Attention, ladies and gentlemen! It seems like Washington fans might finally get something to cheer about. As we all know, the team has been so bad that the streets of Washington, D.C., remain un-cluttered by parades and marching bands. It’s been a painful 24 years under owner Dan Snyder’s watch, but on April 13, 2023, it feels like all of our Christmas wishes came true.
We know very little about the new owner, Josh Harris, and his team. But let’s be real, the fans don’t even care. The news of Snyder’s exit brings a fresh wave of hope for the team, and that’s all we actually wished for. We have seen so many broken promises that it’s hard to know what’s real anymore.
Snyder’s watch was more of a nightmare than anything else. He couldn’t help but interfere and ruined everything, waving false hope like a flag. Instead of hiring competent people, he went for overpaid, aging future Hall of Famers to try and breathe life into the team. Totally ridiculous, Mr. Snyder.
This led to more false hope in the form of a well-known coach, Marty Schottenheimer, only for Snyder to fire him after just one season. Then we had Steve Spurrier, who couldn’t coach a team out of a wet paper bag, and don’t even get us started on the Jim Zorn experiment. It was all a zany downhill ride, with Snyder sabotaging every coach’s progress.
And let’s not forget Shanahan. Oh, so much potential ran through Robert Griffin III, but Snyder ruined everything, poisoning the relationship between the coach and the rookie. As much as we thought we’d hit rock bottom, Snyder reminded us that there was still farther to go. Under Gruden’s futile tenure, Snyder was, once again, there to meddle and ruin the team’s chances.
The only positive thing Snyder did was to lure Gibbs out of retirement to coach the team again from 2004 to 2007. But as a whole, from the time Snyder bought the team, the man succeeded in running the franchise into the ground.
Here’s an embarrassing fact: Snyder’s ownership featured ten head coaches, 27 starting quarterbacks, and not a shred of sustained success. The team that once ranked among the most respected in the entire NFL became a clown-show soap opera. Under Snyder’s ownership, the team had six winning seasons and six playoff appearances. That’s just sad.
It wasn’t just about the losing, though. Snyder carried himself worse than a child. He demanded that everyone call him “Mr. Snyder” and forbade employees from making eye contact with him when passing in hallways. If that’s not enough, he belittled and alienated some of the most beloved franchise greats, sued his own season-ticket holders, and banned signs, suppressing freedom of speech. Half the time, the man had no idea what he was doing. Thank God he’s finally moving on.
Now comes Harris and company, bringing with them the hope that the team will at last be run like a first-class operation while directed by a leader with a clear vision. It’s about time, too. It’s difficult to make any kind of proclamations about the new group and the bright days ahead. Still, the stench associated with Snyder is gone, and we now go forward with genuine hope. The air feels lighter, and the sunshine brighter.
Serious News: nytimes