Craig Hoffman: Brian Lafemina, three other executives part ways with the Redskins

[justice98]

I think the angst over the marketing guys getting axed is a little over the top.  I mean, I liked Lafemina, he seemed like a good guy with a good approach to the situation he jumped into, and he apparently was anti-Bruce which makes his credit good with me, but I cant muster up too much interest in this.  They'll just get another guy nobody has heard of.  I mean, anybody crying tears over Ziff, Kline, and Bye is full of crap.

 

Yes, it's emblematic of how that joint is being run, but on the list of things I'm worried about with the management of my football team, the sales and marketing leadership just isnt that high.

[wunderhill]

9 minutes ago, Spaceman Spiff said:

I'm just really sad.  

 

This is a beautiful post. Thank you for sharing.

[justice98]

8 minutes ago, DJHJR86 said:

Scott Jackson was on Galdi's show this morning sort of selling the narrative of "Lafemina was hired to sell tickets and they didn't sell tickets this year" as a reason he got fired.  Everywhere else is pretty much saying Lafemina was going to quit (because he wanted Allen gone) and when Snyder got wind of this, he fired him.  That's why the other executives resigned.  And why we'll continue to be a laughingstock of the league.  

 

The problem is, Snyder can back Bruce because he knows his money talks.  He can always find a capable business ops guy (or girl).

[dyst]

44 minutes ago, KDawg said:

 

 I'm holding out hope that this is a move to begin cleaning house. It's not going to be. But I am holding on to that glimmer of hope.

lol

[BatteredFanSyndrome]

28 minutes ago, justice98 said:

I think the angst over the marketing guys getting axed is a little over the top.  I mean, I liked Lafemina, he seemed like a good guy with a good approach to the situation he jumped into, and he apparently was anti-Bruce, but I cant muster up too much interest in this.  They'll just get another guy nobody has heard of.  I mean, anybody crying tears over Ziff, Kline, and Bye is full of crap.

 

Yes, it's emblematic of how that joint is being run, but on the list of things I'm worried about with the management of my football team, the sales and marketing leadership just isnt that high.

I don’t think anyone is mourning the marketing strategy.  It’s more that the only ‘outside’ voices in the building lasted 8 months.  That Dan believes the lack of butts in seats is due to marketing strategy and not his complete ineptitude as an owner.  That Dan recruited this guy for a year before hiring him, only to fire him when his strategy didn’t provide immediate results. That given how embarrassing our franchise has been for Bruce’s entire tenure, the blame gets placed on marketers and DJ Swearinger.  

[sempre_victrix]

19 minutes ago, DJHJR86 said:

Scott Jackson was on Galdi's show this morning sort of selling the narrative of "Lafemina was hired to sell tickets and they didn't sell tickets this year" as a reason he got fired.  Everywhere else is pretty much saying Lafemina was going to quit (because he wanted Allen gone) and when Snyder got wind of this, he fired him.  That's why the other executives resigned.  And why we'll continue to be a laughingstock of the league.  

 

Hard to sell expensive tickets to the fat bearded lady show these days, especially if you re-run it every week for 20 years.

[profusion]

11 minutes ago, justice98 said:

I think the angst over the marketing guys getting axed is a little over the top.

 

It's not specifically about them. This is the latest in a recent series of events showing that nothing has really changed since the clownshow days of Cerrato, Spurrier, etc.

 

A lot of us have carried on as fans based on the hope that Snyder would eventually grow into his role. The last month shows that this hasn't happened. 

 

He's not a kid anymore. If he hasn't figured it out by now, it's unlikely he ever will. That's the sadness you're seeing here. 

[Probos]

54 minutes ago, KDawg said:

I try to stay kind of neutral on these types of news bits.

 

We never know the full story when its reported. Just bits and pieces of it and it's partial truths.

 

With Swearinger I didn't love the idea of his release, but I tried not to get too upset about it because there are always things we don't know with these stories. The Smoot tweet about how DJ didn't really get along with many people except Z. Brown, etc. There's two sides to every story and the truth is generally in the middle.

 

This one though... This one is baffling.

 

And given recent news that Snyder lives in a bubble world with no email and no social media, it's a deep concern. It's like Snyder sees a 7-8 football team, which is mediocre by any standard, and then sees the empty stadium. His thoughts wander around, "Gee, we've had this record before and still had a lot of people at the games! What's going on here? The team is decent! It has to be the marketing staff. Where's my assistant? SHARON!? SHARON!? Call Bruce. Tell him to fire the entire marketing department because our stadium is empty. It's clear to me they are slacking based on attendance and I WILL NOT STAND FOR IT."

 

I'm holding out hope that this is a move to begin cleaning house. It's not going to be. But I am holding on to that glimmer of hope. But even if that happens, why the hell do you start with marketing? 

 

*deep sigh*

 

Why would the "house cleaning" start with letting go brand new employees (hired less than a year ago) that were essentially the only positive force for change in this disaster of an organization?  Your question of "why the hell do you start with marketing?" is basically the answer.  

 

I'm done with this **** -- I've basically watched emotionally detached as a fan for the last few years, but this move tells me exactly ZERO has changed with ol' Danny boy.  

 

Have fun watching this embarrassment -- I'm out.

[Dissident2]

9 minutes ago, profusion said:

He's not a kid anymore. If he hasn't figured it out by now, it's unlikely he ever will. That's the sadness you're seeing here. 

 

Exactly. It's the complete lack of understanding that to finally get things right, you're going to have to tear some things down and be willing to go through some pain. Snyder has no concept of this. It's like with certain diseases, sometimes you have to go through some really difficult treatment in order to finally recover. You may be more comfortable in the short term without that treatment, but the end result is you die. That's what we've been seeing this year with the terrible attendance and TV numbers: the result of Snyder not wanting to do what it takes to fix things longterm. It has nothing to do with Lafemina's strategy, but EVERYTHING to do with the culture that's clearly still very much in place in the team. 

 

It's exactly the same thing we saw with Marty ... that first year was tough, but Marty was turning things around. Snyder threw it all into the wind and went with the "old ball coach" instead. I don't think it's at all a coincidence that the most successful year we've had here in a long time was the one year that SM was allowed to conduct business as a GM pretty much the way he saw fit. A year later, Bruce reasserted himself and the decline kicked in again (and I don't give SM a pass for his drinking issues, but that's another thread). 

 

Snyder is Snyder, always will be. He hasn't changed at all. You can clearly see that with the good people who are kicked to the curb in this organization and the scum that's allowed to keep haunting Redskins Park. 

[MarkB452]

I wonder if these means the team will go back to selling to brokers and we can get game day tickets for dirt cheap.  If that is the case, I'm ready to drop my tickets.  I have been a STH since 1999.  This crap with bringing in new people to fix problems and throwing them out in 1 or 2 years is getting old.

[BatteredFanSyndrome]

3 minutes ago, MarkB452 said:

I wonder if these means the team will go back to selling to brokers and we can get game day tickets for dirt cheap.  

I think that’s a given.  I have to wonder though if brokers would really want back in given the lack of demand.

[Skinsinparadise]

Chick is hit and miss with his sources so I don't take him ultra serious.  But I presume that means Gibbs.   Even Dan isn't stupid enough to bring back Vinny.  So who else?  And I wouldn't hate it if he's purely coming to find a next GM, etc.  But on the chance he's coming back in a role (and I am skeptical of Chick as a source) I bet he's just giving some nominal title and a voice with Bruce running the ship still. 

 

As much as Gibbs personifies class and leadership -- I fundamentally disagree with him on personnel issues where he's a veteran over a rookie dude -- FA over the draft. 

 

 

 

[KDawg]

Just now, Skinsinparadise said:

Chick is hit and miss with his sources so I don't take him ultra serious.

 

Tough to speculate too much there. Could be literally anyone that has worked for the Skins in the past.

 

Vinny, Gibbs, etc.

 

Gibbs makes sense for Snyder. He wants to try to make his public image better.

 

And while he's right in the sense that I will always cheer for Joe Gibbs, the move also doesn't move me or sway me. It screams of desperation. Although even this is a bit too speculative. Who knows. But bringing in Gibbs has Snyder written all over it.

[Skinsinparadise]

6 minutes ago, KDawg said:

 

Tough to speculate too much there. Could be literally anyone that has worked for the Skins in the past.

 

Vinny, Gibbs, etc.

 

Gibbs makes sense for Snyder. He wants to try to make his public image better.

 

And while he's right in the sense that I will always cheer for Joe Gibbs, the move also doesn't move me or sway me. It screams of desperation. Although even this is a bit too speculative. Who knows. But bringing in Gibbs has Snyder written all over it.

 

Agree, it would be a yawn for me too unless the game plan was to give Gibbs the leeway to remake the FO and I doubt that is what will happen.  Like I said, I question Chick as a source so am not counting on this happening.  But if it did.  It almost feels comical-sad -- we gave Gibbs some BS ceremonial job with the FO, hooray, all is right now. 

 

And I love Gibbs.  But Gibbs' forte IMO isn't the FO but being a leader of men on the field.  The only upside I could see from it is he's a really good dude with integrity and maybe that would rub off in that building.  

[Riggo-toni]

My fear would be Casserly. Casserly was a decent scout, but a putrid GM. He probably set the record for most consecutive 1st round busts, but people are so eager (justifiably) to rid ourselves of Brucehilde, they will rejoice over even a blatantly incompetent replacement in much the same way people once were irrationally exuberant about the Bruce hire.

[Wildbunny]

17 minutes ago, KDawg said:

 

Tough to speculate too much there. Could be literally anyone that has worked for the Skins in the past.

 

Vinny, Gibbs, etc.

 

Gibbs makes sense for Snyder. He wants to try to make his public image better.

 

And while he's right in the sense that I will always cheer for Joe Gibbs, the move also doesn't move me or sway me. It screams of desperation. Although even this is a bit too speculative. Who knows. But bringing in Gibbs has Snyder written all over it.

Honestly, I don't want Gibbs anywhere around Bruce Allen.

I don't want Gibbs' image being tarnished by this bum.

 

If Gibbs really want to help there's a few thing he can do:

- Tell Dan to sell.

- Tell Dan to fire Bruce, because that's enough.

- Buy the team if he can afford it.

 

Other than that, I would strongly suggest him to stay away from this.

 

I'm wondering what all those Redskins' players from the glory years think about it. I believe they have more ways than us to tell Dan to stop Bruce's madness... Hopefully Doug's already been working toward this, but I doubt it.

[purbeast]

Why would anyone be excited for Gibbs to come back?  His second tenure here wasn't that great (considering his history) and he's been out of football for what, a decade now?  Anyone who watched the Football Life about him that aired in the past year or two knows that he is far detached from football.  All he wants to do is racecar and family stuff.

[A Skinhead in Saints Land]

Gibbs isn't coming back.  With his age and Nascar success why would he?  Why ask for a headache when life is already good?  He's already went through one stint with Dan, I seriously don't see him going through another.  I think it will most definitely be someone for the Redskins glory days.  Dan thinks nostalgia is a quick fix for the fans.   Our team is horrible let's go get Gibbs.  We're the laughing stock of the NFL let's hire George Allen's son.  Oh no, they hate George Allen's son! Let's get Doug Williams to fall on the sword.

[BatteredFanSyndrome]

I’m not sure there would be anything more symbolic of Dan Snyder’s Redskins than Gibbs 3.0.

 

I absolutely love and adore Joe Gibbs. But bringing him back for a third time in any capacity is perhaps the most shameful thing Snyder could do.  Just let the man leave this earth with his good name still in tact.  

[The Hangman- C_Hanburger]

36 minutes ago, KDawg said:

 

Tough to speculate too much there. Could be literally anyone that has worked for the Skins in the past.

 

Vinny, Gibbs, etc.

 

Gibbs makes sense for Snyder. He wants to try to make his public image better.

 

And while he's right in the sense that I will always cheer for Joe Gibbs, the move also doesn't move me or sway me. It screams of desperation. Although even this is a bit too speculative. Who knows. But bringing in Gibbs has Snyder written all over it.

I just remember that Dan told Casserly he fired the wrong guy. It wouldn't surprise me that it's Casserly. He got the cred with his Strike Team talent. As much as I would want/accept Gibbs...I don't see why he'd take the risk (unless he got an ownership share)

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/2001/01/27/snyder-to-casserly-i-fired-the-wrong-guy/b07268a6-a2d7-40a2-ac92-404cae4d8927/?utm_term=.e6614c7e8d27

[Boss_Hogg]

 

 

[Sticksboi05]

The last week has proven nothing will change inside this embarrassing organization. I called it quits with the Wizards until that asshat Ernie is fired and it may be the same now for this loser franchise. Already won't consider buying merchandise. It's not being a loser, it's the way in which this organization conducts business. How could you be proud to support it? It's run by whiny bullies. 

 

We're all adults right? We can find other passions and hobbies no? If Bruce stays, there's no point in pretending there will ever be legitimate success. You're fooling yourself and need to get off the narcotic.

[FrFan]

1 hour ago, profusion said:

He's not a kid anymore. If he hasn't figured it out by now, it's unlikely he ever will. That's the sadness you're seeing here. 

His Ego and Obsession with this Franchise are so huge that I'm not even sure a shrink can do something

[S.T.real,lights,out]

1 hour ago, KDawg said:

 

Tough to speculate too much there. Could be literally anyone that has worked for the Skins in the past.

 

Vinny, Gibbs, etc.

 

Gibbs makes sense for Snyder. He wants to try to make his public image better.

 

And while he's right in the sense that I will always cheer for Joe Gibbs, the move also doesn't move me or sway me. It screams of desperation. Although even this is a bit too speculative. Who knows. But bringing in Gibbs has Snyder written all over it.

 

Seems like a lot of people are hinting on Twitter that its going to be Louis Riddick. Regardless of who it is, if Bruce and Dan are still there nothing will change. They fooled us once with Scott...i wont let that happen again.

[dyst]

1 hour ago, Skinsinparadise said:

Even Dan isn't stupid enough to... 

WRONG...Dan is always stupid enough to do something.