused on whether Snyder is a good owner or not.

His stewardship of this franchise has been abysmal and an abomination...it's nothing more than a shell of what it once was.

[SkinsFTW]

Snyder soon expanded into field sales and services for telecommunications companies. He landed a big account from AT&T by marketing long distance service to anyone with a foreign-sounding last name, and hired telemarketers who collectively spoke 23 languages. Snyder got paid for each customer he converted to the long distance carrier; in turn he kept the data he collected. By the time he took his company public in September 1996, 80% of its $83 million in revenues came from just two customers--AT&T and MCI. The offering raised $132 million.

.

 

LOL, I never realized until now but Snyders company was the one calling me back in 1993-1996 offering 200-300 dollars to switch to MCI, then a couple weeks later I'd get the same call to switch back to AT&T and that was Snyders company calling me too and every time they called and offered up the money he got paid.

 

What a scam that all the long distance companies bought into that. I'm sure they lost alot of that money that they stole from us with those ridiculous long distance fees back then. Remember paying like .50c minute or more to call your grandparents across the country? What a ****ing joke. I'm not really mad at Snyder for that now that I think about it. AT&T was a government approved monopoly just like we are getting now with Comcast, Cox, etc.

[Tsailand]

I have never ever advocated that Snyder have no say in the draft, free agency, or anything else. That's why I never advocate the "Hire a GM and give him the keys approach."

 

Snyder is less qualified to make personel decisions than that homeless guy who told the Browns to draft Manzell.  If Snyder's 12-year-old son has played even one year of Pop Warner, he's more qualified too.

 

Snyder should have no say whatsoever.

[DogofWar1]

While Snyder has been far from perfect, I do think the aftermath of Turner was a bit weird.

 

Turner's rear end should have been out the door well before he finally got tossed.  That guy made everything he touched mediocre.  Redskins, Chargers, etc.  The Chargers SHOULD have won a superbowl during Norv's tenure, but despite being handed one of the, if not THE most talented team in football, they could not get it done year after year.  So Turner getting tossed?  Fine.

 

Now, Snyder seems to have botched the aftermath pretty royally, but I'm willing to give him a small pass because he was new.  Still, he didn't seem to learn his lesson for years.  I hope he's backed off, but we now need competent scouts and personnel.

 

I largely gave the scouts a pass up until 2010 because they were working under Vinny, but since then they haven't been terribly better.  We need 2nd, 3rd, and 4th rounders to work out consistently, not sporadically.

 

Then again, rumors are it was Shanny pulling the strings in the draft, so maybe we STILL didn't see what the scouting department could do.  It's way too early to tell with this class, but Bolser and Seastrunk are gone, while Breeland and Grant look like future contributors.  We NEED 2/3 of Murphy, Moses, and Long to work out.  Get a positive hit rate on at least 1 draft.

 

Anyways, Snyder is very far from perfect, and my hope is that he reaches a point where he is completely removed except for writing big checks when someone qualified tells him to.

[Mr Cranky]

I'll take the bait.

 

I first met Dan in 1997. I looked him in the eye, and he greeted me with his usual "I'm Dan."

 

I never heard anyone instruct anyone that they must call him Mr. Snyder. I never heard anyone tell anyone they shouldn't make eye contact.

 

Frankly, were it otherwise I would have been one of the people supposedly instructed in how to tell people to address or approach the man. Never happened.

 

Urban legend.

An Urban Legend that took place at Norwood School in Bethesda Maryland where Dan's daughter went to school for 1 year. Sometimes perception is reality and even a good PR guy can't take the suck out of a suckie product or a despicable human. If Mr Snyder wants to get "Mr Snyder-like" respect, he has to earn it. 

[hail2skins]

Jerruh tells a Dallas radio station that Snyder advised him to "drink a lot" during a season when the Cowboys were in the toilet (I'm assuming the only one of recent memory when they were really bad was 2010, the year Romo got hurt and Wade got fired).

 

If Snyder follows his own advice, he must be a raging alcoholic during football season:

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dc-sports-bog/wp/2014/10/21/daniel-snyders-advice-to-jerry-jones-during-losing-seasons-drink-a-lot/

[Fred Jones]

To restate,

 

Results speak for themselves.  During his ownership we have been a losing franchise, period.  You want to paint all kind of nice pictures of failure, that is fine.  You want to sugar coat losing seasons, maybes, possibilities, and wishful thinking, please proceed.  You want to talk to yourself and convince your ego he has not been the common denominator the last 15 years, let me get out of your way.

 

On a side note, I have talked to people over the last 15 years, not many, but enough who have either met him or had dealings with him on some level, and they all are pretty consistent in describing him.  Not one had kind words to say.  Kind of sad, and two of those people worked for the skins (no one important) and one of them now works for the NFLPA.  Others are local contractors and such.  Someone has to build the decks and upgrades to his expensive house.  Or, cut down the trees to provide a better view of the river.

[Sacks 'n' Stuff]

Isn't there a story about he was having some other bigwig and his family over as guests for dinner and Danny expected them to call him Mr Snyder so they left?

[Smooters]

He has one of the most wealthiest sports teams in the world. From a fans view, he's not doing to well, but from his view he is doing a damn good job apparently. Money. If I was a fan of the Redskins and happened to be the owner, I would be able to take a loss a whole lot easier knowing what kind of money I'd still be making.....15 years later.

 

Shame that most people don't realize that he's not here "because he's a fan."

[Mr. Sinister]

Jerruh tells a Dallas radio station that Snyder advised him to "drink a lot" during a season when the Cowboys were in the toilet (I'm assuming the only one of recent memory when they were really bad was 2010, the year romoSUCKS got hurt and Wade got fired).

If Snyder follows his own advice, he must be a raging alcoholic during football season:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dc-sports-bog/wp/2014/10/21/daniel-snyders-advice-to-jerry-jones-during-losing-seasons-drink-a-lot/

Snyder's been known to crush Crown Royal during bad seasons and bad games

[Riggo#44]

Snyder's personality aside, I don't think its a question of caring. I think Snyder wants to win, people like him loathe losing in anything. I think the problem is much worse. Its he's completely incompetent, but doesn't know it.

Yes, he may have removed himself from personnel decisions--but he's still picking the pickers. Our organization is terrible. Until we become a draft-and-develop type organization, we are going to suck.

[Mr Cranky]

Here's the best judgement of Snyder's Business Savvy-

 

No one in the world has spent so much to achieve so little.  

I could have had the same results in the last 15 years if I sold the Redskins 1st and 2nd round pick every year and reduced the team payroll to the lowest in the league.  

[Drastik]

Snyder is fine man...

 

Other than him charging an arm and a leg for beer and concessions at games, I have no issue with him

 

He does whatever it takes to put a good product on the field.. he just trusts the wrong people.

 

He failed miserably with the firing of Schottenheimer and the hiring of Spurrier... but I feel that after that he has done the right things...

 

He lured Gibbs out of retirement and gave Gibbs complete football control.... Gibbs then went on to trade damn near all of our draft picks for bums (TJ Duckett, Brandon Lloyd come to mind).... Gibbs did take the team to the playoffs twice and drafted Sean Taylor.. but Taylors death proved to be too taxing on Gibbs and he stepped away.

 

During this period Snyder screwed everything up again by letting his boy vinncy cerrato resume complete control over the franchise and we had the whole Zorn/Haynesworth/2008 draft BUST debacle.

 

After that he once again hired a legendary coach and gave that coach complete control of the franchise, along with replacing Cerrato with a "real" General Manager Bruce Allen... 4 years later Mike shanahan was 3-13 and had to be fired...

 

Now we are starting over with a young, fresh (albeit still somewhat of a big name) coach and Snyder is letting Allen and Gruden run the organization...

 

I have no problem at all with Snyder because I know he will do whatever it takes, and exhaust any resource to get the job done. That is much better than owners who would rather be cheap jerks and just be concerned with making money instead of making the fans happy.

[Sacks 'n' Stuff]

The results (in every area except how much money he's made for himself) would indicate that Snyder is not fine.

[China]

He's had (and acquired) a buttload of 1st round draft picks.

 

 

I don't disagree with your post, I just wanted to nitpick on this point.

 

The Redskins have had a first round pick in only 5 of the last 9 drafts.

[Drastik]

The results (in every area except how much money he's made for himself) would indicate that Snyder is not fine.

This is true, however Snyder has hired people to get the job done and they have just failed.

 

You can blame Snyder for hiring the wrong people... thats about it...

 

It's not like Snyder is pulling a Jerry Jones and calling all the shots and making the personell and front office decisions himself..

 

Snyder is hiring football people to run the organization but they aren't getting the job done... I don't think that makes Snyder a terrible owner.

[Fan since a Fetus]

I want to play. I heard a rumor that Snyder had a rib removed so he could su.....ughh, never mind. It may be bogus.

[SkinfanAZ]

That and with estate tax laws changing, the market bubble popping, the org would be different.

 

It is not to say that John Kent Cooke would have been great, he could have sucked also, seeing the results of him running the team during the Norv era is blah. However it would not be this debacle 

 

It is incredible how the guy before found every big name before they became a big name

 

Sparky Anderson. Jerry West. Bobby Beathard. Joe Gibbs

 

How many owners in sports history had that kind of success across different sports? 

 

That's because he knew how to read someone!!

[Rodriggo]

Took them how long to build a practice bubble?

 

They play in a dump that's made an even bigger dump b/c they don't take care of it.

Don't want to pay to maintain the upper level? Rip it out and leave it looking like a tornado ripped through.

 

They play on a field that doesn't last past mid season. Draft the fastest, most athletic QB in decades? Make him operate on the worst track in football.

 

Have the only team band in the NFL? Put them up in the nosebleeds and make them pantomime HTTR while they blare out the lame version on the PA.

 

Have skunked beer or old peanuts? Unload them on the fanbase, marked up.

 

Racial controversy? Make hollow, pathetic, obviously reactionary gestures that only dig yourself even further in the hole.

 

NOTHING they do is smart, measured, or contains even the slightest amount of tact.

 

It's the culture, it's the organization, it's mediocre.

It's been 15 years now, it's not changing.

 

ONLY two shining lights have found a way to win in that time:

 

Joe Jackson Gibbs & Robert Griffin III

[Rocky21]

Dan Snyder admits he is the problem.

When asked about getting blamed for the Redskins' on-field woes "You know...you're responsible as the owner of the team... so because you own the team, it's your fault," Snyder said.

"I let people down. I've done a lot of things wrong...." Dan Snyder said. "It's awfully embarrassing. It's a hard feeling and it takes a little time to realize that I made a mistake, and a lot of mistakes, and big mistakes."

[Sacks 'n' Stuff]

Yup, Dan Snyder is bush league through and through.

[Chachie]

I don't disagree with your post, I just wanted to nitpick on this point.

 

The Redskins have had a first round pick in only 5 of the last 9 drafts.

 

 

China, you don't think that's a lot?

 

 

Edit- Wait. I see what you did there.  

[joeken24]

Not defending Dan, but imagine yourself (a die-hard fan of the Redskins) coming into a billion dollars. You decide you're going to attempt to fix things at Redskins' park. You're able to purchase the Redskins after Dan is run out of town. The team is coming off of a 3-13 season. What do you do as the central decision maker? Now, keep in mind you're a fan (atic) and you're probably pissed at last years debacle and you simply want to see a good brand of football back in the nation's capital.

 

Good intentions, right? But the fact is, you would end up being the newly hated Snyder!

 

I would be interested in surveying the league owners. The survey would be to ask owners if they were die-hard fans of the teams they purchased before they purchased them. I personally think it clouds your judgement which is what I believe Dan struggles with.

 

I know I'd have a hard time owning this team. Hell, there would be games that the team may have to purchase their own plane ticket home after horribly played game. I'd probably be a complete asshole after a game like the Giants loss. No press conferences. I'd lock the doors to the training room, go to freakin' Gold's gym dumbass!

 

Think about how you feel as a fan after a loss and tell me if you don't have bad thoughts. Hell, most of us throw stuff during the games. I probably would have broken the window to the owner's box by now!

^{Took them how long to build a practice bubble?}

 

^{They play in a dump that's made an even bigger dump b/c they don't take care of it.}

^{Don't want to pay to maintain the upper level? Rip it out and leave it looking like a tornado ripped through.}

 

^{They play on a field that doesn't last past mid season. Draft the fastest, most athletic QB in decades? Make him operate on the worst track in football.}

 

^{Have the only team band in the NFL? Put them up in the nosebleeds and make them pantomime HTTR while they blare out the lame version on the PA.}

 

^{Have skunked beer or old peanuts? Unload them on the fanbase, marked up.}

 

^{Racial controversy? Make hollow, pathetic, obviously reactionary gestures that only dig yourself even further in the hole.}

 

^{NOTHING they do is smart, measured, or contains even the slightest amount of tact.}

 

^{It's the culture, it's the organization, it's mediocre.}

^{It's been 15 years now, it's not changing.}

 

^{ONLY two shining lights have found a way to win in that time:}

 

^{Joe Jackson Gibbs & Robert Griffin III}

 

^{Can you be a fan of the Redskins and want the name changed? Moreover, if the person wants the name changed why hang out on the Redskin's blog/forum?}