Our Mistakes....

I don't think Snyder is to blame for the bad coaches, except maybe Shotty (AFC coaches do not belong in the NFC East).

I think our biggest mistakes have been in the FA acquisitions. We got crap at huge cap numbers and are still paying for them (Bruce, Big Daddy, Trotter, etc.).

Snyder didn't realize that big names don't win, good players do. You don't give big signing bonuses and long contracts to players on the downside of their career. What happens is the players' play declines while their cap numbers increase, and this is a recipe for disaster.

The worst blunder of them all - Deion. As soon as the Deion hype machine rolled in I knew we were finished. The last thing you want in the NFL is added hype and scrutiny (see the Patriots). The only exception to the hype rule - Joe Gibbs.

That being said, I like what Snyder has done the past couple years. He's brought in new guys but most of them are young. As their cap numbers grow, hopefully their play can improve as much or more (ie Portis, Coles, Griffin, Washington). Plus it allows a core group of young guys to grow together in the same system for a few years.

He did bring in some older guys too (Brunell, Springs, Daniels), but they were brought in to fill specific holes and their deals will not kill us cap-wise a few years down the road (except for maybe Springs).

I think Mr.Snyder has turned the corner and is the BEST owner in the league.

I think our biggest "mistakes" are in the front office/coaching relationships. In the past, our front office (including Cerrato, Pepper Roger & their pro and college scouts) have actively worked against the previous coaching staffs, whether it was Norv, Robiskie, Marty or Spurrier.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=citadel-2_261800_71&prov=citadel&type=lgns

This is not to say the coaching was great - far from it. However, the Redskins "team" extends well beyond the players on the field, it is the coaching, it is the front office and it is how each of those relate to the players and to each other.

:cussing: For the past five years, the Skins have had a talented team. We made some good personnel moves and some bad ones, had some good draftees and some bad ones. I believe that every coach who has been here could have succeeded with the solid front office backing. But, when the going got rough, the players knew they could gripe to Snyder or Cerrato and get around or undermine the coaches. On top of that, I have read more than one story about Norv, Marty and Spurrier being bad mouthed behind their backs by the FO.

The Skins have not been a "Team" since Snyder bought them. I believe Gibbs will change that while he is here.

The question, of course, is what happens in 5 years when Gibbs decides he has had enough of coaching.

I read the same article, and while I believe there is an element of truth to it, the source is a fan site similar to ours. While they enjoy a measure of respectability that their association with Yahoo brings them, the information (which curiously contains no sources) seems speculative. Though I don't doubt that the coaching staff and front office are frequently at cross purposes (in most organizations - not just ours), I believe this article gave the author's impressions, rather than hard news.