OMG Washington Post takes dead aim at Snyder

[silverbear]

"Maybe Snyder has a master plan, but at the moment it looks like nonsense, something a little boy would draw in crayon while he waits for the ice cream truck."


Thats a pretty frick'n brutal call out. $20 says little Danny sues em over this for something.

Danny Boy and the Washington Post have been at war for some years now... seems that the Post's coverage of the Skins wasn't as fawning as the Mad Midget desires (IOW, they told the truth on 'em), and he started retaliating in the most petty ways, like decreasing the number of season tickets he sold to 'em... over time, the Post's access to the Skins has become all but nonexistent, compared to what it was back in the Jack Kent Cooke days...

So as much as we Cowboys fans enjoy it when one of the Post's writers takes a hatchet to ol' Danny Boy, it behooves us to remember that those folks have an agenda when it comes to him and his team...

 

[silverbear]

I can't believe you left off Randy Moss, Lawrence Phillips, and Sean Taylor.......all of whom had a decent laundry list prior to the draft. And then there is Reggie Bush, who knowingly broke NCAA violations......come on Reggie, do the right thing, give Vince the Heismann that you stole.....

Then there are those boneheads who do one or two things just before the draft....like Najeh DooDooport.....

Oh, I was down on them to, to varying degrees... I just cited a couple-three times I've gotten judgemental on players before, the first ones that came to mind...

My point is, before any of us go labelling any player a "character issue", we really ought to go find out exactly what it is he supposedly did... the things that have gotten McFadden that label are NOTHING, when you look at them closely... this has all been discussed before, but I'll repeat the facts here briefly:

1) He got into an altercation outside a bar before the start of one season, in the process of the melee he kicked at somebody and broke his toe on the curb... sounds bad, but it seems that he and some friends caught some thieves stealing his cousin's car... I mean, the were in the car, had the engine started, when they were caught in the act and pulled from the car... and when the cops came, McFadden wasn't charged with anything...

2) He got into another fight a few weeks back, again outside a bar, where he got pissed because somebody sucker-punched his brother... this time, there was no brawl, but apparently when the cops got there, he was ranting and raving, and they put him in cuffs for a time to chill him out... again, he wasn't charged with anything...

In these two incidents, all we learn is that he hangs out around bars late at night, and that when provoked, he can get angry... but from where I sit, two things stand out-- he WAS provoked in both situations, and the police ultimately judged that what he did was not sufficiently egregious to cause them to arrest him... I'd suggest that if the NFL went to putting red flags on every player who likes to hang out in bars, and can get angry when provoked, they wouldn't be able to fill out two teams' rosters...

3) A local TV station ran a story about McFadden's mother getting an expensive Cadillac Escalade, and D-Mac was seen driving it... the story went that an agent had brokered the deal for her... well, the problem is, the agent in question is strictly an agent for NBA players, he's not even licensed to represent NFL players, and the agent can apparently prove that he was not in Little Rock at the time in question... that TV station ultimately ended up having to publicly apologize to both the agent and McFadden himself...

Of course, that still leaves the question of how McFadden's momma could afford such an expensive vehicle, but I'm guessing that once the story blew up on the TV station, that station and the rest of the Arkansas media looked into the matter REAL close, and nobody found anything inappropriate...

Those are the three "character issues" that we have been told about; I ask you, does any of that sound like a big deal to you?? Can you think of a reason to move this guy down your draft board based on THAT??

BTW, I don't like DMac and I don't want him in Dallas.....I would be irate if we sold the farm to draft him.....and this has nothing to do with character....

Can you elaborate?? Do you have some problem with his game, or is it just the "sell the farm" thing that bothers you??

 

[silverbear]

I think the issue is that Snyder freaks out each year after an early playoff exit or even a non-playoff season for that pathetic, miserable team he owns, and then he just gets irrational and tries to change lots of things by bringing in people who were successful in different systems without even thinking about how they might gel with his own team.

He needs to calm the hell down and stop rapidly changing things without thinking.

Why?? I like the way he's doing things just fine... I hope he NEVER changes...


:splat:

 

[silverbear]

That team is a true mess.

In the immortal words of that noted sage and philosopher John Travolta, "ain't it cool??"

 

[lspain1]

I really thought that the arrival of Gibbs and the assembling of all of that coaching talent was going to pay off for the skins. I guess it did (a little) but they never seemed to get the ship quite on course and the events of this season only made things more difficult. IMO, the coaching staff WAS talented, but there was more wrong than that and too much wrong for coaching to fix.

The skins organizations's willingness to trade away draft picks willy-nilly in a salary cap world has mystified me. They have been an organization that constantly flirts with "flavor of the week" free agents that result in a bloated payroll and injury prone players.

We'll see what happens but I don't think there's a rabbit in the hat for Snyder to pull out.

 

[jman]

Then there are those boneheads who do one or two things just before the draft....like Najeh DooDooport.....

LOL...yep, it wasn't one or two things with him. It was just a #2 thing...LOL

 

[Bleu Star]

Can you zoom in on that sheet Snyder is holding? I think is says "Yahoo Fantasy Football" which confirms Snyders approach to FA.

 

[LittleBoyBlue]

Danny Boy and the Washington Post have been at war for some years now... seems that the Post's coverage of the Skins wasn't as fawning as the Mad Midget desires (IOW, they told the truth on 'em), and he started retaliating in the most petty ways, like decreasing the number of season tickets he sold to 'em... over time, the Post's access to the Skins has become all but nonexistent, compared to what it was back in the Jack Kent Cooke days...

While I disagree with what Danny did... the media is out of control. They go to far. There is no line. They are brutal.

Something needs to be done.... atleast to make it so that the media isnt always trying to attack and goat players.

I think Britian has a line that you cant cross or you get slammed $$$

 

[ravidubey]

At least Jerry knows football and has the respect around the league.

This is not entirely true.

Jerry's respected for his business acumen; he's helped make the NFL richer than ever.

But Jerry just thinks he knows football and that makes all the difference. Does he know more about the business? Of course. Is he a true evaluator of talent? No way, but he thinks he is. And the league knows it, which is how he gets routinely fleeced in trades and might get fleeced again trading Barber and our first rounders for Darren McFadden.

Jerry sees his head scouts collate information from scouts in the field and thinks he can do the same thing. But numbers and film can't make decisions-- otherwise a simple computer program could run a draft.

It takes talent to penetrate the numbers and film study and match it to your team. Talent we've lost in considerable quantity since 2006.

And Jerry's meddling too. Dave Campo? He knows even less about 3-4 defenses than Mike Zimmer, yet suddenly he's a major candidate to be our secondary coach.

There's no connection to Wade Phillips, and if Campo actually gets hired
it will be confirmation that Phillips is almost purely a puppet coach and glorified DC.

 

[Mansta54]

This is not entirely true.

Jerry's respected for his business acumen; he's helped make the NFL richer than ever.

But Jerry just thinks he knows football and that makes all the difference. Does he know more about the business? Of course. Is he a true evaluator of talent? No way, but he thinks he is. And the league knows it, which is how he gets routinely fleeced in trades and might get fleeced again trading Barber and our first rounders for Darren McFadden.

Jerry sees his head scouts collate information from scouts in the field and thinks he can do the same thing. But numbers and film can't make decisions-- otherwise a simple computer program could run a draft.

It takes talent to penetrate the numbers and film study and match it to your team. Talent we've lost in considerable quantity since 2006.

And Jerry's meddling too. Dave Campo? He knows even less about 3-4 defenses than Mike Zimmer, yet suddenly he's a major candidate to be our secondary coach.

There's no connection to Wade Phillips, and if Campo actually gets hired
it will be confirmation that Phillips is almost purely a puppet coach and glorified DC.

Naw, JJ knows football. He wears a Natl Championship Ring as a starting OG. Not only has he played but he's also been around the game all his life and he's been around some of the best coaches ever. Sure, he's made some bad choices, as many others have too but he damn sure knows the game..

 

[Da Hammer]

ah couldnt feel happier for the great group of guys ovathere... haha

 

[ravidubey]

Naw, JJ knows football. He wears a Natl Championship Ring as a starting OG. Not only has he played but he's also been around the game all his life and he's been around some of the best coaches ever. Sure, he's made some bad choices, as many others have too but he damn sure knows the game..

Mansta, some people will never truly learn. You need talent, pure and simple. Good GM's like good coaches either have the knack or they don't. As an example, Dave Campo probably knows more about football than I likely ever will, but that doesn't make him a good head coach, leader, or football GM of any kind.

Jerry, like tens of thousands of other people over the years, played college football and forty years ago at that. He's been a "GM" for 18 years and apparently has learned very little.

As an owner, he's special because of his business acumen and willingness to spend money to make the Cowboys better. But he has a critical weakness, his unwillingness to bring in a talented head of personnel and president of football operations for the Cowboys.

 

[Mansta54]

Mansta, some people will never truly learn. You need talent, pure and simple. Good GM's like good coaches either have the knack or they don't. As an example, Dave Campo probably knows more about football than I likely ever will, but that doesn't make him a good head coach, leader, or football GM of any kind.

Jerry, like tens of thousands of other people over the years, played college football and forty years ago at that. He's been a "GM" for 18 years and apparently has learned very little.

As an owner, he's special because of his business acumen and willingness to spend money to make the Cowboys better. But he has a critical weakness, his unwillingness to bring in a talented head of personnel and president of football operations for the Cowboys.

You're entitled to your opinion. That's cool with me... :starspin

 

[bbgun]

Snyder starts over again
as coach of the Commanders.

By Ryan O'Halloran
Washington Times
January 27, 2008



Four years ago, Joe Gibbs flew to Buffalo and persuaded Gregg Williams to sign a multiyear, multimillion dollar contract to assume full control of the Washington Commanders' defense.

The long-term goal: Williams would succeed Gibbs.

Two years later, Gibbs jetted to Kansas City and persuaded Al Saunders to sign a multiyear, multimillion dollar contact and assume full control of the Commanders' offense.

The long-term goal: Saunders would develop quarterback Jason Campbell into a reliable performer.

But in a week when Vinny Cerrato was made the front office's point man (drawing snickers from the rest of the league), Jim Fassel was pursued and temporarily turned aside (ditto), the Commanders axed Williams and Saunders yesterday, replacing them with Seattle quarterbacks coach Jim Zorn and Commanders defensive line coach Greg Blache.

The Danny & Vinny Show has destroyed 66 percent of Gibbs' master plan, which had the Williams-Saunders-Campbell trio leading the Commanders into the future — in a mere 18 days. The moves also have diminished Gibbs' impact on the franchise.

When he returned to the NFL in January 2004, Gibbs wanted to win, but just as importantly, he aimed to stabilize a franchise that had defined "turbulent" since Snyder seized control of the team in 1999.

And during Coach Joe's four seasons, the coaching staff remained largely intact (only one coach was fired) and in Week 1, 14 of their 22 starters were in at least their third season with the Commanders.

The win-loss record was below average (31-36, including playoffs), but at least the Commanders twice reached the playoffs, had young players in place at several key positions and had embraced a youth movement on defense.

Now, the Commanders will be partly starting over.

A third offensive system in four years could slow Campbell's development. Some new wrinkles to the defense, even though Blache was on the Commanders staff, will require a transition, a theory that gets chucked if the Commanders opt for Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo.

(Interlude: Yesterday's news puts Fassel back in play. He was involved in the Zorn wooing earlier in the week, and like Gibbs, he's offense-first so he would give the keys to Blache. Why would Spagnuolo be interested in the job since both of the coordinators are already on board?)

The past two-plus weeks not only ruined much of Coach Joe's labor, it should torque him off. Why should he, now in the vague role of "special advisor" care what the Commanders do now, after his opinions were ignored?

The franchise is now back in the same state of disarray Gibbs encountered four years ago, only with somewhat better talent on the roster.

On Jan. 8, Snyder used the word "continuity." Two assumptions were made: Williams would get the head coaching position, Saunders would continue as the offensive play-caller.

But clearly, the mix of Williams and Cerrato would have gone as well as peanut butter and potato chips.

Williams may not get another head coaching job after his four interviews turned into a pink slip.

For all his proclamations, Williams' defenses with Washington were units that could stop teams (three top-10 finishes) but couldn't create interceptions, sacks and touchdowns.

Blache has a difficult job.

The veterans have his respect, so that won't be a problem. But they could be due for a step back in 2008 — Carlos Rogers and Rocky McIntosh sustained serious knee injuries, Phillip Daniels and Cornelius Griffin will be a year older, and it will be the first full season without Sean Taylor. Another hole has been created by Williams' departure because it now will be shocking if cornerback Shawn Springs is back.

The biggest loss is Saunders.

Saunders came to the District with a sterling offensive reputation, but under his watch, the Commanders were 13th and 15th in yards and 20th and 18th in points.

Snyder turned sour on Saunders either late last season or midway through this season. But consider these facts: The franchise running back didn't play half of 2006. The team went with essentially a rookie quarterback in Week 11 of 2006 and worked through the inevitable growing pains. The Commanders didn't have a healthy Santana Moss or Antwaan Randle El until December 2007, and they lost the right side of the offensive line by Week 2.

The Commanders were an average offensive team this season despite their injuries. But Campbell showed flashes before being injured against Chicago, Chris Cooley was a Pro Bowl performer and Moss and Randle El returned to form down the stretch.

But now Campbell will spend March, April and May learning a new playbook instead of refining his on-field skills. Now the Commanders will have to deal with players who won't be as willing to rework their contracts.

Earlier this week, when told of Cerrato's promotion, an NFC executive couldn't stop laughing.

"It gives the rest of us a better shot," he said. "I'm sure the rest of the NFC East is breathing easier."

They are today, too.